Archive for January, 2009
OKCupid is considered one of the best free dating sites around and its compatibility matching system is known throughout the industry as being one of the best on any site, free or otherwise. Recently, though, it seems to have gone a bit wonky. I’ve had reports from users about funny things going with the algorithm and it giving them wacky, unlikely results.
The advertising on the site has also taken a turn for the worse, with one user spotting an ad sporting some very offensive language that was also derogatory to women.
To top this off, moderation of the website seems to be a bit slow, with obvious scammers being left on the site after several complaints were sent.
What’s going on? Are they trying to make more money by upping their compatiblity stats and lowering their advertising standards?
Say it ain’t so!
January 26th, 2009
Fact: a significant number of people who use online dating are already married or otherwise attached.
MSNBC claimed recently that up to a third of those dating online in the US are married already. I don’t have the figures in the UK, but I would assume they’re not far off.
As much as I disagree with this form of premeditated cheating (to clarify: I see all forms of cheating as inadvisable, but it’s one thing to be swept away by someone you met at random and a totally different one to go actively looking), I do approve of cheater sites and sites that let you display the “married/in a relationship” option. Why? Because this way less people get lied to and less people get hurt. There are people out there who don’t mind seeing married people, so let them dig their own grave.
Unfortunately, some people don’t bother telling you, so you have to figure it out yourself.
Continue Reading January 26th, 2009
Sex dating sites er..sprung up (no pun intended) almost as soon as online dating started. It’s not hard (no pun intended) to see why. Sexual dating sites are designed for sexually liberated adults who want to have fun with no strings attached. They cater for both singles and couples, swingers and the just curious who are into anything from straight up sex to more alternative practices,one night stands to ongoing affairs. As the saying goes, if you can imagine it, someone’s already put it on the Internet, and there’s a fan club. But are sex dating sites for real? Do real people hang out there who are looking to get laid?
Continue Reading January 25th, 2009
When you’re trying to decide whether or not to sign up to a particular dating site, the natural thing to do is to scout the Internet for reviews. After all, you don’t want to spend money on a site that might turn out to be a waste of time. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to accurately review dating sites.
Some things, are easy and obvious. If a site has hardly any people dating on it, for example, it would be easy for any reviewer to pick up on it and warn potential members. Listing a site’s ethos, list of features, design and ease of use are also easy to discuss, as well as any entry requirements for members. It’s also often possible to discuss whether a site is particularly full of scammers and spammers. Beyond that, though, is where it gets a bit more difficult.
Continue Reading January 24th, 2009
Looking for Parship UK discount or special offers? The 40% off coupon is not working at the moment. I’m sure there will be more soon.
Parship
are a UK serious dating site providing online dating for people looking for serious relationships. They have what is probably the most detailed personality/compatibility test I’ve ever seen and believe in very very slow dating based on what they refer to as scientific compatibility principles. You can also get an in depth personality analysis done while you’re there.
January 23rd, 2009
This is a public service announcement. If you want to get yourself a date for Valentine’s day, now is when you should be starting to really make an effort. If you haven’t signed up to a dating site yet, you’ll need to hurry up and do it, set up a profile, upload a picture and start contacting people as soon as.
Continue Reading January 20th, 2009
Loopylove.com
used to be one of the most popular dating sites in the UK. It used to be known as one of the best Internet dating sites for people new to dating online, with a simple, unassuming design and a nice collection of useful features. Then it got sold and had rather an ill-advised botched facelift, making it look both unappealing and ever so slightly pretentious. I’m sure this put quite a few people off dating there, to be honest. Now it’s been sold again, to a company that seems to appreciate a clean, functional design. The pretentious elements are no longer to be found and the site now offers a very simple one page sign up, so people can start running detailed searches much much quicker. Hopefully this will see the return to glory of one of the busiest and easiest sites the UK has ever known!
January 20th, 2009
Q: I’ve met someone I like on a dating site and I think we are ready to meet up in person. What is the best thing to do on a first date? Is a romantic dinner the way to go?
Continue Reading January 19th, 2009
Urban dating sites (Internet dating sites for those who live in cities) have picked up in popularity in recent years, as more and more busy professionals decided they wanted to go out and socialise, yet meet suitable singles at the same time. Even if you live in a really big city and are incredibly outgoing and sociable, you might still struggle to find eligible singles. On the other hand, with a whole city around you full of exciting places to go out to, do you really want to spend all your time at home in front of a computer?
The sites below offer options for metropolitan socialites. Some are companies that offer singles’ events to get you out of the house, while others are just predisposed to a more fasy-paced environment, suitable for people who want to spend minimal time online and maximum time partying and meeting new people.
Continue Reading January 19th, 2009
eHarmony UK are now officially promoting their 7 day free trial. eHarmony is a serious dating site and one of the first to offer compatibility testing. The UK version has been especially adapted for the UK market by a team of Oxfordian experts (apparently), to make it more suitable for UK daters (as opposed to American ones).
Continue Reading January 15th, 2009
Free online dating sites have spiked in popularity recently, but it’s important to note that not all sites that describe themselves as free are actually free. Most Internet dating sites allow some form of free registration, so you can run some searches, maybe complete a personality profile and generally have a look around and see what sort of members hang out on the site. To actually contact anyone, you will need to get your credit card out and pay. Many sites hide that fact until you’re ready to make contact and then front you with the bill. Ouch.
Most people nowadays expect this sort of tactic when searching for a free site, but there are, however, some dating sites that are completely free. Some of them are actually not bad, although to be honest, all free dating sites are by nature more prone to problems like spammers, scammers, timewasters and freaks than their paid counterparts. Be sure to pay close attention to online dating safety tips when using free dating sites (though, really, you should be doing that anyway!).
The most popular 100% free dating sites are without doubt:
Continue Reading January 15th, 2009
Recognising the need for dating sites that cater specifically for people who are serious about finding love, dating companies started coming up with the goods. But what is it that makes these matchmaking sites different?
Continue Reading January 14th, 2009
the 20% off 6 month eHarmony subscription offer is back so now you can save money on your eHarmony subscription again.
eHarmony memberships are not cheap, so any money off coupons are a blessing if you want to use the site!
Click here to save 20% off 6-month eHarmony subscription (and use coupon code: CJSPRINGPROMOGGHH)
There is also now a new offer where you can save on a 12 month subscription too.
Click here to save 17% off eHarmony 12-month subscription (and use coupon code: CJSPRINGPROMOLLMM)
Alternatively,click here to go to eHarmony UK.
January 13th, 2009
Online dating is big business and there are always people out there who’d take advantage of people who are willing to pay. Online dating companies have a whole arsenal of tricks up their sleeves aimed at getting people to pay and stay on their sites. Here are a few secrets of the trade you may have not been aware of.
Continue Reading January 12th, 2009
Great news for cosmopolitan, metropolitan daters everywhere! Metrodate.com, 
the world’s largest urban dating site is now totally free to use (as in, “no credit card needed ever” free, rather than “sign up free but pay for messages”). Instead of charging for membership, they will sell locally targeted ad space on the site to cover costs.
The site is available in over 220 countries and an impressive selection of different languages. Its main focus is cities (and it offers city guides as well), but apparently it’s now big enough to have members outside of urban areas. I’m guessing it will grow even more now it’s free.
January 8th, 2009
The 7 days full free memberhip on DatingDirectAffinity 
is now over, but I will update this page as soon as they do another one. As far as I know, they are not promoting the free week trial anywhere on on the Internet.
If you’re looking for a comparable offer from another serious relationship site, you can try the eHarmony UK 7 day free trial instead. You can read my short review of the site here.
Continue Reading January 7th, 2009
Struggling to come up with the right stuff to put in your personal description? Need someone to help you pick a good profile picture? I am now offering personal online dating help by email.
This is your chance to get your profile checked out by someone who’s seen thousands and thousands of dating profiles and knows what works and what doesn’t.
Click here for more details.
January 2nd, 2009
Internet dating as a single parent can be tough. Nowadays, more and more dating sites let you specify whether or not you have or want children, but also whether you’re open to dating people who already have children. Unfortunately, on a standard dating site, many people will either choose not to be shown profiles of people with children in the first place, or be put off when they find out someone has children.
Continue Reading January 1st, 2009
Happy new year, everyone!
If you’re looking for love and have made it your resolution for this year, I wish you all the best. As this is a time of new beginnings, I thought I’d tackle the question so many people ask when considering whether to use online dating for the first time: does online dating work?
Continue Reading January 1st, 2009
