Saturday, June 23, 2007

FriendFinder Review

Are you looking for a fun and exciting Online Dating Site. Try visiting FriendFinder.com, they currently have almost 3 1/2 Million active members. FriendFinder.com covers all aspects of Dating and Relationships and has the largest amount of Relationship types to chose from. FriendFinder.com offers more than a static directory of people looking to connect with others. People join for a sense of community the ability to be amongst other people with similar mindsets and desires.

FriendFinder.com not only gives our members the opportunity to meet friends and partners,­ they also enhance the member experience with daily horoscopes, photo ratings, free e-greeting cards, and the interactive FriendFinder Magazine written by and for their members. The Magazine includes member-submitted articles and poetry, as well as a question and answer advice forum.

FriendFinder.com is constantly evolving to meet the wants and needs of its members. They are exploring and developing new features according to the results of member polls and email feedback. FriendFinder recently started their Friend Network which is an online social networking community connected to FriendFinder personals. You can view photos and profiles of your friends, and see how you're connected to friends of friends.

Positive Features

  • Has many different features for members to use such as Blogs, Friend Network and Interest Groups. The FriendFinder Network of Sites probably offers the most to it's members in terms of the number of features available to use.
  • 2 types of paid memberships, Silver and Gold. You can go for a cheaper (by about 35%) Silver membership but you will have slower response technical support and less searching options. A great way to go if you are still not sure about the site and don't want to pay full price.
  • The FriendFinder Magazine is one of the few online dating magazines that contains lots of contributions (articles, polls, answers to questions) from its regular members.
  • Extra option of allowing Standard Members (non paying members) the ability to contact you if you choose to pay an additional small monthly fee. Normally Standard members cannot communicate with other members. They can only perform searches and preview profiles.

Negative Features

  • Reports on the internet seem to indicate that this sites approval process for new profiles may need to be overhauled as there may be a few more fake profiles than on other dating sites (all of the large sites contain some fake profiles).

Using Photos in Your Personal Ads

Photo personals are now extremely popular on the web. When using top internet dating agencies like LoveBrowser.com you will get the opportunity to post maybe four different photos of yourself along with your profile for people to see. If you choose not to post any photos then generally you will not get many replies to your ad and you won't be making the most of your membership.

When you first meet some you look at their face, you look into their eyes, you hold their gaze and within a single second you may have stored 2 million separate pieces of information about that face. Instinctively you will either be drawn to its appearance or not. Much research tells us that we like symmetrical faces most of all, but we also take great notice of hair colour, length, nose, lips, smile and anything else of key initial importance in judging attraction.

Why then do people find if so hard to post photos of themselves on their profile? Believe me when I say, photo personals work! I cannot stress this enough. If you want to be successful when internet dating then begin by adding at least a single photo. Research varies on actual statistics but generally you can expect to get up to eight times more replies with a photo than without. This is because people can see what you look like and all those who are attracted to you will feel able to form a link with you and make contact.

It certainly appears to make sense to add a profile photo but many don't. The reason is often that people don't view themselves as photogenic. What they mean is that they don't look attractive in film. Maybe the camera adds weight to their features or they just don't like to see themselves as others do. its a self confidence issue. The argument goes that they don't have any nice photos available or the scanner is broken or they should really get round to scanning some in. The truth is that they don't like seeing themselves. This can be rectified by having some nice photos taken by a professional photographer which can then be scanned in later.

Another way of solving the problem and keeping the cost down is to buy a digital camera which you can then use to take thousands of photos of yourself time after time until you get the image you like the best. However if you do that you should only select the photos that actually resemble you. I have seen many disasters of people using internet dating services and misleading other members by suing photos that were taken 10 years ago or that aren't a true reflection of them day to day. This in turn leads to instant disappointment on meeting.

Don't fool yourselves, when internet dating someone may indeed fall in love with you online and get to know your personality in depth but the moment you meet, if you don't look like your photograph it will mean nothing. People do NOT understand when they feel they have been misled so capturing someone by using no photo or a photo that is not a truthful representation is a complete waste of time. You are underestimating the power of physical attraction. Now I don't know how many countless times I have heard it said by people that they have learned to look deeper, beyond the outer shell and I am impressed. But its not entirely true. If someone likes the look of you, they like the look of you. If they don't, they won't be interested.

So it is crucial therefore that you use a realistic and recent photo of yourself that is an accurate and in focus portrayal of who you are. Don't even think of using a photo of someone else because its fake and it convinces no one. I often see photos of models on the internet and I know instantly that they are of models. This means that I am unlikely to contact them. A nice natural photo of a real girl will attract me to write. A glamour studio shot won't.

Smiling is critical to the photo you use in your personal ad and you should always try to present a happy face. Smouldering and sultry can work too as can moody, windswept and interesting. But do give some thought to the image you want to portray. You are promoting yourself online so take some care and time to get your image right. Any old photo to hand may not help you much.

The photo you post should be a JPG or a BMP file. Commonly known as a JPEG or Bitmap. Both are easily created through standard window camera software and they don't take up a large file size. However do ensure for most dating websites that you keep the final resolution down so that the file is accepted on the website. LoveBrowser.com for example allows 4 photos of 100kb each. If you don't know much about cameras and photo images, recruit a friend to assist and they can take some nice shots of you too.

Begin by posting a couple of your favourite photos (no more than a year old) and see what kind of reaction you get. If you don't get the reaction you like, change your photo profile in your personal ad until things change. Try not to use fuzzy web cam shots if possible and definitely do not post sexually explicit photos as you come across in a terrible light - you will look like a tramp or sleaze merchant. Also be aware that some web cam images are of a different standard and although they are listed as JPG files they will not post onto dating websites.

Look at the photo personals of other people on the dating site you joined and see if you can match their style of shot. It will be immediately obvious which ones work best because you will like to look at them more than others. I like side profiles with head turned towards the camera in close up with a nice smile. It tells me everything I need to know. As they say - every picture tells a story.

Here are some tips to remember when using photo personals and internet dating services:

Always add a photo to your profile

Take a lot of photos and use the best

Buy a digital camera for its versatility and it helps reduce the cost in the long run. Its fun too.

Ensure the photos are recent

Ensure you are smiling in them or at least presenting the best image

Try and keep the photo file size down

Ensure the photo is bright and clear

Ensure it is an accurate portrait of you now

Add more than one photo if possible and swap periodically

Don't add revealing sexy shots

Try and avoid web cam shots which are grainy

If you don't want to use a photo start to think about your levels of self confidence and appearance and how things can be altered

Remember that photo personals are very popular

Safe Dating Tips

You know, online dating on the web is generally extremely safe, especially friendly and great fun and Top Dating Tips.com is committed to ensuring that it stays that way. It is safe dating because it is distance dating - simple. You do not come into contact with others initially and this may well provide you with a comfort factor that also allows you to pace yourself and be rightly choosey.

If possible though, you should try and follow a few basic online safe dating principles before deciding to pass over personal contact information to a relative stranger or arrange to meet them. It's all too easy to get a little carried away when viewing personal ads so take things slowly and take a rain check every now and again. The tips here are from our five star dating sister site LoveBrowser.com. They may appear obvious to you but we think that if you do try and follow them, it can only assist you in ensuring you have happy online dating experiences. And you never know, Mr. or Miss Right may be just round the corner. We really hope so.

  • Always trust your instinct, after all it has got you this far in life already.

  • Take your time and view plenty of personal ads first.

  • Do not publish your phone number or email address in personal ads.

  • Don't take everything at face value.

  • Do ask lots of questions when chatting.

  • Ensure you feel comfortable at all times whoever you are chatting with.

  • If someone is abusive to you, block them straight away.

  • Don't provide your home or work address to anyone you have not met.

  • Before agreeing to a date, check that you know as much as possible

Don't allow yourself to be talked into anything, whatsoever! You are the one in charge.

Also consider the following:

  • Take your time to get to know someone. Don't be rushed
  • A patient person will be happy to wait until you are ready to meet
  • Make sure you see plenty of photos if possible of the person you make friends with
  • Ask your date to leave a message in your voicemail box before hand if possible
  • Chat on the phone for a while before arranging a date, get to know each other
  • Always meet in a public place that is well known and convenient to you
  • Always tell a good friend where you are going, and who you are meeting
  • If possible phone your friend during the date to confirm all is fine

And perhaps consider these points too:

  • Always carry a cellular phone on a date if you have one
  • Lunchtimes are good for dating, convenient, and they have a time limit
  • Always make your own travel arrangements on a date initially
  • Do not accept a lift home on the first date or reveal your address
  • If travelling far, organize your own accommodation and confirm it
  • Ensure you have as much information about your date as possible
  • Keep your first date to a time limit so that you have an "exit" point
  • Don't feel you owe it to someone to meet them, you do not!

When we think of safe dating by sets of rules like this it can all get pretty silly and scary but the fact is that we are introducing ourselves to strangers without the company of friends. It will always be a wise choice to have a friend close by even if they are sitting at a nearby table. But whatever you decide is best for you, keep your wits about you and enjoy your date !!!

Top Dating Tips


  • Get prepared for dating. If you really want to succeed in the dating game, decide who you are looking for, do your research and be ready to commit to dating. Half heartedness won't work. Also prepare for some let downs along the way but don't take dating too seriously either.

  • Get your act together. Begin a regime of looking your best. Join a gym, read health magazines, get fit and start a diet. Get your hair cut or styled and begin a new regime of good grooming or beauty treatment. Though it will not find you a date in itself, you will feel a million times more confident about yourself.

  • Go shopping and treat yourself to new clothes and even a whole new look. Get your image right, one that you can manage and live with, but one that flatters you. Don't go overboard and look like someone you are not but maybe its time to throw out those tired jeans, old sweaters or cardigans and spruce yourself up. People appreciate appearance.

  • Have a good think about what your dating goals are and timescales. Do you see yourself married within 2 years? If you do then approach dating accordingly. If you are more laid back and don't take dating too seriously then ask yourself some honest questions about why you are dating and what you hope to achieve. If it is purely sex then ask yourself if you are about to be honest with those you hope to date.

  • Sort out your confidence levels in advance. By following the first four tips you will feel better and be more focused. Do all the things that will boost your confidence from avoiding negative friends (often the married ones) to attending the right kind of social functions. Couples at dinner parties in suburbia is not necessarily where you need to be right now.

  • Choose those you have a good chance of dating, don't aim low but do aim realistically. In other words, your dating is based on the whole package you present as well as just your personality. If you are looking for a glamour girl or boy and want to date someone trendy and gorgeous then good for you, but be prepared and be realistic about your chances.

  • Work out in advance where in your neighborhood you are likely to meet people and join clubs, societies, sports events, drama groups, anything where you are likely to meet potential partners. The kind of partners you are looking for. I know its a cliché but you will not meet people by staying indoors.

  • Take time off from dating occasionally if its not going well or causing dating fatigue. Dating is an ongoing process and so recharging the batteries and keeping the confidence and optimism levels high is an absolute must. So date in phases if necessary.

  • Enjoy dating for what it is, dating. It is meeting people and socializing and spending time in the company of stimulating individuals who may or may not bring you a sparkle. The fact is, most people are interesting and whilst you may not be out there looking for new friends, you may well find one or two fabulous people along the way.

  • Never ever make yourself too available. People like mystery and enigma and the thrill of the chase when dating. In keeping with this do not sleep with your dates early on if you want them to progress, so keep sex until later. The longer a person is made to chase and fall for you within reason, the more likely that love may blossom. Peak too early and you have little left to offer and emotions may never have had the time to develop.

  • Do Join a quality Internet dating agency for free and do post a photo profile if possible. Take your time and check your mail occasionally. Even if you never date online at least it will boost your confidence and spirits and allow you to Practise your opening lines and chat up skills. Internet dating is fun and secure and introduces you to the world of dating safely and gently.