Chances are, that if you were trying to find a date 15 years ago, you would have to be in the same place at the same time.

Internet dating changed all that, with users researching and contacting a potential date before meeting; turning the lonely hearts column into a billion-dollar industry. Over 17% of single internet users have used dating websites according to one recent US survey.

A number of apps allow users to see potential partners nearby with a username, photograph and selected details about them. They can then contact each other and arrange to meet in a matter of minutes.

“I think everyone struggles to meet people,” says Joel Simkhai, CEO of newly-launched app Blendr, promising to make social networks social again.

And it does seem like there is a desire to meet people online in the hope that love could be, quite literally, around the corner.

Skout, another app available on both iOS and Android platforms, promises users can “flirt, chat, maybe even find a date” by using its GPS-enabled service. Ler mais