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The Bottom Line
If Yahoo! Personals was
an ice-cream, it would be vanilla - but a very creamy and deliciously
textured vanilla. It's not the most innovative dating site we've reviewed,
and neither is it the biggest, but it does exactly what it sets out to do,
and does it very well indeed. Coming from one of the biggest brands on the
internet, this is a service you can trust to do the job.
Membership
Undisclosed, but this is Yahoo! so we can be confident it's
in the millions.
Profile Detail
Profiles are a mixture of pre-defined criteria and some
free text areas to allow you to really personalise them. Yahoo! Personals
lets you add up to five photos, as well as video, and voice messages
(which can be recorded securely over the telephone).
Searching
Searching is free, including location based searches. When you
find a profile you like, you can do a one click search for "similar
profiles". All profile criteria can be searched upon, and you may also
specify keywords to look for inside profile text. Searches can be saved so
you can quickly re-run them at a later date, and you can also elect to
have search results emailed to you as new matching profiles are added to
the site.
Coverage
There are sites for the USA, UK & Ireland, France, Germany,
Australia & New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brazil, and Canada.
Each site is in the appropriate language, with the US site also available
in Spanish.
Safety
Profiles can be made "non-searchable", so the only people who can
see them are those you email. All profiles are manually checked before
being posted on the site.
How much can be done for free
You can search right from the front page,
and view matching profiles in full detail, complete with photos. If you
want to post your own profile, you need to register for free - this is
done using a Yahoo! ID, so if you already have one of those then that's
one thing less to do! Icebreakers can be sent and responded to for free,
but further communication by email or instant messenger requires a paid
subscription. Subscriptions can be purchased for 1, 3, and 12 month
periods with the 12 month attracting a substantial discount.
Site speed and ease of navigation
Yahoo! is the most recognised brand on
the internet, and not without reason; they know how to build excellent
websites. Their personals sites are no exception, they are very fast and
easy to navigate, and have very comprehensive help sections. If you use
any of Yahoos other services, you'll feel right at home here.
Click here to visit
Yahoo! Personals |
