(U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. – Love can be found in the fast lane, on the side, in the mind, and now, on the Web.

Internet dating’s introduction to pop culture arrived through Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ 1998 flick You’ve Got Mail. Since then, Internet dating sites have flooded the Web with Yahoo and MSN Personals, www.Match.com, and www.ePersonals.com. A little over two years ago, North Carolina State University students added to the mesh with www.CampusFlirts.com.

Created by NCSU student Joe Akink, CampusFlirts.com is now under the leadership of Michael Mason. Mason reports steady growth of the company since its birth in 2003.

“We have seen steady growth. But we expect that growth to explode over the remainder of the academic year, since we just re-launched the service with a new marketing emphasis: www.CampusFlirts, Where It Pays to Date,” Mason said.

Under the “Where It Pays to Date” plan, new registered users will get $5 credited to their account just for posting a free profile. Users who were already registered have been grandfathered in; www.CampusFlirts.com put $5 in every existing user’s account. CampusFlirts.com users will be able to get real cash via PayPal once their account reaches $20, in addition to getting $2 for every person they refer who creates a free profile.

“PayPal is a company owned by eBay. Over 50 million people worldwide use PayPal to send and receive payments online,” Mason said.

So, this Internet dating site might pay off, but the question remains, is Internet dating and matching hot or not?

Mason thinks it’s here to stay. “Internet dating is a trend that is going nowhere. If you look at your average freshman entering college this year and compare them to an entering freshman 10 years ago, you’re going to see a vast difference. The new freshman grew up with the Internet being a vital part of their academic and social life,” Mason said.

The Internet has risen to be a hub of communication – dating is now part of the mix. “A lot of (college students’) relationships are enhanced online. They talk for hours with their friends over instant messengers, look at movie reviews on Yahoo, and get directions for a road trip. Why not look for a date?” Mason said.

During weekdays college students are usually much too busy with their academic obligations to actively pursue Internet dating.

Yet, when they have some downtime in their dorm room, apartment or house, Internet surfers interested in finding a match enjoy the convenience of simply searching locals seeking a date online.

As for the time of year, Mason reports, “There really isn’t one time of year when going online is more prevalent. Although, we find that traffic to the site is increased when students are forced to be inside because of weather.”

With highly publicized incidents of psycho stalkers, rapes and other horrible encounters that began online, negative stigmas are attached to Web-based dating. The president of CampusFlirts.com alludes that the stigma is lessening with such sites increasing in popularity.

– Lori Miranda Osgood

“There really isn’t so much of a stigma any more. There are just people who think that meeting someone online is a new-fangled idea. They tend to have old-fashioned romanticized ideas about dating. But they are graduating and getting on with their lives. The newer college students are much more used to the Internet being an integral part of their lives, so why not look for a date?” Mason said.

“Most of these students also realize that finding a date online is no more dangerous than going out to a public place and meeting someone. There are just common sense guidelines that you should follow,” Mason said.

So what are the guidelines for Internet dating? Common advice from sites like Match.com, MSN Personals and Campusflirts.com is to make sure a significant level of trust is achieved before giving out names, addresses and phone numbers, and no matter how well daters think they know their matches, meet and stay in a public place.

While serving a dynamic population, Web sites providing online dating and matching services try to serve all sexual preferences.

Global companies such as Match.com and MSN Personals have the capacity to equally offer opportunities to heterosexuals and homosexuals.

“We decided early on to focus our resources on being the best online dating service for heterosexual college students since they compose the majority of the student population,” Mason said of Campusflirts.com.

NCSU also has another take on Internet dating and matching. The Wolf Web – www.thewolfweb.com – is designed primarily to chat, share school information and express opinions, but sometimes students use the medium to hook up.

While a lucky few might find a date or even a relationship on TWW, others are more apt to find a quick hook-up.

A commonly used phrase among hook-up seekers is “Do you ‘bwn?'” For those not down with TWW lingo, “bwn” means “Will you have sex with me?”

Whether it is sex or a date for Friday night, TWW serves as a online meeting place for users seeking a companion. Yet, not every TWW frequenter finds the Internet to be a good place to seek coeds.

“(TWW) works for some. For others, it doesn’t,” said Will Joyner, a junior in communication and Wolf Web user.

While users of TWW and a plethora of dating Web sites prowl the Internet for a mate, other NCSU students aren’t into the trend.

“I prefer to meet people in person; there are so many people around: In class, the dorms, the gym, etc.,” said Tyler Pool, a junior in English.

Jess Oakely, a senior in English, prefers conventional methods of dating. She likes things to be “more spontaneous, not fixed up, or searched for – if it is meant to happen it will.”

It is clear that there is no consensus on whether or not Internet dating is hot or not at NCSU. For the skeptical, it might be worth a shot, remembering to keep safety in the foreground.

If nothing else, people will get a few good laughs out of the experience.