Book lovers everywhere now have their very online dating site in the form of Penguin Dating. The service, which is a collaboration between match.com and Penguin Publishing, brings together book lovers and dating for the very first time. The service will offer Penguin readers a place to meet and indulge in the age old art of writing love letters as the boom in online dating fast restores the importance of the written word to modern courtship.

The credit crunch is spawning a new “staying in” culture as folks look for ways to cut back on spending without cutting down on being sociable and having fun. It is true that more folks are staying in, but they seem determined not to be miserable about it.

It would seem that despite being in the grip of a recession, nobody wants to give up the simple pleasures in life. As a result, one industry, which is not only thriving but also continuing to grow through the credit crunch is online dating. One prime example of this is the MakeFriendsOnline group of web properties whose expansion has continued unimpeded in recent months.

In August 2007, online dating and friendship site makefriendsonline.com carried out a survey amongst its members to find out if they would like the option to use Web cams on the site. Male respondents were keen to give it a go but the proposal met a resounding No from 56% of female members who not only did not want the option but also expressed reservations about even joining a site, which offered it.

As a result of one members email, there is good news for singles looking for love online in Australia. Australian online dating website, slinky.com.au has recently decided to scrap all it's membership fees and in the process, turned itself into Australia's largest free online dating site.

A new niche online dating service has been launched which focuses on matching athletes from all over the world in a user friendly secure fashion. Users of athletic-dating.com can meet local and international singles and send a limited amount of messages for free.

Here's an online dating service that pays to join! By signing up with the new Web site, CupidSurfer.com, new members have the chance to find love and simultaneously qualify for a chance to win a portion of $2 million in cash.

The reservations for Dating Tours are increasing every year for AnastasiaWeb. So far in 2006, they are on track to break all their previous records for attendance. Nearly 4000 women have attended their social events this year in more than five international locations.

PlusPersonals.com has announced the launch of a new online dating network which is designed to provide a fun, comfortable and safe online environment where plus-size people can create and develop meaningful relationships with members of the community.

Xfactor Dating introduced online dating to 1000's of its single members so they can join thousands of other singles online and now, more people are meeting online than ever before. Despite being live for just over 3 months, Xfactor has already attracted almost 90,000 members to sign up to its online dating service.