Dating Direct (Datingdirect) Review

Billed as the largest online dating site for singles in the UK, Dating Direct has more than 3.5 million members in that region alone. Recently under new management, the service is clearly making a push into the international arena with a redesigned site and a good assortment of extra features.

Dating Direct profiles are easy to start, having only a few initial questions asking about your marriage status, number of kids, and physical appearance. But as soon as you register that profile you find out that there are some four pages each with some fifteen different questions to answer about yourself if you choose. It’s good, varied stuff running from your "personal style" to your favourite kind of movie as well as everything in between.

To top that off there is a page for your own personal photo album and another for a personal video (with sound) you can record with your computer’s webcam.

Searching on Dating Direct is pretty similar in that it can be as simple or as complicated as you want. There are quick searches based on age, region, and city, or three one-click searches using postal codes, keywords or username. If you’re feeling more specific the advanced search has more options than you could ever need.

Another interesting tool that appears to be exclusive to Dating Direct is a test that you can give to those who see your profile… if they want to, of course. You choose up to twenty questions, many of which are pretty fun to sort through and could be really useful in sorting out just what kind of person that potential suitor may be. They range from "do you like science fiction movies" or "do you prefer red wine or white wine" to "are you an organized person" or "what comes first for you, your job or your family life"?

There are a few different ways to contact someone you find interesting, though of course the best is the good ol’ email. If you’re just looking to show a little interest and don’t feel like espousing on your good qualities for a paragraph or two, just throw in a "wink", or there’s an instant messaging system to "get up in there real quick" as the kids like to say.

It should be said that unlike some sites, Dating Direct doesn’t let you read emails sent to you without a paid subscription. However, it does allow you to make as many winks as you want for free, and once you do pay you can read and send as many emails as you want.

Subscriptions are best made with a long-term deal… get three months and you save 50%, six months and you save 65%. Also, you’ll get a month free with either option, and after your paid term ends you’ll still be billed the cheap rate! There’s also special "passes" you can pay for to either allow other members to email/chat with you without their own membership or allow yourself to check out other members without them noticing… a sort of "stealth" membership.

All in all, Dating Direct offers just about everything you can ask for in a dating site, and does so in a way that makes finding that particular special someone a little easier. Since there appear to be some 12,000 or so people online at any given moment, chances are good that you’ll find success.

Dating Direct