There’s a brilliant, and very amusing, article by Angela Chen on The Wall Street Journal about the rise of niche dating sites in the US.
Focussing on three specific and very different dating sites – Ayn Rand site Atlasphere, GlutenFree Singles and Farmers Only – Chen gives the personal side behind these sites, speaking to their creators and users.
It gives great insight into the ideas behind the creation of such websites – for example, Farmers Only was created after founder Jerry Miller realised “the isolated and demanding nature of farming meant that people were having trouble finding understanding partners.”
It’s a very funny read, and the great anecdotes from the users of the sites show that while niche sites may viewed as slightly ridiculous to an outside observer, it’s the opposite for those who use them.
As Farmers Only member Morgan says, “I like the idea of dating websites that pertain more to what we want out of life. You’re choosing that website because that value is very strong in you.”
Read it over at The Wall Street Journal here.