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Our Favorite Dating Sites |
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Top Dating Categories |
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UDate: Full Review |
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Pro Rating :
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User Ratings :
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Avg. Rating :
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About UDate |
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URL
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Location
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United States of America
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Languages
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English
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Short Description
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Although doesn't list exactly when it was launched, it has a good, solid reputation and is a fully developed, smoothly run site. claims to add over 300 new members an hour, although this includes trial memberships, so take the figures with a grain of salt. The typical visitor is between 30 and 45 and the site has a hefty 4 million plus profiles. is an established, easy-to-use site that guides you quickly through the set-up process and has lots of features for making the search for matches interesting and lively.
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Number of Members
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4,000,000
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Overall Rating
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is a site that is just average overall, since it lacks the real breadth of service of a top quality site. Its customer service was basically non-responsive, although itself operates extremely well. If you are looking for variety, this is not the place to go. If you are interested in heterosexual, rather serious relationships, then will be more like a "4" on the scale than the "3" I would give it overall. What saves it from a lower score is its truly detailed profiles and thoughtful features like the friends folders and the birthday listings. has real potential, but needs diversity and better customer support if it wants to compete with top sites.
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UDate Categories & Features |
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Relationships
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Friendship
Marriage
Romance
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Finding Your Match
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Automated Matching
Online indicator
Photo Gallery
Search (Advanced)
Search by location
Search (Quick)
Smart Matching
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Contacting Members
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E-mail
Instant messaging
Private messaging
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UDate Dating Service Review |
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The Company
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has the backing of InterActiveCorp, the forces behind and Kiss.com, as well as large non-dating sites like Expedia and CitySearch, all of which are considered some of the most trusted and well-funded sites on the Internet.
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Site Navigation
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Easy to navigate, quick loading pages and an attractive lay-out that is clearly labeled. 's file folder set-up is a nice, familiar touch for those who aren't particularly Internet-savvy. All pages worked and were clear and crisp.
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Site Response Speed
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Fast
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Sign-Up Process
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Very easy - 's sign-up took only a few minutes, and doesn't require a credit card or other payment information. The navigation and instructions walks you through the process step-by-step and allows you to post a detailed profile even as a trial, non-paying member.
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Breadth of Services
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isn't a site that caters to niche markets. It is primarily heterosexual and has a heavy leaning toward people 30 and older. If this is the market you're looking for, is a terrific site. If not, you won't find much of interest.
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User Base
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has lots of people and excellent profiles with plenty of information. This site excels at giving detailed descriptions and "personality profiles" with its various questionnaires and the opportunity for each user to provide essay answers to some of them.
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User Experience
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's user profiles are easy to evaluate, summary profiles offer key information, there is a shortlisting function to identify ones you want to refer back to, user information answers standard questions, information updated recently and often used.
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Customer Service
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Here's where really fell down. They had no phone number on the site that you could call for customer service. The only way to contact is via email and this reviewer got no response after three days. If you have an issue, there's no telling how it would be resolved since I could never get anyone to respond to my inquiries.
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Customer Service Hours
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9 to 5 EST Monday thru Friday
Telephone contact: (212)314-7300
Email contact: help@udate.com
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Registration Options
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Registration Procedure
FREE to register
Quick registration
Online help
Tips and examples
Send photos by mail or email
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Additional Services
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Automatic renewal
Hide profile option
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Long Description
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's trial membership is easy and quick - three minutes and you're in. You do have to open the trial membership to browse and search , but it's a no-strings-attached sign-up. doesn't ask for a credit card or any billing information for the trial membership. You can't contact anyone or respond to emails you receive until you are a full member, although you can read profiles and view photographs. Profiles are set up through a series of multiple choice questions that are designed to give members a quick sketch of your personality. A few of the more unusual questions are a surprisingly good personality indicator (Example: How many pieces of jewelry do you generally wear?). also has an Interests section that outlines activities you enjoy, your background and other information and is also multiple choice. "About Me" is the most detailed section, with open-ended essay questions like, "Where do you see yourself in three years?" Some members choose to skip this section, despite it being of obvious interest to most members. You can post up to three photos with a trial membership and the pictures definitely generate more responses, as browsers can choose to look only at profiles that include photos. You can be as general ("show anyone in the United States") or as mercenary ("only show members with income of $100,000+") as you like when specifying your match criteria. The "Friends" folder on the main page is great for storing profiles of those you're interested in or corresponding with. notifies you whenever anyone in your Friends folder is online so that you can communicate quickly.
With , rank your values when searching for your dates
You can search for matches based on geography, age, sex, marital status and a variety of other criteria. A nice feature is the ability to rank how important each of these is, from "not important" to "vital." will provide a list of profiles that match your criteria. If you like, you can also click to see if the people who meet your criteria would find that you meet their criteria.
has a strong site design
has a nice lay-out once you get past the home page, which is rather bland with very little information - it goes directly to sign-up. Once signed up, however, has a file-folder format that's easy to use. Each member's profile, additional information and photos are just a click away. You can add those you are interested in to your "Friends" photo for quick access later.
's matching system
provides an excellent matching system that takes into account a variety of criteria. Their personality questionnaire has over 45 questions to ensure a good overview. You can contact members via email when you become a member, or use "whispers," which is their version of instant messaging. Profiles indicate how long each person has been a member of and when they were last online (nice to know if you don't want to waste your time trying to email someone who hasn't been on the site in three months).
caters to a slightly older set of singles looking for love
is a solid, dependable dating site, with a membership tending more toward those in their thirties or above. You can look for anything from friendship to marriage with this site and provides plenty of ways to protect your identity and make the experience comfortable. An unusual feature at is the user's ability to limit who can see their profile, which may provide an added sense of security for those new to internet dating and worried about potential "weirdos" bothering them. The site outlines safe online dating suggestions and rules even before you sign up for the trial membership and has a section of dating advice that is helpful. is a very good site for the money, especially if you are interested in the more traditional type of relationship (not much in the way of alternative lifestyles or fetishes here). The References page lists quotes from several couples who met through and later married, so they have a formula that works.
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UDate Pros & Cons |
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Pros
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profiles are especially detailed and the multiple choice questions run the gamut from serious (your level of spirituality) to amusing but insightful (what are your cleaning habits?).
's blocking feature means that you can shield yourself from anyone who makes you uncomfortable and will remove your information from their view.
The "just joined" and "birthday" lists both provide nice excuses for emailing interesting members.
Photo gallery is a great way to get a "quick peek at the menu."
's "Encounters" list tells you which members have browsed your profile since you were last online.
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Cons
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could provide more guidance to members on appropriate photographs - some were plenty bad, including a few men who had dates in the photos.
No separate communities or sections for alternative lifestyles. seems to be weighted more toward those looking for a serious relationship - that could be a pro or a con, depending on what you're looking for. You decide!
One definite problem is the lack of customer service. Although says it will get back to you within twenty-four hours in most cases, I sent two different emails to customer service and had not received a reply to either one three days later. They also don't list a telephone number you can call.
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UDate Plans Offered |
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Pricing
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1 month at $24.95, monthly renewal at $24.95
3 months $49.95, monthly renewal at $18.95
6 months at $74.95, monthly renewal at $14.95
If paying by phone or fax, $29.95 monthly
If you are paying with a credit card, your membership will be automatically renewed. You will be notified by email a few days before the renewal.
Full access - you can email anyone, send them a "whispers" message and get the ball rolling quickly and easily.
will contact you when new users sign up that match your criteria, with a link directly to that person's profile.
Blocking features
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Site Freebies
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Trial membership includes a complete profile, interests section and the opportunity to post up to three photos. You can search and browse profiles and have cross-match you against other members according to your chosen criteria.
When you are online, you can check to see which members are online and which of those are a match for you. Online dating guidelines and information are also free.
Photo gallery for quick browsing of photos
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