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The Bottom Line
Lavalife has a fresh
and funky feel about it. Through it's three sections - Dating,
Relationships, and Intimate Encounters - it provides all of the standard
options and features we would expect to find in a quality site, and has
the benefit of being "pay as you go" through it's system of credits. This
is an enjoyable site to use.
Membership
Total membership is undisclosed, but with thousands joining
daily, this is one of the big sites in the dating game.
Profile Detail
Profiles are pretty basic. There are the usual
introductory questions about who and where you are, but Lavalife places
more emphasis on describing yourself through the "In My Own Words" text
areas. You can post up to 10 pictures, and also add video. A innovative
"Backstage" area allows you to hide these pictures so they can only be
viewed by members you have specifically invited.
Searching
The search page has lots of predefined one-click searches so
you can get going very quickly. These all automatically look for members
within 80 miles / 125km of you, but you can use custom searching to change
this. Custom searches (which can of course be saved) let you specify all
the profile criteria. Other options for finding members include photo
slideshows, lists of new members, and people who are on line right now.
Once you find someone, contact can be made by sending a "smile" (showing
interest), email, or instant messaging. More on the costs of this in a
moment.
Coverage
The whole world is catered for, although membership is biased
towards the USA. However, as Lavalife are now accepting payment for
credits in Euros as well as US Dollars, they clearly are keen on expanding
their European membership.
Safety
Individual members can be blocked from contacting you. The
Backstage area for hiding your photos is a nice additional feature.
How much can be done for free
Initially you can perform a quick search
right from front page to get an idea of the people you might find on
Lavalife. Results including pictures can then be viewed, along with basic
profile details. To see full profiles requires registration, which is
free. The only time you need to spend any money is if you then want to
initiate contact with another member, in which case you must pay a small
charge to upgrade your account to "Full Member" status, and purchase some
credits (there are some included when you upgrade). Sending "Smiles",
emails, and initiating instant message conversations then cost you
credits. However, if someone contacts you, then you can reply for free.
Site speed and ease of navigation
The cool layout of this site doesn't
detract from it's ease of use, and indeed makes it a pleasure to use. The
pages updated very quickly in all of our tests.
Click here to visit LavaLife |
