Swoon Review
Swoon Review Ratings
Summary: A Cupid owned site that doesn't score any points for originality and is low on inspiring confidence.
2.3
We first reviewed Swoon.co.uk when it was still an independent site with their own members. I remember saying back then that Swoon wass lacking in character and that even though it’s a decent site that was easy to use, it could do with some kind of a facelift. Well, this isn’t exactly what we had in mind. While we do understand that it’s hard for dating sites to maintain their independence and go it alone against such giants as Match and eHarmony, it’s still sad to see that the new owners haven’t put in the effort at make Swoon special or give it some character of its own.
Setting up your profile page
Using Swoon is easy and straightforward enough and you don’t have to worry about having to put in a lot of work and effort if that’s not what you want to do. However, we DO actually recommend using every opportunity you have to fill in the gaps where you can write about yourself with your own words. In Swoon these places are kept to a minimum – mostly it’s just pop-ups and boxes to pick and choose from – but it would do you good to use them to the fullest. The more you write about yourself in your own words, the better. There’s already too many bland, similar-looking profiles there, so if you’re willing to make at least some kind of an effort you can be sure your profile will stick out.
What’s a little bit weird about Swoon is the fact that – like on most other Cupid-owned sites – you can start advertising your profile from pretty much the moment you sign up to their site. By typing a short message and pressing ja button you can send your very own ‘personal ad’ to the best matches (picked by the site) in seconds. Not sure how successful this practice really is but in any case it’s there for your use.
You can, of course, upload several photos of yourself but you can also add videos. Adding a video is something we’re not yet too sure of. If you have a video of yourself presenting a fantastic rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’ or effortlessly taming a raging bull at the rodeo – great! Upload it! If not, I think it’s one of those features I’d give a miss. Seems too embarrassing. So far many of the online dating users still have a problem with uploading half-decent photos of themselves and I shudder to think what the videos might look like! However, I don’t want to sound condescending and patronising – if you have a great video about yourself, something that really shows you at your best, it would be clever to share it with others should you so wish.
Searching for a date
Bear in mind that unless you’ve filled in at least 50 per cent of your own profile, you won’t be able to see a lot of the info on other user’s sites. You’ll see the most basic stuff but in order to read about the interests or character, you need to fill in your profile bits first. Come to think of it – it is only fair.
The design and layout of the profile pages is not the best. Not all of the info is on the same page, you have to flip through the tabs in order to read it all. Although there’s no real justification to it. The fonts used are small, all the printed text is tiny and grey so it’s quite hard to grasp it as it is. It wouldn’t hurt to make the text a little more readable or at least fit it all on the same page.
Like we said, Swoon is a Cupid-owned site and therefore the membership base is plentiful as you also get access to those who have signed up to their other sites. A lot of results come up in the search and it’s easy enough to search for a date. That said – pay attention to the messages you get. We’ve written about the dubious practices used by Cupid sites before: you sign up, start getting emails, which you can’t read unless you subscribe, but once you do it turns out the people who have tried to contact you don’t really exist or turn out to be ‘administrators of the site’.
Cupid has received a formal warning for these practices from independent auditors and has promised to clean up their act. However, when we signed up here to re-review the site, we immediately got two emails – even before we had written a single line on our profile or added a photo. A coincidence? Maybe, although it beggars belief. Just beware of that type of ‘encouragement’ to subscribing.
Getting in touch
You get most of the usual options to get in touch here as you get on most other sites – there are the winks and the icebreakers, there’s emailing, of course, and there’s also their own chatroom that members can use. It works much the same was as Skype chat, only you don’t need to download any software, you can use it right there on their own site. Some members you can communicate with for free and it’s also indicated in the search.
Swoon Review: Free vs Paid site
All users can set up a profile, add photos and videos and perform the search. You can also get a personality report – the so-called Dating Appeal. You can send and read messages only with those who have the free communication subscription and you can also chat with them. In order to talk to other members, you need to sign up. There’s an option for 3 days free trial for £4.98 so that you could test the site out before signing up for it.
Swoon review: Overall Pros and Cons
The opportunity to get in touch for free with some Swoon users.
Lacks originality and character and not really enough members.
And here lies the end of our Swoon review, here’s some more dating site reviews to pursue.
About the Author
Aet Suvari has been reviewing and writing about the world of online dating since 2008 and the launch of Online Dating Help. A stickler for promoting ethical practices within the UK dating industry she champions the sites that get it right while highlighting those holding it back. You can follow her on Google+
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