Free online dating sites

Many online dating services claim to be free, and then surprise you with charges for features such as contacting other members, extensive searching, viewing profiles or photos, etc. So, let's take a look at free online dating services, what it means to be free, and why to use free online dating sites.

Why you should consider using free online dating sites:

One of the biggest reasons you should consider using a free online dating site is because other people are using them as well. Online dating is becoming a more and more popular way to date. This means that a lot of people are turning to the Internet to find dates. However, like you, all of these people are a little skeptical about the validity of finding dates online, and many do not want to risk their hard earned money to see if it works. So, they use free online dating sites. This means, if you use one as well, you can have access to thousands, and in some cases millions, of other singles out there looking for dates as well.

The other big reason to use a free online dating site is that it is free, so what do you have to lose? As long as you are careful with personal information so that you do not fall victim to identity theft or fraud, free online dating has little risk to you.

What free online dating sites are the best?

Men and women are all over the Internet looking for the best free online dating sites, and they all ask the same question: Which is best? Unfortunately the answer may depend on what individuals are looking for, etc. This means everyone could potentially give you a different answer about which online dating sites are best.

So, this means you have to figure it out for yourself (we will make some suggestions later, and explain why) by evaluating the following things:

• How does the online community come across?
• Do they have a dating philosophy that matches your own?
• Is the site safe enough?
• Is there a good pool of people from which to find dates?
• Is the site actually free, or do you have to pay to interact with other members?

Other things to consider when choosing:

Features:

Every dating site offers different features, and some are going to be more important than others. Look at what features are offered by the free online dating site. Determine if they offer some of the more important features, such as the ability to create a profile, the ability to view the profile of various members, a way to do member searches so you do not have to look through every profile to find possible candidates, chat room tools, and blogs. Today, many online dating websites offer video chat facility as well. Look whether these facilities are free or paid. More often than not, these standard features require additional charges. However, some sites are really free. What you want is ease of use. If you can input age range, gender, and location, and only have to look at profiles that match that criteria, then it will be much easier then having to browse all the thousands of members.

Navigation:

A good free online dating should enable its members to browse through the site easily. Some times the way these free sites make money is through advertisements. This can make it really hard to navigate a page, especially if tons of pop-up ads show up, so to make sure you like the free dating service, look for one that does not have too much stuff, but rather is easy to navigate and use.

Customer Support:

Does the free online dating site have a customer support facility to address your issues while you are browsing through the site? The availability of customer support staff can solve your issues quickly, and can make your online dating a much better experience. For example, if there is someone you want to chat with, but can't get chat to work, you can use their customer support feature to help solve the problem.

Every free online dating site works differently:

Most have you fill out a profile:

This is how people get to know you and determine initially if they want to talk to you, so this is worth filling out. Many times you get to put a photo on your profile as well.

Some let you make your own matches, others match you up. If the site is not actually free, but offers a free trial period, they may send you a certain number of matches as part of your free trial, and after that you have to pay. Others allow you to browse, chat, etc. for free for a certain amount of time. Others are completely free. Usually this is a forum that allows you to choose your own matches, not one that matches you up.

Then you talk:

Once you choose people you think you will be attracted to, or the system chooses for you, then you talk to that person. How you talk varies from site to site. In some cases you email, others chat, some video. Some sites will guide your communication, other sites allow you to do whatever.

For the best online dating sites look for phrases like the following on their site:

• We're free.
• We don't advertise.
• We have a fast joining process.

Dangers of free online dating sites:

There are many free online dating sites, and while it is great that they are free, some of them are riskier than others. In fact, there are a lot of dangers out there with free online dating sites. The following explains some of them.

Before you look at the bad, remember that a lot of people meet and are happy from free online dating sites, so they are not all bad.

Scammers are the major threat for people who use free online dating sites. The fact is, free dating sites do not like scammers any more than you do, and most of them employ people to try and fight against them. But, this does not mean they aren't out there, so watch fro people who solicit you for multi-levels, or some other site, or some other service. You need to do your part to avoid scammers just as much as the dating site needs to do theirs. Look for sites that have security protection and who make the biggest efforts to avoid these problems and related problems.

Other dangers of online dating sites are that they are a good place for predators to find potential victims. Online dating sites are a good place to find victims because people tend to get more personal if they think they are looking for love. A lot of times, some people think that in order to find the right person they have to be totally honest, and share lots and lots of information. The problem is that this information can be used against you, and because predators don't have to pay either, sometimes these free sites are more of a risk than other online dating sites are. Predators are not always ones looking for identity theft or fraud, sexual predators also use free online dating services.

With the above information in mind, let's now take a look at some of the top picks for free online dating sites, and why they make the list of top picks:

#1- OkCupid

OkCupid is a free online dating site that not only rates at the top of the free list, but also rates near or at the top of online dating sites in general, paid or free. It offers a mix of online dating, compatibility testing and social networking. The site is effective, and well liked, particularly because it allows its clients to make the questions for matching that have been already determined at sites such as Chemistry and e-Harmony. So, they can asked to be matched only with people who answer questions a specific way. The other big benefit is that in addition to site provided matches, users can also contact any member that is on the system.

#2- Plenty of fish

This was one of the first successful online dating sites, and is still free, and still hits the top of the free online dating site lists. It offers questionnaires for compatibility, but it also offers a large network. It is one of the largest free networks, and connect you to people all over the world looking for romance and friendship.

#3- Connecting singles

This free online dating site is really only for US users, and it focuses on connecting you with local singles, so the site has events, and forums for specific regions. It offers email correspondence, as well as chat, and forums. It is 100% free, and a popular option.

#4- Book of matches or BoM

This site does not require you to be really technical, but allows you to chat, search for friends and dates, as well as visit forums. They have a wide user base, and they continually add new features and updates to keep things fresh.

Why not try them all if they are for free?

Trying them all is a great idea, then you can decide for yourself what free online dating sites you like. You can also see if online dating works for you, and possibly purchase a membership through a different online dating site. One of the best things is that these online dating sites gets you out there and provides an opportunity for socializing.