| abstract | - An urban online community consists of a website that caters to one or more urban demographics. Today, many online communities focus on dating, employment and other social activities. A successful online community is based on the specific needs of the demographics that are being targeted. Online personals/dating remained the leading paid content category, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all paid content. U.S. consumers spent $214.3 million on personals/dating content in the first half of 2003, up 76 percent from first half of 2002. (Online Publishers Association) Jupiter Research estimates that the online personals market is a $250 million market in the United States, expected to grow to $642 million by 2007. Some 40 million Americans visited personals/dating sites in August 2003, according to a report published by The Online Publishers Association and ComScore Networks. In 2002, Jupiter estimated that 17.2 million people viewed online personals and 2.5 million people paid for online ads. In 2006, Jupiter predicts 27.4 million will view online personals and 5.2 million will pay for ads. Examples of urban online communities:
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