Dating.guardian.co.uk is the online dating site of the Guardian National Newspaper, otherwise
known as ‘Soulmates’. The website claims to be the UK’s
leading online dating site with 1,000 new members joining each week, suggesting
that the possibilities of meeting someone new are very high. This is a
dating site for everyone whether you are gay, straight, lesbian or bisexual;
the database holds over 135,000 individual profiles.
Politically correct or not, they claim to offer in their words ‘higher quality members’ – professionals, graduates & ‘nice people’. In essence, they appear to be attempting to demonstrate that they have members who are serious about looking for a long-term partner or soul mate as opposed to using the site as a vehicle for casual dating or sex.
Like most other internet dating sites, anyone can register, complete a profile and upload their photograph for free. Then, once you are ready to make contact with other users, you can subscibe. Subscription options include a flexible one month option at £24.95 and 6 months at £77.70. This is highly competitive and good value compared with match.com and other large scale dating sites.
The functionality of the site is very good and comparable with other leading sites. Functions such as favourite lists, blocking facilities, and one-liner messages & ice-breakers are all standard but nonetheless helpful. The added benefit of the profiles is that they are all vetted before being published on the site. This means that members will not have to read any strange or lewd information, inappropriate photographs and the like; offering comfort and reassurance to all users.
The profile building stage is more in depth than most, which adds interest and differentiation between members as well as narrowing the search for someone compatible and digging deeper to passions, beliefs and values. It also allows members to write about themselves in their own words, as opposed to a limiting tick-box system. The text will be used in searches to seek out good matches and will also act as a tool for self-promotion.
The look and feel of the website is superb – one of the best on the market. A clean, modern, easy on the eye design; and very professional. This is a serious dating website for people serious about dating – anyone who isn’t taking dating very seriously will be deterred from this site by it’s’ appearance and lengthy profile creation. There are no silly photos – it’s all kept in good taste but without taking away the fun. Again, this adds confidence for users and makes the experience feel more worthwhile, yet it is not at all intimidating. The site is quick from one page to the next and before asking any questions, it clearly shows which parts of your data will be visible to other users. Navigating around the site is also very obvious and uncomplicated providing a positive experience.
All in all, the apparent quality of the website, combined with the subscription rates, functionality and profile data questions makes ‘Soulmates’ one of the most likely places to meet a soul mate and will appeal to a huge age range. It is the ideal internet dating site for anyone serious about dating.