Choosing the right dating site
can be daunting. For one, there are thousands of dating and matchmaking
sites on the web. Two, each including popular dating sites, is tailored
to meet specific needs or objectives. Three, what's good for one person
is not necessarily good (or right) for another.
So, how do you find the best dating site for you? Here are some pointers to help narrow the field and make it easier for you to make the right choice.
A. Do some good old research: Do a search on your favorite search engine using keywords such as "dating websites", "online dating websites", "dating service websites", "online dating services" etc. Not the best way if you are short of time as you might have to weed through hundreds of sites one by one. Reading objective reviews about various dating sites will help farther narrow the field.
B. Establish a budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend, but be realistic. Free or cheap websites might not provide you with quality service or features. Some websites charge a recurring fee, others a one-time fee, while still others charge by services used.
C. Ask a ally who's done it: This option may not be the best simply because a friend will likely recommend what's right for her/him, which might not be necessarily so for you. But a friend might tell about good or bad experiences with certain website(s).
Caution: if the friend had a nefarious personal online dating experience or for any reason never succeeded she/he might take the chance to vent, and tell you just how it won't work. Personal experiences are exactly that, personal.
D. Know what you are looking for. Are you seeking a serious or casual relationship? If seeking a serious relationship, go to a location that caters to that. If seeking encounters or casual relationships, you'll be wasting time if you sign up with serious relationship sites.
E. Sign up for release trials: Almost all the popular dating sites offer a free trial period. A free trial allows you to test-drive the site without committing. Never sign up with a site that has no free trial. Free trials differ from site to site . Some sites offer full-featured release trials for a limited time, others offer limited features for a longer or indefinite period and others something in-between.
F. Which is best, specialty (aka niche) or popular dating site ? One more reason you should know what you need . Is religion important to you? Or is ethnicity? What about age? Do you have kids or do you want someone with kids? What about your hobbies/passions? There are specialty and community-based dating sites to cater for nearly each need, interest, value or passion (examples: single parents, Asian, catholic, bicycle lovers, military etc).
G. How long has the site been existent? Obviously, a new site will not have that many sufficient members, or most members will be on trial. Conversely, an older site will have established a large database. Also, that a location has been around for a couple of years or more means it probably is doing one thing right.
H. Sign up with more than one site . The very first location you sign up with may not be best suited for you. Therefore it is important to sign up with three or more to get a feel (see No.10 underneath on how to do this without initial having to pay).
I. Know yourself. What things are meaningful to you? What are your passions or hobbies? Know these could help in deciding the type of site best suited for your particular needs.
J. Features: Look for sites which offer onsite instant messaging, anonymous email, photo profiles, chat/video chat and other handy features. How do you tell what features are offered without initial becoming a paid member?
So, how do you find the best dating site for you? Here are some pointers to help narrow the field and make it easier for you to make the right choice.
A. Do some good old research: Do a search on your favorite search engine using keywords such as "dating websites", "online dating websites", "dating service websites", "online dating services" etc. Not the best way if you are short of time as you might have to weed through hundreds of sites one by one. Reading objective reviews about various dating sites will help farther narrow the field.
B. Establish a budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend, but be realistic. Free or cheap websites might not provide you with quality service or features. Some websites charge a recurring fee, others a one-time fee, while still others charge by services used.
C. Ask a ally who's done it: This option may not be the best simply because a friend will likely recommend what's right for her/him, which might not be necessarily so for you. But a friend might tell about good or bad experiences with certain website(s).
Caution: if the friend had a nefarious personal online dating experience or for any reason never succeeded she/he might take the chance to vent, and tell you just how it won't work. Personal experiences are exactly that, personal.
D. Know what you are looking for. Are you seeking a serious or casual relationship? If seeking a serious relationship, go to a location that caters to that. If seeking encounters or casual relationships, you'll be wasting time if you sign up with serious relationship sites.
E. Sign up for release trials: Almost all the popular dating sites offer a free trial period. A free trial allows you to test-drive the site without committing. Never sign up with a site that has no free trial. Free trials differ from site to site . Some sites offer full-featured release trials for a limited time, others offer limited features for a longer or indefinite period and others something in-between.
F. Which is best, specialty (aka niche) or popular dating site ? One more reason you should know what you need . Is religion important to you? Or is ethnicity? What about age? Do you have kids or do you want someone with kids? What about your hobbies/passions? There are specialty and community-based dating sites to cater for nearly each need, interest, value or passion (examples: single parents, Asian, catholic, bicycle lovers, military etc).
G. How long has the site been existent? Obviously, a new site will not have that many sufficient members, or most members will be on trial. Conversely, an older site will have established a large database. Also, that a location has been around for a couple of years or more means it probably is doing one thing right.
H. Sign up with more than one site . The very first location you sign up with may not be best suited for you. Therefore it is important to sign up with three or more to get a feel (see No.10 underneath on how to do this without initial having to pay).
I. Know yourself. What things are meaningful to you? What are your passions or hobbies? Know these could help in deciding the type of site best suited for your particular needs.
J. Features: Look for sites which offer onsite instant messaging, anonymous email, photo profiles, chat/video chat and other handy features. How do you tell what features are offered without initial becoming a paid member?
