 |
|
| |
Our Favorite Dating Sites |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Top Dating Categories |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Gay.com: Full Review |
 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Pro Rating :
|
|
|
User Ratings :
|
|
|
Avg. Rating :
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
About Gay.com |
| |
|
URL
|
: |
|
|
Year Started
|
: |
1996
|
|
Location
|
: |
United States of America
|
|
Languages
|
: |
English
|
|
Short Description
|
: |
is an established gay and lesbian dating site that has the backing of PlanetOut Partners, Inc., a multinational corporation that has lent its marketing savvy and financial resources to this dating spin-off of its original site. has over 2.5 million members and receives 850,000 hits a day.
|
|
Number of Members
|
: |
2,500,000
|
|
Overall Rating
|
: |
is the "top of the line model" for gay dating sites. Comprehensive, slickly laid out and full of extras, including information on gay health issues and surveys on interests and activities. Video chat is a feature not many sites offer and the one available at has good quality and a clear transmission. Adult content and photos come with warnings if you aren't interested in wandering into these areas.
|
|
| |
Gay.com Categories & Features |
| |
|
Lifestyles
|
: |
Bi-Sexual
Gay/Lesbian
|
|
Relationships
|
: |
Alternative
Three-some
|
|
Religions
|
: |
All
|
|
Ethnicities
|
: |
All
|
|
Finding Your Match
|
: |
Automated Matching
Online indicator
Photo Gallery
Search (Advanced)
Search by location
Search (Quick)
|
|
Contacting Members
|
: |
E-mail
E-mail (Anonymous)
Instant messaging
Online Chat
Private messaging
Webcams
|
|
| |
Gay.com Dating Service Review |
| |
|
The Company
|
: |
The best, most diverse gay and lesbian dating site on the Internet. Backed by plenty of powerful support from PlanetOut Partners, Inc., has a huge membership and loads of extras that no other gay/lesbian site offers. This one leads the pack in its niche by far.
|
|
Site Navigation
|
: |
Easy to navigate in most cases, but there are a few confusing spots. This is usually due to the cluttered look of .
|
|
Site Response Speed
|
: |
Fast
|
|
Sign-Up Process
|
: |
Free membership is more flexible than some and it's easy to sign up for a full membership with a credit card. Simple and quick, but limited flexibility on payment with only credit card payment as an option.
|
|
Breadth of Services
|
: |
For the gay dating market, is the website to be at - a huge range of tastes and personalities. There are several informative, interesting newsletters that you can sign up for as a member, offering quality material with an edgy delivery and great links. With the additional links, numerous articles and options for standard and adult-content profiles, has everything a member could want.
|
|
User Base
|
: |
has a great cross-section of members, with the age group tending toward those in their 20's through their 40's, reflecting the demographic generally most apt to use the Internet. Membership is higher in gay membership than lesbian membership.
|
|
User Experience
|
: |
's user profiles are easy to read if a bit short; you can create an individual list of profiles you are interested in and bookmark sites of interest. The monitor in the top corner lets you know how many members are online at all times. You can track these according to region or profile to see which ones might be of interest. 's chat rooms were always busy, with plenty of people to chat with any time, day or night.
|
|
Customer Service
|
: |
's customer service was pretty good overall. There is an FAQ section that is very comprehensive and they responded to my email questions within 48 hours. Better than some, but could have been quicker.
|
|
Customer Service Hours
|
: |
24/7 Customer Service
Telephone: 877-269-2775
Email: premiumservices@gay.com
|
|
Registration Options
|
: |
Registration Procedure
FREE to register
Quick registration
Online help
Tips and examples
Send photos by mail or email to other members
|
|
Additional Services
|
: |
Hide profile option
Online shopping
|
|
Long Description
|
: |
began in 1996 as an alternative to , the original gay dating site which tends toward a more conservative gay community (i.e. those looking for long-term relationships and with a mainstream lifestyle). While has a higher percentage of individuals looking for one-night stands or torrid encounters, there are still plenty of men and women looking for that someone special. The site is rich with graphics and links and has tons of information and articles available. You can also download explicit streaming video and information on a variety of activist events and gay and lesbian rights meetings around the country. is really much more than simply a gay dating site - it's part of a whole lifestyle package offered, with personals being just a part of it.
Free and paying < memberships
At , posting a photo and basic profile is free, with the basic profile including several questions about interests and what you're looking for in a companion. You have to pay for a more detailed profile and to include additional pictures. The chat rooms are free and if you discover someone in a chat room that you'd like to chat with privately, you can do that free too. My experience at included chatting with several individuals who were interested in chatting privately and these sessions were easy to set up and continue. Navigating can be a bit confusing because the site is cluttered not only with links, but with quite a few advertisements for everything from CDs to vacation packages. Particularly annoying were the pop-up windows, which you can only de-activate by paying the membership fee.
profiles are specific to gay dating
's profiles aren't as detailed as at some gay dating sites, but they do give you the opportunity to list standard items such as your interests and what does/does not appeal to you in a partner. Topics like religious group and profession are barely touched on. Because is strictly a gay dating site, some of the profile questions are tailored a bit differently. For instance, indicating your sexual orientation and style (lipstick lesbian? butch? feminine boy?) and a place to indicate whether you are HIV+ or not. This last question seems to be answered honestly by the members, some of whom indicated when they had tested positive and whether they were under treatment. With no way to confirm the answers you shouldn't rely on them, but it is a good sign that encourages openness and honesty on life-affecting issues.
Extras: Plenty of gay dating articles and links
's site is filled with links, extras and more information than any gay dating site I've visited. If you are looking for a site that not only provides personals but a wide range of products and information, is a goldmine. The down side is that the site tends to look cluttered, with lots of sidebars and advertising. In some cases you click on a link that you think will take you to an article of interest, only to end up at another site where you have to pay a fee to register and get access to the materials. The graphics are well-executed, though, and the photography is outstanding. is a gay dating site high on visual content that favors the male market. Lots of rippled, bare-chested men on each page, but not much in the way of seductive ladies' photos. If they want to keep hold of the lesbian market share, they may want to add a bit more for the females. The profiles are the standard multiple-choice questions, but include an area where you can briefly add a paragraph about yourself. At , photos are much more evident - nearly everyone posts at least one photo with their profile, and many list vital statistics (chest size, waist size, etc.) somewhere.
's lively chat scene
's matching system is very good, if a bit basic. The chat rooms, however, are very active. You can go online any time day or night and find dozens of people, if not hundreds, in each chat room. Conversation ranges from discussions of how and when you outed yourself to explicit discussions of sexual techniques. Down the right-hand side of the chat area the current members are listed so you can click on a name easily and pull up their profile to learn more about them. It's a great way to check someone out before deciding on a private chat. A counter in the top right-hand corner of the screen tells you how many people are currently online at all times and even how many of those people are in your geographic area, which is a good indicator of how active the gay dating community is in your area of the country. One of 's unique feature that I particularly like is a menu you can review that shows how many new members have joined broken down by country, state and even cities. This gives you an excellent snapshot of the demographics of the site as a whole and lets you know if you need to broaden your search to get a real cross-section of the membership.
has a diverse gay user base
The cross-section of members at covers a genuinely diverse group, with individuals looking for everything from that special someone to those who are looking for a casual sexual encounter. It's easy to determine from the profile information what group most members fall into. is evenly balanced between professionals and blue-collar members, but with an impressively educated demographic overall.
|
|
| |
Gay.com Pros & Cons |
| |
|
Pros
|
: |
is simply the largest, most comprehensive gay dating site there is and being backed by PlanetOut Partners, Inc. means it's financially stable and prepared to grow and expand.
's chat rooms are an excellent plus and provide a way to get to know quite a few people quickly and easily without risk.
The listing that shows how many people are members from each area of the country, down to individual states, is an excellent feature.
|
|
Cons
|
: |
's numerous advertisements are distracting and the pop-up windows are intrusive.
Customer service is reached by email, but the turn-around was about 48 hours for a reply. When the reply came, it answered part of my question, but not all of it.
|
|
| |
Gay.com Plans Offered |
| |
|
Pricing
|
: |
$7.97 for a 7 day trial membership
$16.95 a month
$39.99 quarterly
$79.99 yearly
You are notified when your membership is nearly up so that you can renew. No automatic renewal.
Full access, including email and instant messaging outside of the chat rooms.
Ability to upload additional photos, including the option to upload explicit or nude photos. These are accessible only by paying members and carry warnings.
Blocking features
Access to all areas, including some streaming videos
Video chat capability
|
|
Site Freebies
|
: |
's free membership enables you to enter any chat room, post a basic profile and one photo. All links are active, although when you reach some of the additional sites you will have to pay a separate membership for them. Lots of basic articles and offers for merchandise.
Photo gallery for quick browsing of photos
Tons of extra information and interesting surveys
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
