Online Dating: Here are the Top Online Sites for Finding Your New Partner
Newly divorced and ready to begin searching for your new significant other?There are a number of online dating sites on the Web with people just like you. While it may be intimidating to jump into the dating pool again, it can also be fun. Here is a list of Web sites and what they offer so you can decide which is the best for you to join.
1. www.yahoo.personals.com
Yahoo! Personals started in 2001. According to MediaMetrics, they are the Number1 site in terms of unique visitors — new people coming onto the site to join up. This means they have one of the largest pools of matches. They have several new search capabilities that can help you zero in on great matches.Their reverse match search, imatch, is the exact opposite of a traditional search. When you click on imatch, you can look at all the people who are looking for you and looking at your profile but who may have some attribute you’ve said you’re not interested in. For example, maybe they have kids and you were only searching for people without kids. So, they wouldn’t turn up in your normal search; but, after you read their profile, you realize this person sounds really good. Heck, they might even be the love of your life and you would have missed them if you’d stuck to your usual search criteria. With the new wematch search capability, you can search for people with the exact same search criteria that you have. Yahoo! also offers a wide range of communications capabilities, including: instant messaging, email alerts, and status updates. Members can choose between joining Yahoo! Personals for casual dating and Yahoo! Personals Premier for serious relationships. Cost: $24.95 a month.
2. www.match.com
Started in 1995, the original Match.com is still the big kahuna. They have more than 15 million members and they’ve created more than a million successful relationships. Though their membership is very diverse, their members tend to be college-educated professionals. MindFindBind With Dr. Phil Exclusive to Match.com, Dr. Phil brings his unique, no-nonsense insights and approach to dating and relating with this dynamic three-part program, delivered entirely online. Learn how to get in the right frame of MIND. Learn how to find the right person, freeing yourself of the frustration of strategies that just don’t work. And, gain skills in how to bind two people together in a relationship that grows stronger over time. The program is educational and entertaining, with video modules, workbooks, journals, daily LifeNotes, and podcasts.
3. chemistry.com
One of things Match recognizes is that a lot of people prefer to maintain their privacy and have a dating service do the searching and matching for them. Which is why Match created Chemistry.com, where they match people based on the scientific research of Dr. Helen Fisher, author of “Why We Love.” Dr. Fisher’s system goes beyond conventional personality tests.
4. match.com International
Although people are the same all over the world, the way they meet, court, and develop relationships isn’t. That’s why Match.com offers different approaches and features in different cultures; they’ve got members in 37 countries, and sites in 18 different languages. NEW! match.com PLATINUM Match’s next-generation matchmakers will learn about you and your needs. Then, dive into the world’s largest pool of people and do all the weeding, pruning, filtering and editing for you. Cost: It depends on which plan you choose. They have a 1-month plan ($25.99), 3-month plan ($50.97), and a 6-month plan ($83.94).
5. perfectmatch.com
This is the dating service you saw in the film “Must Love Dogs.” It was also featured on “The Science of Love.” PerfectMatch was founded by Dr. Pepper Schwartz who is the author of 15 books (including Finding Your Perfect Match,” and The Love Test”). She’s contributed to such publications as the New York Times, Lifetime Magazine and Psychology Today. Dr. Schwartz appears frequently on television, including “Oprah,” “The Today Show,” “Dateline NBC,” “Good Morning America,” “Dr. Phil” and CNN. Her Duet Total Compatibility System is based on over 30 years of relationship research. Duet® analyzes the ‘whole person’, taking into account your Personality, Values, Ideals, Life, Lovestyle, and Preferences to identify and find the person right for you. Your unique combination will be matched with people who are similar to you and complementary to you. Unlike some sites that only match you, PerfectMatch provides both highly compatible matches and easy to use search tools, so that you can find matches that interest you. You also have access to helpful polls, numerous articles and the opportunity to ask Dr. Schwartz direct questions. Cost: 12 months ($249.95); six months ($159.95); three months ($99.95). With either a 12-month or six month subscription, you get a free copy of Dr. Schwartz’s new book, Finding Your Perfect Match.
5. eharmony.com
Founded by author and relationship expert Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony has more than 17 million registered users that represent a diverse array of ethnicities, ages, and religions. Their members hail from all 50 states and more than 200 countries. Backed by 35 years of clinical and empirical research, eHarmony is the only online relationship service that offers relationship help to both singles and married couples. Their comprehensive, 436-question relationship questionnaire is just one of the ways they screen singles for deep compatibility on as many as 29 dimensions in the most important areas of life – like values, character, intellect, sense of humor, spiritual beliefs, passion, and up to 24 other dimensions. Newsweek Magazine says, “No company screens its members more rigorously.” Their approach seems to work. A Harris Interactive Survey found that 90 eharmony members get married every day. Cost: eHarmony has one month ($59.95), three month ($110.85), six month ($173.70) and 12 month ($251.40) plans.
6. true.com
Through a unique blend of science, technology, and personalized attention, TRUE guides its 10 million members through the process of finding and keeping lasting love. Their free TRUE Compatibility Test is endorsed by Psychology Today. This test identifies 99 distinct factors found in successful relationships. In addition to the compatibility test, there is a sexploration test, a personality test, and a romance test. Chat it up with e-mail, video chat, and private chat. Learn the secrets to love, TRUE U magazine and their profile gurus are great ways to learn and laugh about love and relationships. Safety first, TRUE is the only leading online relationship site that screens all communicating members against some of the largest criminal records databases on the Internet. Only felony and sexual offense convictions (not arrests) are covered by the searches. Members are only screened for convictions in the United States. TRUE requires that every member certify that he or she is not married and all communicating members are screened against U.S. public records to check marital status. They’ve turned away tens of thousands of people who tried to slip by them. Representing yourself as single if you’re married may constitute fraud and could subject you to civil and criminal penalties under U.S. federal and state law fines of up to $250,000 and jail sentences of up to five years for each offense. TRUE says, “We don’t want felons or marrieds on our Web site, period. We can’t guarantee that criminals can’t get on our site, but we can guarantee that they’ll be sorry they did.” Cost: $49.99 a month. $9.95 a month for access to live chat and profile coaching.
