There is a new niche dating site with a very unique concept behind it. It's called Fatepod, and it caters to people who have had a chance encounter with someone they found attractive and want to meet again. So they can sign up to the site and see if this person - along with their encounter - is listed.

It's a very intriguing idea, and I can see the appeal. But surely the odds are against it working. It would need huge numbers of people signed up for it to have any kind of success. That's why I suspect it might end up slowly going belly up, like so many odating sites these days.

It's interesting how some particular areas show certain trends in use of online dating sites. Take the Tweed area in New South Wales. According to recent research there has been a huge increase in people from this region joining RSVP.

There are a lot more people there joining more traditional matchmaking services as well. An owner of one such service also confirms another trend that has been seen in online dating statistics: that of increasing numbers of older people seeking love and romance.

Kerry Katona is the latest celebrity to use an online dating site. And it appears that she has had success with it.

It's quite interesting that so many famous people (particularly women) are doing this now. You would think that they would be overwhelmed with interest from members of the opposite sex anyway and wouldn't need to.

But the world of celebrity is full of hangers on, weirdos, wannabes and people with hidden agendas. Perhaps the rationale for using dating sites is that you can be so much more selective about who you make contact with (which is ironically why many normal, everyday people use them, too).

Still, even if they're meeting people online, their fame could constitute a barrier to finding successful relationships. Anyone getting involved with a famous person - regardless of the means - is highly likely to have his or her privacy invaded as well. I'd imagine that would be a big disincentive to a lot of people.

It may have turned out that the phenomenon of countless cougars prowling for cubs was actually a bit of a myth. But the oft-reported trend of increasing numbers of Aussies over 50 using online dating certainly isn't, as tonight's episode of the 7PM Project attests.

There have been many stories in the media about how people have been using Facebook to meet other single people, almost as if it's a free online dating site. But the other big social networking site, Twitter, hasn't seemed to be part of that trend.

But that may be changing, if this article is any guide.