This was my first attempt at using a speed dating site and all I can say is WOW! SpeedDate’s chat seems to be the hub or center of the site. Within minutes of signing up, I had members who were ready to begin our five minute speed date chat for us to get to know each other better. I could easily ignore or not chat if I wasn’t ready for the moment, but I couldn’t help but to feel like I was the center of attention within minutes of signing up.

The menu on the left had my profile image (click it to update your profile) as well as many helpful icons to guide you. There was  “Improve your matches,” “Dating tutorial,” “Advance search tutorial,” “Sending email tutorial,” and even a “SMS” feature. But you know what, I didn’t have to do anything to immediately get involved. The chat was popping up with potential suitors wanting to chat while I was checking out the site. Besides it being a speed dating site, it felt like an “effortless dating” site. The activity just kept coming  while I did nothing. Amazing!

Webcam Chat

I noticed the “Likes me” tab at the top of the site. I saw that 41 members already viewed my site and three of them made me their favorite. Remember that this was all within 15 minutes of signing up. My mail box kept filling up. I was up to 25 messages in my inbox as I browsed the site.

You can sign up for free to get a feel for the site, but no doubt you will want to take advantage of full membership to enjoy all the features and benefits. Highly recommend the one year membership. The cost was  a little more than $15. I felt I got my $15 dollars worth within 15 minutes of being on the site. I can’t imagine not finding someone special if I had a whole  year to browse, meet and search for the one meant for me.

SpeedDate definitely stands out as NOT being a  typical post a profile, picture, send a message and wait for a response site.  It is much more than that. You don’t have to take my word for it. Check it out and sign up at www.speeddate.com. You will be amazed at the activity immediately after signing up. It will become apparent with the flurry of activity that finding someone for a date or to love for the rest of your life is an effortless journey at SpeedDate.  The site is easy to navigate so it  won’t take you long to learn the ropes, plus, there are many helpful tutors and tips along the way.  What are you waiting for? Finding love couldn’t be easier or better yet, sign up and let love find you.

True.com

True.com definitely has a positive message just from viewing the front page. It looks pleasantly attractive, and well worth your time, even without reading anything at all. This is only a first impression though, which is still a good feature. If you can’t get accustomed to a site’s layout, then you most likely won’t be staying a member there for very long.

The first thing you have to do, which is certainly a given, is sign up. You must be patient though, because the sign up page takes a little while to load up. It will appear as if you’re viewing search results for singles, but after a minute or so another page will pop up. As a rule, matchmaking sites are only available to people of legal age(18). The initial info input page will take less than a minute, without any hassle. Then, you’re presented with more information, so the site can match your personal preferences with other singles. There’s an interesting feature that tells you how many potential matches you have, depending on what you choose for preferences.

Now, to actually become a member of this dating site, you have to have a legal credit card. Even for your 3 day trial membership. It’s kind of disappointing that they don’t offer any long term free memberships with more features, but only the trial. It will still allow you to use everything on the site though, just as a preview to see if you want to further use the services they provide. There’s lots of features on True.com to help you find the single you’re looking for, like video, voice, and image posting. You can have live chats, or send emails. There’s plenty here for a paying customer, and it’s nice to try out, even if it’s only for 3 days. For a free membership, you aren’t given very many options, besides browsing member profiles and sending messages.  True.com has quite high prices, compared to every other matchmaking site I’ve seen, which is something you want to consider when choosing what website you want to join. It’s $49.99 for one month; $79.99 for three months; and $129.99 for six months. It’s a lot to ask for, but there’s definitely a lot to offer here. If the prices dissuade you, it’s still worth checking out for the free 3 day trial.
Overall Rating:  7/10

I was surprised at how much the dating site presented itself as a forum on the front page. It really had the appearance and layout that you would expect to see on many types of forums. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just a little odd to look at until you grow accustomed to it. Well, the only way you’ll be able to get used to, is by being a part of the site for some time to come, which is something that you have to decide for yourself.

The one thing I do like, is that plenty of fish lists all the rules immediately, so you know just what is tolerable and what isn’t. They state right on the front page that they don’t prevent nonpaying members from contacting paying members. This is an amazing feature, as it’s true that almost every dating site does this. It’s definitely a special feature that makes this dating site different and special from any other one out there. You won’t find many that let you contact every member of the site without a catch. The site is extremely against scams, so you know you’re in good hands when you’re joining plentyoffish.com. You’ll be communicating with legit singles, and most likely getting the results you desire. There’s a few preview profiles on the front page as well, to show you how things are basically setup. It is always excellent to get a look into a website before even signing up, it helps build a better relationship with the user.

POF Login Page

There’s a whole bunch of different pages to go through during the sign up process. The first page is a quick, 30 second input, and the rest plays out like a survey. It does help you get more matches, and overall increases the effectiveness of the site, but it’d be nice if they let you fill in the information later for once. When you’re all finished, you get a results page, which lists what the site thinks what kind of person you are. It’s..an interesting feature I haven’t seen before. Plenty of fish has many nice things to offer, like testimonials to prove its worthiness, and a special ‘points system’ that allows you to purchase virtual gifts for other members. There’s plenty of things available for a member, like messaging, mail, browsing, and photos. The only thing that could be improved on is the layout and style. For some people, they may actually prefer it above a regular website. Interestingly, I couldn’t seem to find any links for upgrading your profile, which is a little odd.

Most importantly though, Plenty of Fish is for anyone looking for a mate. There’s tons of members on here, and lots of potential people to meet. No matter what gender, or ethnicity you are, there’s most likely someone on here that will take a liking to you.

• Worlds’ greatest member database
• Forums
• 100% Free

• Old fashioned layout/design
• Poor customer support

  There are numerous sponsor ads, but they were neither disruptive nor annoying.  Mate1 provide a very detailed profile area that allows you to be as precise as you wish in listing your likes and dislikes, as well as many pick-n-choose menus to help you narrow down your preferences.

Mate1 Dating Site

  Your searches can be as wide as you desire, but can also be narrowed down to details as specific as hair and eye color, height, religious preferences, education level and there is even an area for sexual preferences which includes “one on one”, group, cross-dressing, bondage, S&M and other alternative activities.

  Searches, whether short or advanced, processed quickly and effectively.  Matches were found from every country listed.  There is a “Mate1 Chat – Instant Messenger” provided for ease in communicating with those that are simultaneously online.  There appears to be an ample pool of clientele and contacts were made within five to ten minutes of registering on the sight – even before photos had been uploaded.

  Photo uploads are highly encouraged, and ten times more clicks are advertised with the addition of photos.  All downloaded pictures are reviewed before they are allowed to be seen thus avoiding inappropriate photos.
Definitely worth the look!

Pros
-Huge member database
-Nice online dating features
-Instant Webcam Chat

Cons
-None

Overall Rating:  9/10

Well, I can’t even begin to explain how easy the sign-up process is, but I will anyways. The sign-up will literally take you about 1-2 minutes. No email activation required, no long matchmaking tests either. It’s unclear whether this is a good or bad thing – you be the one to decide. You can further edit your profile at a later date if you wish, so there is no hassle to get anything done. It may be a good idea to finish up your profile soon though, so you can receive more interest from other singles. There are several different language options as well, so this site is for all sorts of different people. You must be a single though – no married couples here. You don’t have to be looking for love – it could be friendship as well. All member profiles have clear descriptions and you can easily tell how someone is just by viewing their profile for a short time. The overall layout out once you get inside the site is..slightly cartoon-ish? There are lots of emoticons and bubble options and lots of colors concentrated in certain buttons and areas. I can’t say I like the layout as much as I did on the outside of the site – but it isn’t bad. It’s just plain in most places. You can join www.luw.me completely free. You have the very basic features like messaging and searching. If the free membership isn’t enough for you though, there are also a few paid membership offers.

Pros
-Stylish layout
-Lots of membership capabilities
-Free features available
-Lifetime Memberships

Cons
-Layout could be a bit childish to some
-Free features are extremely limited

I really like the idea of a Lifetime membership. I have yet to see another dating website offer a deal like that. With a lifetime membership you are bound to find your soul mate eventually! With over 6000 people online at a time and 2000 more joining every day, this is a definite pass in the dating website department.

Overall Rating:  8.5/10

There are thousands of members to browse and find an interest in, and hopefully you can find your perfect love from there. Now, for the basis and layout of the site. From what I can see on the front page there isn’t a lot of variability. You have your white background and such, but plenty of information with it. The site has been up for ten years now, with plenty of success stories to prove it. Success is key with a site and date.com has it. Keep in mind how popular or effective a dating website is before jumping into it- it would be a shame to waste time and money. I found one interesting quote the site makes, “The majority of our members are college educated professionals who live in large cities or nearby suburbs.” Is this true? Hard to believe? That is up to you to decide. If you are interested in the same sex, don’t worry, because this site also accepts those kinds of relationships as well.

The sign up process is pretty basic with the simple questions like what you’re interested in and what you want in your partner, etc. It could take you from five to ten minutes depending on how thorough you want to be with your sign up. If you just want to find out what the interior of the site is like you can skim through most of the sign up pretty easily. The site is pretty much the same all-around. It looks and feels the same no matter what you are doing. It doesn’t look half-bad though, I will admit. To give you an idea of the amount of members you will encounter – over 20,000 new members sign up every week. After ten years the site is still constantly growing. As far as what you can do with your free profile, it is pretty limited. Being a guest member, you can: Flirt; Look at date info; and post a profile. You almost HAVE to upgrade to Gold if you want any success here. That’s going to cost you, of course. One thing that’s definitely worth noting is the toolbar available for download. The toolbar is linked directly to the site and lets you know if you have alerts or messages etc, and it always allows you to be online even if you don’t actually have the site up. Useful right? It’s even free!

Gold Membership offers many more features like: Sending emails; Sending Instant Messages; Audio/Video Messaging; Access to Chat rooms; and Showing up more in search results. The prices are as follows -

1 month for $34.95
3 months for $69.95
6 months for $99.95
1 year for $139.95

Pros
-Lots of features at decent prices
-Many members
-Toolbar Download

Cons
-No success here for guest members

As you can see the pros outnumber the cons, meaning the website must be pretty good. It is a very well made and respectable matchmaking place. If you are someone who enjoys free features though and still finding success then you will have to look elsewhere. The only way you’ll get to know someone here is by paying first. This site also has a twin site called matchmaker.com which I didn’t like at all. On account of the information that is given here though, I will be more lenient and say this is the better of the two.

Overall Rating:  8/10

The site refers to these things as “Extra-Marital Affairs.” AshleyMadison.com is being used by over one million members and continues to grow everyday. It has been featured on the “Tyra Banks Show”, “Dr. Phil”, and several other critical TV stations and shows. The website has received a lot of publicity which would explain its success. Of course, it has had its share of protests as well, from people who find this type of thing completely wrong; but, if you do not approve of the online dating website, then don’t join it, or patronize their business.Ashley Madisonis for people who are serious in having an “extra-marital affair” with their partner. According to Ashley Madison, you are guaranteed to have an affair if you join this site. Sound good? Then join. The site has a FAQ page to explore if you want to find out more. This is something you should seriously consider before becoming involved in a dating website like this.

For the features and prices – you can firstly sign up as a free guest member. As a guest member you can: Receive winks; send and receive photos; add members to your Favorites list; Reply to any Full member; and Perform searches for members. If you want even more features you have to use “credits” to purchase more features. Credits are like an online currency that will let you do a number of different things with the other members. With credits you can have chat sessions with members, send them gifts, and send priority messages. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but it should be enough to find you a suitable “affair partner.” Oh, and the layout? It’s nothing special – Common whites and cream colors.

Pros
-Millions of members
-Credit system

Cons
-Site is entirely based on affairs

Now, my only con isn’t necessarily just a con. This could be a pro for people who are interested in that. This is one of those sites that is a hit or miss. You either like it or you don’t. I don’t believe there is any “in the middle” position. Keep in mind the website is extremely popular and effective. Just ask yourself, are you looking for a marital affair? The answer to that will bring you here, or take you away from it.

Overall Rating:  6.5/10

Each time that you receive search results from this online dating site you will be given the person’s username, age, age of the person they are looking to meet (a great feature in and of itself), description and location. You will then be given the option to send an email, chat with the person if they are online, wink at the person, leave them a voicemail or add them to your favorites. Another great feature that Match.com offers is that once you send a member an email you will get a list of other members whose profiles are similar to the person that you just emailed. While some people may not like this feature, it is nice because you will be able to easily find other people who you may be interested in talking to.

With Match.com you will also have the opportunity to get to know yourself better through quizlets. These are both easy and fun. The belief is that once you get to know yourself better, you will be able to find someone else whom you will know is of interest to you easier. Of course, this is also a lot of fun too. In fact, this website is actually very rich with features. Unfortunately, you need to be aware that a lot of these features are going to cost you extra money, beyond what you will pay for your subscription, though

Regardless it’s still crucial to look attractive and not act like a complete fool. It really depends on the situation and your surroundings. It may be hard to be yourself if you are having dinner with your date’s family. On-the-other-hand if you are hanging out with friends you can really show a woman what you are like. Once you get to that point, which direction should you take though? Do you woo your date with kind words and talk about each other and then eventually drop her off at home – knowing you can slowly advance the relationship with each date? Or, do you resort to strictly passion and try to take hold of the girl’s heart immediately with “the moves?” A lot of women are looking for something different in a man, for sure. It is just hard to figure out how to present that outlying factor in yourself that can show a woman you are different from other men. Normally, it would be by keeping a stable, secure, and trustful relationship with them for a couple of months. That might not be good enough though. She may have been expecting something completely different. Perhaps she has had it with the false security men give when they immediately start dating. If you act like too much of a “nice guy” you may end up in a relationship quite different than you imagined. Right when you think it’s time to get serious she may want to stay “just friends” No man wants to be presented with that situation.

It is very easy to avoid such a problem though. You may think security should come first in a relationship before anything else – but too much of that can smother the relationship and give it a stale, boring feeling. If you can’t get a new relationship off to a good start – it will never work in the end. Concentrate on passion and let things play out from there. Don’t be predictable. Surprise her and show her some kind of excitement. That is a good way to get closer. Most women are looking for excitement in their relationships to begin with. They don’t want to go out to eat thirty times and then exchange in a small kiss a couple of months into the relationship (If it even lasted that long). That is only showing her that you are scared to open up and too concerned with security at such an early stage in the relationship. It is understandable for people who may have had dating problems in the past and would not want to be emotionally injured again – but it’s a good thing to think about. Security is a long term thing. That is all there is to it. Begin the relationship with a sort of passion and unpredictability and then work into the long term security that the relationship needs to stay together. Do not worry about making your date sure that the relationship will last forever because it is impossible to know such information. Just begin by expressing your love and attractiveness for her. Things will tend to change when your relationship becomes more secure – and it will change for the better. You just have to give it time. Make the right decisions when you enter a relationship and be sure of what your date is actually looking for.

The site allows nudity on the front page as well, so it is easy to tell that this is more of a mature site. Besides that there isn’t that much on the front page. The information given is pretty slim. It gives you five reasons to join the site – and they are honestly pretty pathetic reasons. There are singles. You can upload photos. There are ADULT singles. The third one confuses me. Obviously everyone on the website could be considered an adult. Anyways, it is a popular adult dating site too, with hundreds of new members signing up everyday. If the boring layout doesn’t appeal to you, then maybe the mature theme will.

There isn’t all that much offered here for features. Sure, most stuff is free – that’s a plus. But all you’ll find here is member browsing, photo posting, video chat, and email. There isn’t a lot more to the website than that. Once you get into this adult dating site you’ll notice all the photo updates and web cams. Most of the web cams just have girls doing suggestive things. Just from browsing the site – I don’t even know if there is anyone on here looking for love. It appears that everyone just wants to flirt or have some kind of short term relationship. This is purely judge though – and isn’t necessarily true. If you are looking for a more serious relationship you can still browse the site, and maybe you’ll find the person you are looking for. Otherwise I just think this site is made more for flirting and video chat.

Pros
-Plenty of members
-”Suggestive” themes for those who like it

Cons
-Too much flirting portrayed
-Doesn’t feel like a dating website

I wish I could say more about Fling.com; but there really is not much to go off of. I can’t say I feel like I’m looking for someone to spend my life with when I browse the site. I almost feel like I’m just browsing some smut, which sounds bad, but that’s the feel the website gives off. Not everything here is bad – and it could appeal to only certain kinds of people.

Overall Rating:  6.5/10