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Friends Reunited Dating Review

From the people who helped us stay in touch with old schoolfriends comes an impressive dating site that won't break the bank.

Friends Reunited dating site is advertised as 'the UK’s friendliest dating site', which implies that you might find more than just a date here – indeed you might find a good friend. This is actually one of the niches in the market that has not been filled – online friends’ sites. While computerisation has changed the way we meet people, it has certainly changed the way we make friends as well, therefore it’s about time that one of the dating sites also gave people a chance to find some new mates as well as dates. However, unfortunately that is not the case on this site as the dating version of the Friends Reunited still focuses more on finding a partner than finding a friend.

The Friends Reunited Dating Profile

Creating a profile is pretty straightforward in Friends Reunited Dating. There is not much to write yourself, just a lot of drop-down boxes to choose your right answer from. You might find some of those seriously limited though – for example, a question 'Describe your sense of humour' only has four options – 'Dry', 'Slapstick', 'Childish' or 'Toilet', none of which are particularly inspiring. Since most single people looking for a date rate sense of humour as one of the key characteristics in the opposite sex, this might prove to be more than just a little bit annoying.

Searching for a date

Profiles are put together nicely and easy enough to grab in one look – not a lot of reading to do. Search is standard stuff – you get to put down your basic criteria for the basic search (including post code search, looking for possible dates in the close proximity) as well as the more complicated advance search. The results are displayed either in a photo view only or as mini profiles. Plus, if you want to, you can search to find only users who are online at the very moment should you feel in the mood for some instant chatting.

Winking & emailing Friends Reunited Dating members

The whole winking business has been made a bit more interesting at Friends Reunited Dating as you can send a little emoticon with your wink and even add a sentence – either telling them compliments such as how much you like them or their profile or even asking them out for a drink.

Also, sending messages could not be easier as the message box is displayed right next to the user’s profile, which means you don’t have to start fumbling about, looking for your mailbox – all you need to do is type in your message to the box and send it away.

The main extra in the site is the instant messenger – but it’s for paid users only. There are no options for the audio/video messaging, although paid members can create audio profiles which come up in a special audio profile search. Extras also include dater’s horoscopes, which can tell you what’s in the stars for you next week. Great stuff if you believe in such a thing – and an amusing read even if you don’t.

Free vs Paid site

Basically, all you can do with the free account is to create your own profile and search for others. You can’t send and reply to messages, chat on instant messenger, send e-cards and you won’t be even able to see who has checked out your profile! But on the other hand it is quite a bit cheaper than most of the other dating sites. In addition to all the things mentioned above, paying customers can also read their weekly love horoscope to get hints of what and who they should be looking for.

Pros and Cons

Winking made more interesting with emoticons and introductory sentences.
A bit limited options in the profile-creating with uninspiring drop-down menus.