Every day, the site sends users six matches based on compatibility, but it leaves much of the matching up to the user.

Such companies offer a wide variety of unmoderated matchmaking services, most of which are profile-based.

Political bedfellows “In college, I was active in a young Republican group at USC on campus," says Ashlee Bell, 25, who graduated from the University of Southern California.

"It was overwhelming because most of the people are liberals on campus.” Bell says she talks about politics all the time, even when she’s on a date.

Once a profile has been created, members can view the profiles of other members of the service, using the visible profile information to decide whether or not to initiate contact.

Most services offer digital messaging, while others provide additional services such as webcasts, online chat, telephone chat (VOIP), and message boards.