| Choosing the right dating site can be daunting. For | | | | you should know what you want. Is religion important |
| one, there are thousands of dating and matchmaking | | | | to you? Or is ethnicity? What about age? Do you |
| sites on the web. Two, each including popular dating | | | | have kids or do you want someone with kids? What |
| sites, is tailored to meet specific needs or objectives. | | | | about your hobbies/passions? There are specialty and |
| Three, what's good for one person is not necessarily | | | | community-based dating sites to cater for almost |
| good (or right) for another.So, how do you find the | | | | every need, interest, value or passion (examples: |
| best dating site for you? Here are some pointers to | | | | single parents, Asian, catholic, bicycle lovers, military |
| help narrow the field and make it easier for you to | | | | etc).6. How long has the site been existent? |
| make the right choice.1. Know what you are looking | | | | Obviously, a new site will not have that many enough |
| for. Are you seeking a serious or casual relationship? | | | | members, or most members will be on trial. |
| If seeking a serious relationship, go to a site that | | | | Conversely, an older site will have established a large |
| caters to that. If seeking encounters or casual | | | | database. Also, that a site has been around for a |
| relationships, you'll be wasting time if you sign up with | | | | couple of years or more means it probably is doing |
| serious relationship sites.2. Know yourself. This is | | | | something right.7. Features: Look for sites which |
| related to point No.1 above. What things are | | | | offer onsite instant messaging, anonymous email, |
| meaningful to you? What are your passions or | | | | photo profiles, chat/video chat and other handy |
| hobbies? Know these could help in deciding the type | | | | features. How do you tell what features are offered |
| of site best suited for your particular needs (see | | | | without first becoming a paid member? See No.10 |
| point No.5).3. Ask a friend who has done it: This | | | | below.8. Sign up with more than one site. The very |
| option may not be the best simply because a friend | | | | first site you sign up with may not be best suited for |
| will likely recommend what is right for her/him, which | | | | you. Therefore it is important to sign up with three |
| may not be necessarily so for you. But a friend may | | | | or more to get a feel (see No.10 below on how to |
| tell about good or bad experiences with certain | | | | do this without first having to pay).9. Establish a |
| website(s).Caution: if the friend had a bad personal | | | | budget. Decide how much you are willing to spend, |
| online dating experience or for any reason never | | | | but be realistic. Free or cheap websites may not |
| succeeded she/he might take the chance to vent, | | | | provide you with quality service or features. Some |
| and tell you just how it won't work. Personal | | | | websites charge a recurring fee, others a one-time |
| experiences are exactly that, personal.4. Do some | | | | fee, while still others charge by services used.10. Sign |
| good old research: Do a search on your favorite | | | | up for free trials: Almost all the popular dating sites |
| search engine using keywords such as "dating sites", | | | | offer a free trial period. A free trial allows you to |
| "internet dating sites", "dating site reviews", "online | | | | test-drive the site without committing. Never sign up |
| dating websites", "online personals" etc. Not the best | | | | with a site that has no free trial. Free trials differ |
| way if you are short of time as you may have to | | | | from site to site. Some sites offer full-featured free |
| weed through hundreds of sites one by one. Reading | | | | trials for a limited time, others offer limited features |
| objective reviews about various dating sites will help | | | | for a longer or indefinite period and others something |
| farther narrow the field.5. Which is best, specialty | | | | in-between.David Kamau is webmaster of which |
| (aka niche) or popular dating site? One more reason | | | | reviews dating sites. |