Web Channel for singles to escape languor
The Hindu, March 20, 1999

If loneliness is bogging you down, this one is meant for you. India's first website for singles has been launched by Rediff.Com. The new online service has been entitled 'The Singles Channel.'

This new service is aimed at young, single people who are seeking meaningful online relationships with other like-minded individuals. The Singles Channel will be available at www.rediff.com.

While the Singles Channel is a new concept in India. It has become immensely popular in the West where online relationships have become an integral part of daily life. The recent success of the film 'You've got M@il' starting Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan chronicles the phenomenon of online relationships in the West.

The procedure for logging on to the Singles Channel is simple. Users have just to fill up an onlight form detailing their preferences and provide a profile of themselves.

The profile matcher, which is integral to the entire concept, scans the database and e-mails the possible options that match the users' requirements. It is then the users' prerogative to decide who he/she wants to contact and take the relationships further.

Users are assured of total confidentiality since they can only be identified by their login name which is chosen by them on their own. Revealing his/her true identity is solely left to the users discretion. The user can choose when (if at all) he/she wants the relationship to progress into a 'real meeting.'

Adding to the online experience that The Singles Channel can provide an Internet enthusiast are features such as Live chats with celebrities like Ruby Bhatia, Cyrus Broacha, and Nafisa Joseph, among others.

Users have also been extended the offer of creating their personal home pages to enable visitors to visit these pages and get to know them better. There are special sections hosted by Aunt A-Goni and Uncle X-Stacy on the Singles Channel to give users online advice on personal issues. A discussion forum also enables users to engage in online discussions with like-minded individuals across the globe on issues that are dear to them. There is also an e-commerce service in the form of a gift shop for online gifting.