5-Star Dating
Every business, every product, every industry has its leaders. The dating site industry is no different. There are niche sites with a limited focus, there are up and comers. There are those who have failed to keep up with the times, and those who never get off the ground.
eHarmony
Sometimes those leaders hit you over the head with their stature. EHarmony, for example, is ubiquitous. The ads are everywhere (and more recently the ads of competitors taking aim at EHarmony’s perceived shortcomings). Moreover, the success stories are everywhere. It is no overstatement to say that EHarmony is not a dating site, it’s a marriage site. That’s a lofty destination, but it’s one that EHarmony has undoubtedly reached, with more than 12 million members and hundreds of marriages fostered by the site.
Match.com
Match.com will see EHarmony’s 12 million members, and raise it – to 20 million. Around since 1995, Match.com’s staying power is all the testimony it needs. That said, Match can match anyone when it comes to marital successes and notoriety. The site’s recent affiliation with TV psychotherapist Dr. Phil McGraw has been a success, and Match.com is regularly the leader in technological upgrades in the dating site world.
Yahoo! Personals
Yahoo! places behind EHarmony and Match.com from a scientific standpoint, but is the perfect example of a site that has grown with the times. Originally as basic and basic could be, Yahoo! wised up and realized its enormous membership was the optimal environment for a personals site. Its membership was built right in, and the company built the site accordingly. You can find anything here at Yahoo! Personals – dating, marriage, casual flings – and a feedback-based “relationship fit” rating mechanism by which you rate members so the system can best recommend future matches to you.
PerfectMatch.com
Dr. Phil may pitch for Match.com now, but on his television program the doctor has used PerfectMatch.com – a site rooted in scientific method formulated by a Yale sociologist. Smaller than EHarmony or Match, with roughly 2 million members, the site’s Duet Compatibility Test is based on 30 years of research. Moreso than Match.com, PerfectMatch.com is EHarmony’s competitor on the straight-ahead scientific approach.
Matchmaker.com
Matchmaker.com was bought by Date.com last year, and has benefited from that site’s forward-thinking features. Video chat, the best online dating magazine (Date.info) anywhere and a detailed profile setup and little things such as quick links to those you’ve previously viewed and who have viewed you. Matchmaker.com is perhaps the best in terms of focusing on what its customers want in a site.
Great Expectations
While not really a dating site, per se, Great Expectations is a dating service that begins online. You need to be able to meet a company representative in person to verify who you are and your details, and you need to be willing to spend considerable money to do it. But in turn you receive the most hands-on care possible. The site is a bit restrictive in that you need to be able to get to a regional office for this face-to-face meeting, and those are only in metropolitan areas. But if you can do that, you’re set up for a professional photo shoot, a detailed interview and approval for video communication through the Web site. With 30 years experience, they must be doing something right.
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