In many cultural traditions, dates are arranged by a third party, who may be a family member, an acquaintance, or a dedicated matchmaker. Recently matchmaking services have become popular. Although dating rules in Western popular culture have become more relaxed during the 20th century, there is considerable variation between individuals' values.

Some examples of Virtual Dating include going Russian Dating to different locations in an information space MMORPG and doing what some couples might do in a real-life date.