As the name suggests Love and Friends isn't just about internet dating- it's about finding friends as well. This is a site run by normal people and not a big company so it has a more personal feel to it.
Love and Friends is simple and easy to use. It lacks some of the graphics of other online dating sites but it is easy to use and efficient. The unique selling points of Love and Friends is that, as mentioned previously, you can find friends as well. This is a good feature if you have just moved into an area. Of course there are people looking for love and to meet new people as well and the site highlights what kind of relationship a person is looking for.
The other unique selling point is that the site allows you to send a fixed number of short messages to members. If you pay a fee you can send as many messages as you want. However as an introduction to internet dating this is a good start. You can meet people without having to pay a fee! Maybe this is why they are attracting around 1000 members a week.
The search facilities on this site are not as detailed as on other internet dating sites. You can't search by postcode and distance but by region. It often doesn't say where a person lives which can be interesting.
You can search by occupation but not income. Alongside this are the usual features of age, religion, height, has children, marital status. The search facility is easy to use and you have the options of doing simple or more detailed searches.
Love and Friends is one a few internet dating dating sites that offers voice profiles and two way calling. What this means is that you can hear your potential date speaking their profile. You can also have a phone conversation through the site without having to worry that the person may have your phone number. The conversation takes place via a secure connection through the site. Security is very good on this site.
Love and Friends has a variety of features that they are constantly upgrading. Their free message system makes it very attractive if you don't want to pay. Worth a look?
Love and Friends
My Single Friend
My Single Friend is an online dating site created by Sarah Beeny, the TV presenter. As well as offering advice on property development it appears that she also enjoys setting her friends up on dates. She has transferred this idea into an internet dating site.
The unique selling point of this internet dating site is the fact that it is your friends who write your profile and describe you. Your friend can then search the site and find people they think will be a good match for you! Choose a friend who knows you well!! Singles are also linked by who they know so you can check out each others friends to get more of an idea about the person you are interested in.
The pages are set out clearly and searching is relatively easy. You can search by all the usual methods such as postcode, age, gender, has children etc. As everyone is linked you can also check out the person's friends or people they have linked with. You can search for profiles with or without a photo as well.
All in all this is a good site that has received endorsement from Radio 1 as well as other sources such as Vogue and FHM. This internet dating site has a trendy and cool image and is mostly used by young people. The ethos is to try and make online dating less cringey by making it as natural as possible- hence the way your friends get involved, as a way to make it more sociable.
If you are wanting to keep the fact you are online dating then this isn't the site for you so check out some of the others.
This internet dating site is best used to find people in your area.
DatingDirect
Here we'll have a more in-depth look at DatingDirect. This internet dating site has recently been bought by a French company and they have made many improvements to the site. Probably why it's membership has been growing! If fact it makes the claim of being the UK's largest internet dating website.
One of the unique features of this internet dating site is the fact that it has just introduced video messaging. That's right- you can see the person as you message them! Gone are the days of sitting in your pyjamas with no make-up on emailing away! However this feature is a more life like way of communicating which means you can get to know a person better before deciding whether or not to meet them.
Dating Direct has the standard postcode, age, religion, has children searching. In comparison to some other internet dating sites we have found the search facility less intuitive. It can be quite a difficult to change your search criteria once you have fixed them.
The profile pages are well set out. The profile photos on the site can be enlarged so you can actually see them properly. Some other internet dating sites don't have this function so seeing what the person looks like can be a bit of a guessing game.
As with match.com you can search by income but it's not very precise saying only high, medium or low. The site does not specify how much you have to earn in each category so it's personal opinion only. Beware if this is important to you!!
Occupation is only divided into sector so you can't get an accurate idea of what job a person may do. Sometimes you find that people mention it in their profile.
When searching through the profiles the layout can be a bit distracting and if you click away from the main search pages it can be a difficult to get back to where you want to be. However if time is on your side this isn't too much of a hardship.
As with all the other internet dating sites, DatingDirect will contact you when someone has winked or emailed you. You will have to be a paid up member to respond, though you can check out their profile for free.
That's it for now. More information will be added as required.
Match.com
Match.com is also unique in terms of internet dating sites because it offers a 'guarantee.' Yes that's right- their slogan is 'find love guaranteed.' If you sign up for six months and fail to find love they will give you a further six months free. Please note that this offer doesn't stand if you sign up for monthly subscriptions only.
As with most online dating sites it is free to sign up and create a profile. Only once you have signed up can you search the site. You have the option of uploading a photo or remaining a mystery. Profiles with a photo are more likely to be viewed, as one of the search criteria is to choose whether or not to search profiles with or without photos. Apparently profiles with photos get ten times more attention! Make sure you choose a good photo! Remember though- people don't always look the same in real life and some people have been known to use 'fake' photos.
Match.com is unique in the way that you can search the site. They have a facility called 'matchwords' where you can type in keywords and find profiles with those words. For example if you were after someone who sailed and had blue eyes you can put these into your search. Match.com therefore allows you to search in the most minute detail. Therefore you really can search for your ideal partner. Beware though- who you think you might want may not really be your perfect match!
This internet dating site also offers searches by languages spoken, distance from a postcode, height, bodytype, whether they have children, have been previously married, age, height....the list goes on. Rather than describe it here I'd check it out yourself.
The people I have spoken with have rated Match.com as the best internet dating site. It is more expensive than some others but as they say 'you get what you pay for.' I've met quite a few people who have found partners through this dating website. So go on- take the plunge!
Comparison of online dating sites
Elsewhere on the site you'll find a more in depth look at each site. For example if how much money your potential date earns is important to you then Match.com may be the best site as you can search by income. For now take a look at the table and if you have any comments then get in touch.
You will need to scroll down the page to view the table!
| BENEFITS | Match.com | Dating Direct | My Single Friend | Love and Friends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.of members | 1.4million | 3.5million | 1million | 130 000+ |
| Dating only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Emails | No | No | No | Yes |
| Privacy | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Search Facilities | 5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Ease of Use | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Free to Join | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cost per month | £22.80 | £29.99 | N/A | £16.95 |
| Cost for 3 months | £45.65 £15.22/mth | £44.97 £14.99/mth | £20+VAT | £34.95 £11.65/mth |
| Cost for 6 months | £65.25 £10.88/mth | £59.94 £9.99/mth | N/A 3mth sign up | £95.95 for 12 mths |