Dating Services Reviews

It is difficult to categorize AOL Personals as a dating service, as its main goal is to connect AOL users with the services of full dating sites such as Match.com and eHarmony. The site provides basic resources for people looking to date online, as well as information for people simply curious about love and relationships. While AOL Personals provides people with the resources to start dating online, they do not actually provide any dating services themselves.

How it Works
AOL Personals basically links some of the most popular online dating sites together in one place and allows for clear and helpful comparisons, as well as quick access to those sites' registration pages. It seems that the main goal of AOL Personals is to increase profits for major companies, as opposed to making successful and life-long connections for the people using the services.

Match.com and eHarmony.com are the two biggest dating websites that are offered through AOL Personals. It seems odd that these two very large and successful dating companies would both join forces with AOL on the same web page, especially since Match.com created Chemistry.com in order to compete with eHarmony. That isn't important when it comes to finding a compatible partner through this site, but it is important to note that AOL Personals does not actually run its own dating service.

When you visit the AOL Personals home page, you will be greeted with a search tool asking for your sex, the sex of the person you are looking for, and your zip code. When they present your best matching results, they will be profiles from Match.com. The rest of the online dating services you can visit are LoveAndSeek.com, CatholicPeopleMeet.com, SeniorPeopleMeet.com, SingleParentMeet.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and JpeopleMeet.com.

Signing Up
It is not possible to sign up for AOL Personals. Instead, you will be redirected to one of the dating websites affiliated with it, listed above. When you roll your mouse over the menu option "Register," a drop-down list will appear displaying the dating services they offer. After choosing one, you will be directed to that service's registration site. Although you will be registering with the website of your choice, the AOL Personals header and options will still remain at the top of the screen.

Features
AOL Personals is basically, itself, just a feature. Because they do not actually provide a dating service, their website is simply a relay to move you from one site to another smoothly. If you are just starting out in the online dating world and would like to explore your options, AOL Personals is one good place to start. You will be able to see the different types of dating sites and figure out which one fits your personality and dating style best.

The most helpful feature in deciding which one of their affiliated services to use is their comparison chart. The comparison page allows you to view all of the possible dating service options as well as which services offer which options. This does a quick job of helping you figure out what dating options you would use the most. It will also make quick work out of finding a dating service that can provide you with the options you are looking for. The best part about the comparison chart is that you can customize it in order to compare only the dating sites you are interested in. For example, if you are trying to decide between LoveAndSeek.com and eHarmony, you can adjust the chart to only compare those two services. With so many different options offered at so many different websites, this feature can be very helpful in choosing the right one.

The dating articles offered at AOL Personals are probably the most helpful feature at the site. Although you will need to pay for whichever service you choose to use through AOL Personals, you can access their database of helpful articles any time, completely for free. They provide articles on many different topics regarding romance and relationships, topics like Date Ideas, Seniors, Marriage, Sex, Single Parents, and many others. The articles are free and also allow a place for visitors to leave comments and continue discussions about the articles.

Conclusion
Although AOL Personals does not actually provide any type of dating service, it does a solid job of leading new online daters through the initial stages. Although AOL Personals does not connect people with all of the best dating services that exist, Match.com seems to have the most potential. It has one of the largest profile databases in the world and allows users to browse those profiles and discover new matches on their own. eHarmony, however, has a more restricted and compatibility-based process. The free comparison chart is a very helpful tool to aid people in learning about common dating features as well as the specific options each site can offer.

AOL Personals seems like a simple agreement between AOL and these dating sites in order to drive up web traffic for both. Still, the site provides helpful and informative articles for free and supports people in their choice to find compatible matches online. If you are someone just starting out in the online dating world, AOL Personals is a good place to begin. However, do not feel limited to AOL Personals. If you don't find what you want, explore the hundreds of other dating sites available online. AOL Personals is a good starting point, but won't necessarily lead you to what you're looking for.