Dating is a form of courtship where two people access the suitability of each other as partners in an intimate relationship or as a spouse. Dates typically are meetings or engaging in some social activity by two people who want to be in a relationship. There are various ways of arranging dates. Some of these include:

Online dating: There are a number of websites available which allow perspective members to upload their profile and also browse through the profiles of other members. Some of these sites are free, while others charge a fee for the services. Some cater to broader category or individuals. However, many target niches based on religion, caste, location and specific requirements. Online dating is becoming very popular because of its convenience and easy access.

Speed dating: This is a formalized dating arrangement where a group of people get together for some hours. The individuals are given a particular amount of time to chat with each other before proceeding on to the next participant.

Blind date: This is a form of date where the two people on date have never met before. This is usually arranged by common friends or by relatives.

Singles event: This is a system where a group of singles are brought together to participate in various activities. The purpose is to know each other better and bring together singles of particular interest, location or religions. There can be various social activities arranged for this, including parties, games or some king of workshops.

In many traditional cultures, a date is arranged by a third party who may be a friend or a family member. However, recently internet dating has become increasingly popular. There are some websites which provide dating advice, tips and help in finding dating partners. Dating services range from a broad range of services that provide with a little of everything to more specific services. Niche categories may include Christian, gay, Jewish dating websites, interracial dating, sex dating, matchmaker personals, and many more. These sites can be used to find dates in and around a user's locality; they can also be used to access members internationally. The dating site's success usually depends on the volume or the number of members on the site. The number of members should be high enough for users to make connections. A large number of newcomers are entering the online dating markets but some most popular sites have seen a huge rise in traffic.

There are several online dating services also available. These systems provide an opportunity to the different individuals, couples and the various groups to communicate and interact with each other. The sole objective is to develop a long term romantic or sexual relationship. In most of the cases, the prime equipments that are made use of for online dating are cell phones and personal computers. In most of the cases, there is a pre-requisite to adopt the different online dating systems, that is, a set of personal information and personal details has to be provided before the individuals can actually get an access to the details of the other person such as age, gender, location, etc.

Through most of the systems, it is also possible to upload the photographs and some of the additional services that may also be provided through some of the sites are telephone chat, online chatting, webcast, etc.