Hiring someone one-on-one to match you with a suitable partner is, despite all the other options ... Make me a match...

Hiring someone one-on-one to match you with a suitable partner is, despite all the other options available, increasingly attractive to fed-up singles.

From newspaper personals, speeddating, lock and key parties, social events, sports groups, dating phone lines, cellphone texting and dating agencies to the most popular, online dating websites used by millions, there's a wide choice.

In fact, the Singles Search has become big business as well as the subject of a dozen top television shows including The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Ex-Treme Dating, ElimiDate and Meet My Folks.

Yet, despite all the choices, many singles find not only are they too busy to search out a mate but also find the dating world frustrating and fruitless.

"They're people who have found dating generally unreliable and stressful with online dating overwhelming, time-consuming and full of misrepresentation. They say it's hard to know anyone from a profile or even a photo, and they also want more privacy with their search."

But she points out that online dating services have had a good effect on the dating world as they've taken the stigma away from exploring a variety of methods to find someone special.

Lisa Ronis is one of New York's hottest matchmakers. She's appeared on many top U.S. TV shows such as Good Morning America and Dateline NBC and written up in publications such as the New York Times and USA Today.

She's also the star of a new W Network dating series Manhattan Matchmaker starting Wednesday, April 19, at 9 a.m. It was filmed in Vancouver where she helps struggling singles find a match.

She says she started Lisa Ronis Personal Matchmaking (lisaronismatchmaking.com) in 2000 to help not just her friends but upscale singles find their soulmate. She says she not only works very hard to find them the right person but also acts as her clients' coach and confidante ("not to mention their punching bag!"), advises them on personal image and even gets them party invites.

"Business boomed after 9/11," she says. "It affected everyone deeply and it became even more important for people to find someone to share their life with.

"It used to have a bit of a stigma to hire a matchmaker," Ronis says, "but now it's not only acceptable but a great way for ultra-busy people to find someone. I do all the work for them."

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