By PAUL KATCHER	Email this article to a friend

February 14, 2003

Looking for a blond chain-smoker taller than 6' between age 30 and   31? Try a personals site PHOTONONSTOP / ENVISION

Online dating has been around for years, but it's only now beginning to reach critical mass. That means you're more likely to find a normal sampling of singles online and not just Java programmers and Star Trek fans.

Before you dive into our list, a word on how these sites typically work. You begin by creating, for free, your profile on the site by selecting a combination of menu items (body type, level of education completed, smoking) and answering subjective, open-ended questions like "How would you describe yourself?" or "What is your favorite on-screen sex scene?" And of course, you need to upload a photo — preferably your own.

Next, find your better half. You can search for matches and sort the results based on age range, location and virtually any other demographic information. Once you've found some likely prospects, the free stuff ends. To make contact with prospective Mr. or Mrs. Rights, all of the leading dating sites require you to pony up a monthly fee in the neighborhood of $20-25. Many sites offer free trial periods for those just browsing the merchandise.

Where to Go:

The leader of the pack is Match.com, the singles hangout for over 8 million people, around one-tenth of whom are paid subscribers. Among its best features is a daily e-mail that delivers 10 new matches, with photos if available.

Another heavyweight, Yahoo! Personals, allows users to attach voice and video greetings to their profiles. An advanced search function allows people to search for matches in such groups as single parents, college students and vegetarians.

Matchmaker.com features special-interest sections for everyone from military personnel to Mormons to swingers. And we're not talking baseball players.

Date Seeker profiles these and the rest of the major dating sites.

Also among a wealth of specialized personals sites are Booklovers Match-o-Matic, Snow Lovers and Millionaire Match, which may or may not be a show on FOX someday.

If you're new to online dating, brush up on how to write an effective personal ad. You don't want to be the one-millionth person to write, "I like to get dressed up for a night on the town ... or just curl up at home and watch a movie."

Of course, the Internet is also a great resource for finding a date even if you'd rather initiate contact with someone in person. The website for 8minuteDating explains all you need to know about participating in a speed-dating event in your area. The good news here: Even if you realize after the first minute that your date's a living hell, you'll never have more than seven minutes to go. If even that sounds like too much risk, try HurryDate, which is a series of encounters that last three minutes, or approximately one commercial break.

And even if you'd like to go it alone, there's help online. Advice for men on the prowl can be found at the Don Juan Center, while women can at least focus their search after taking the Who's Your Mr. Right? quiz.

NEXT: Planning the Date