Summary: FriendFinderis a site where you can “Have fun, meet people, and find love.” A leader in the online dating market since 1996, FriendFinder is part of a network of 16 sites with over 8 million active members worldwide.
Pros: - Such a large network is bound to have many potential mates
- Has fun options like video, webcam, and “flirt” instant messages
Cons: - Very few options for free members
- Very small and poor quality pictures
Costs:
Free membership does not allow for a lot: you can set up a profile and view other’s headline and photo, but you cannot read their essays or their additional information. Silver membership allows you to view and contact members and access their videos; you can join for as little as $13.31/month (for a 3-month subscription) or $22.94 for a single month. Gold membership has additional perks, such as top positioning in searches, full access to blogs and other features, extra large photos and IM contacts. Gold membership can be purchased for as little as $16.66/month (3-month subscription plus 1 month free) or $34.94 for a single month. Members may also choose add-ons such as a highlighted listing and allowing standard members to email them.
Account Setup: Easy
Setting up an account has 3 stages: the basic profile, with the usual questions, took us 7 minutes to fill including two short essays. Once you set the basics up, you have the option to fill in a bundle of extra questions on topics such as Dating Preference, Dreams & Goals, Personality Traits and Outlook on Life. We answered those very superficially and it took us over 20 minutes, but to answer thoroughly with essay questions might take you a full hour.
Finally, FriendFinder offers a free “Personality Profiling” quiz, which can be filled in 3 minutes and tells you both your personality style and which types you are most compatible with.
Once the profile was completed, it took FriendFinder 40 minutes to approve and activate it.
Photos:
You can upload up to 20 photos, but they must be uploaded one by one and wait for approval, which can take up to 24 hours – ours took upwards of an hour. Standard members can only see thumbnail-sized pictures (about 1×1 inch,) while gold members can see them in full size.
Search:
Standard members may run a search by location and age, while paying members also have the options to refine by race, language, children and other options. Our test search threw many results, with the Gold members at the top of the list and highlighted. A surprising number of results had no photo, and those who did were of very poor quality (dark, grainy, blurry.) Also of note; standard members have no access to full profile information.
Support: FriendFinder offers and extensive FAQ section, but if your question is not addressed there you may also use an email form to contact their support department with your question, comment or suggestion.
In their words: The purpose of the FriendFinder site is to make it as easy as possible for you to meet people, using the power of the internet. At FriendFinder, you’ll find a community of people using the site as a tool to make connections and find partners for dating, romance, friendship, and a variety of encounters.
Our reviewer’s opinion:
I was not impressed. It seems unfair to ask for so much information to set up a complete profile and then not allow you to see other people’s profiles unless you are a paying customer. I am also unhappy about the fact that pictures can only be seen in reduced size unless you are a premium member. But there is no denying the sheer size of the site, and prices are not steep.
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