Firstly, with speed dating it has many advantages. Groups mainly consist of 20 or more males and females who are organised at a long table, outdoor venue or gathering. Usually you will have a time allocated to each person you meet which could be something like 2-4 minutes. In this time you should endeavor to learn and remember all you can about the other person, with the most important details being their name, age, location, family, general interests, personality and so on. It is a great way to meet a vast number of people in a short space of time. However with speed dating it seems like a lot to have to learn about someone in a short space of time.

Have you ever been to a job interview and walked out thinking "Bugger, I forgot to mention that I'm skilled in chemical engineering and have experience in this or that also", or something like that? For the average person, they will always forget to mention something that's either very relevant, important or accurate in detail. Well this is one potential thing that can occur with speed dating that may not with online dating. You also have pressure to entertain, enlighten, amuse, or capture in whichever way you can, the attention of the other person. With speed dating, you benefit from actually meeting other people and hearing their story in person. You may find several people who might really suit your taste or interests. However in a practical sense, it really takes at least a few months to get to know someone properly because their behaviours under different conditions are not recognised straight away.

With online dating there are many benefits. You can join and stay anonymous if you wish. You can take all the time you need to browse other members profiles and take notes. You can carefully plan your contact with someone and what you want to say to them. You can control the communication by either blocking, saying "no thank you" or accepting contact from others, or by carefully deciding what to say when you contact someone and you can know you are in control every step of the way. You are in the convenience of your own home, internet cafe or similar place, without loud noise or music to distract you. You have time to think. You can generally view far more people's profiles than what is normally available in the way of single people at a speed dating function so there is more choice. With online dating you can take months to email back and forth someone you like without the pressure of having to exchange contact details in a few short minutes. You can show creative artwork, pictures, write cliches, stories, blogs or display any other material you like. With online dating you can be in contact with many people at once without the other gender knowing if you really want to cast your net wide.

It is known that around 40% of single people looking for a partner now has an online dating profile at any one time somewhere in the world. They may have tried speed dating but the future of social activity involving singles is moving more to online dating these days as people lead busier lives. It seems clearer that online dating is becoming the number one choice over speed dating for meeting others of the opposite gender, even for meeting similar interest groups. Take a look online sometime and see a multitude of single people looking for their special someone, relationship or marriage partner online.