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Our Favorite Dating Sites |
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Top Dating Categories |
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Yahoo Personals: 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 Yahoo Personals |
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URL
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Year Started
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1997
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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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Backed by the monstrous power of its parent company, Yahoo!, the site offers lots of extras and great graphics. Yahoo!, founded in 1994, launched in 1997. There are "several million" members, although membership numbers aren't specific at the site. Because you can so easily join the site if you are a general Yahoo! member, the membership is sure to increase rapidly.
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Number of Members
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3,000,000
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Overall Rating
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is a great site for heterosexuals. Outstanding extras, reliability and great service. If it isn't as hip or trendy as some of the newcomers, is still one of the best in terms of general dating services. The thoughtful features that make it fun, like the "Spin" feature and the "Mutual Matches" make this a good site to play around on. You won't have any unpleasant surprises and you'll enjoy the quality of people you meet. is really a good mainstream site, limited only by its demographics. The ties to Yahoo! are either a nice extra or a non-issue, depending upon personal preferences. Limitations include payment options and the restrictions based on geography.
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Yahoo Personals Categories & Features |
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Lifestyles
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All
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Relationships
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All
Friendship
Marriage
Romance
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Religions
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All
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Ethnicities
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All
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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
Online Chat
Private messaging
Virtual kiss (Icebreakers)
Voice Communication
Webcams
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Yahoo Personals Dating Service Review |
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The Company
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is owned by a giant and it shows in the exceptional ease of use, reliability and great links. The site functions flawlessly and seems to have a good number of quality members. Because it has such financial backing, the extras offered are all state-of-the-art and easy to use. The company's experience is evident in the clear, simple instructions and thorough coverage in the help section. uphold Yahoo!'s reputation as an outstanding family-oriented site - this is the kind of site where you don't have to worry about inappropriate or objectionable material if your twenty-something daughter signs up to find potential dates.
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Site Navigation
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Easy to navigate, quick loads and a clean, crisp pages.
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Site Response Speed
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Fast
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Sign-Up Process
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For non-paying members, it's easy - 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 profile as a non-paying member. If you sign up to be a paying member, you will need to have a Yahoo! Wallet account, which is simple, but requires going to a separate site which will then return you to .
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Breadth of Services
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is primarily a heterosexual site, but has lots of interesting extras. The video greetings and voice greetings are a definite plus, especially since the cost of this site is no higher than many others that don't have these features. Let's face it, video means getting to really see the other guy or gal, not just that dressed-up photo they posted! There is no niche market, however. is one of the safest, most reliable mainstream sites out there.
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User Base
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Diversity at is limited to the age range, the wide spectrum of incomes and education and racial range. It's a solid cross-section of the average, computer-using North American, but doesn't cater to unusual tastes or alternative lifestyles.
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User Experience
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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 and the photos are clear and large enough to really see. ' help section is perfect - detailed with exhaustive instructions and suggestions. The email system and "icebreakers" are fun and easy to use.
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Customer Service
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Customer service was excellent. Quick response, plenty of helpful links, and a FAQ section that was virtually an encyclopedia of information.
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Customer Service Hours
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Email via webpage
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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
Money back guarantee
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Long Description
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There is no "trial membership" phase at and it's not really necessary because you can browse all of the membership profiles and send an "icebreaker" for free. These are simply one-line messages to make contact with anyone you are interested in (you have a selection of about five simple phrases; they aren't very original, but they can get the ball rolling if you don't want to send the first email). If an enrolled member contacts you by email or instant message, you can reply at no cost to you. The catch is that you can't initiate contact, so if you see someone you want to chat with, you will need to pay for a membership to begin a dialogue. If you want to try it out for a while, you will get icebreakers and some emails in time, but the members here don't seem to move as quickly or sign on as often as those at sites like LavaLife. My experience was productive in getting to know a few people without any fees at all. If you want to be more active and initiate contact yourself, you can buy a membership for one month, three months or a full year.
featurers comprehensive profiles
profiles are fairly comprehensive, including quite a few questions on interests, background and activities. There is also a section where you can write a few paragraphs about yourself to give browsers a bit more information, which is pretty standard these days on most dating sites. One of ' intriguing feature is the "send to a friend" feature. If you like someone's profile and want a friend to take a gamble or you want to IM your sister and get her opinion, you can send the profile to them. Come on, admit it, haven't you thought more than once that it would be great if you had someone looking over your shoulder who could give you a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on all those profiles you browse through? With you can get that second opinion by emailing or IM'ing anyone else in the system.
Each profile is screened
screens the profiles, so there is a twenty-four hour waiting period before your profile shows up or you can chat. One of ' rules is that no married people can join and they do ask that you sign an agreement. While it would be difficult to enforce, it does serve to highlight ' intent to keep the sight clean, open and family-friendly. Objectionable photos or obscenities aren't allowed. There aren't any sections that are for "alternative" lifestyles and the membership leans heavily toward people looking for dating and long-term relationships. One fun "extra" available is ' "Spin" feature. This takes your selected browsing criteria and applies it to a random choice for you from the many possible matches. It's basically taking a spin on the matching wheel and checking out the results can be a lot of fun.
has a simple design and quality help section
's overall look is sparse and clean and it is extremely easy to navigate. photographs are very clear and larger than you find on other dating sites when using the free searches. The help section is one of the most extensive to be found. If you have a question about anything on , chances are you'll find the answer without ever having to e-mail the help desk. With a long list of categories and FAQs, the help area is the most informative seen at any dating site. If by some odd chance you have a question that isn't there, you can e-mail them and expect a turn-around of a day of two. All the standard features are available, from a blocking option to the option to have new matches emailed to you periodically. Where excels is in the area of extras for members. When you join, offers relationship articles on everything from online dating protocol to how to maintain a long-distance relationship. ' Mutual Match option profiles not only how a prospect fits your criteria, but how you fit theirs. You can also record voice greetings to add to your profile and even video greetings. is an easy, laid-back website filled with people genuinely looking to date or develop a relationship. Clean-cut and lots of fun with plenty of added features to dress up your profile as a paying member, is great for those who are looking to get out and about without straying into unknown territory.
is a great place to start your online dating search
does a good job of matching people based on the general aspects of a free profile. membership adds more details to the profile, including in-depth information on interests, activities, political and religious beliefs. is fun to surf and is low-key for users, so you don't feel pressured and most members seem to have the same predilection. Check out the area where it tells how long its been since each member has been on - it's a good indicator of how seriously they are about using the site and what your chances of a response are. Looking for dinner and a movie, good conversation and "friendship, maybe more"? is a good place to start. Looking for a sexual partner who's into S&M? Steer clear, this isn't the place for you!
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Yahoo Personals Pros & Cons |
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Pros
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is a good, solid site for your average guy or gal looking for a date, particularly if you aren't interested in intimacies or intimate details from the get-go.
It's backed by one of the largest internet companies in the world, so support is never an issue - it's always there.
Probably more for the family-oriented suburbanite or upwardly-mobile professional than those looking for a walk on the wild side.
' casual air and soothing look and feel (pale blues and pastels, solid looks without lots of bells and whistles) will make new users comfortable.
The "icebreakers" are a no-brainer way to make that nerve-wracking first contact without investing too much time and effort.
If you already Yahoo!, go with for heterosexual dating - the extras and links make it all so simple there's no reason to go anywhere else.
Video greetings, voice greetings and the extensive help section make a site loaded with comprehensive extras. If you need help, it's there - the customer service support is excellent.
The three-day, money-back cancellation option is nice if you want to try out the complete package without the risk of losing 15 bucks.
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Cons
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is strictly for the United States and Canada - they do have other sites for areas that include China, Germany, France, Australia and Hong Kong, but they aren't interconnected in any way.
The 24-hour waiting period before your profile is posted may be a safety feature, but it can be a let-down when you've finally worked up the courage to go online, only to have to wait before you can really do anything.
Limited payment options - you have to have a credit card to become a member.
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Yahoo Personals Plans Offered |
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Pricing
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1 month for $19.95
3 months for $42.94
12 months for $89.95
Full access - you can email anyone and begin IM sessions yourself.
webcam set-up is available if you want to give someone a look at the real you - you know, the one in flannel pajamas at midnight while you instant message!
Blocking features
Video greetings
Voice greetings
Articles
Email notification of new members who match with you
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Site Freebies
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Trial membership includes a complete profile, brief interests section and the opportunity to post a photo. You can search and browse profiles and have Yahoo! match you with other members according to your chosen criteria.
Photo gallery for quick browsing of photos
"Icebreakers" give you the chance to send a note of interest without sweating the details of an email
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