Gay.com Review

The success of Gay.com stems from the fact that this site is one of the first to cater to homosexual dating, and in the world of marketing, it is always better to be first than it is to be better.

Pros

By focusing on a very small niche, the founders of this online dating company were able to cater to homosexual males while bringing in huge profits at the same time. In addition to gays, the site also caters to lesbians and transsexuals. Despite this, there are a number of other features which has allowed this site to become highly successful. One such feature is the content the site offers, which is very entertaining among its members. Instead of simply listing the profiles of its users, the site provides entertaining and insightful information as well.

Another thing that many users like about this site is the precise search options that it offers. You're given the ability to narrow down your search by geographical area, and you also have the option of recovering the previous searches you made when you visit the site in the future. The online chat feature is also quite impressive, as it is global in scale. You can view the profiles of all the members who are online, and you can always send them an invite to come chat with you in the chat room. You can look for pen pals, casual encounters, or even long term relationships.

In addition to being one of the first in its niche, Gay.com also offers highly advanced features. One such feature includes video chat, which allows you to see people as you chat with them. You can meet with your matches face-to-face in the digital environment before meeting in person. One of the most popular options among members that Gay.com offers is the Men after Dark feature, which allows you to watch explicit videos and images of the other members. In addition to being a dating site, Gay.com also features many other aspects of the homosexual culture, and has sections for health, business, careers, and much more. Additionally, the site also features message boards and other communications tools which allow you to keep in touch with the other members.

In the end, this website was bound to be popular, with its simple and straight forward name, as well as its targeting of a specific niche that has largely been ignored by the more established and mainstream online dating companies. If you're a looking for a homosexual, lesbian, or transsexual community where you can find others who share your views and tastes, then Gay.com is definitely a dating site that you will want to consider. With more than 3 million profiles and continued growth on a daily basis, this site has solidified itself as one of the best in its niche. One thing that I should also mention is that this website can also be viewed in seven languages, which allows it to reach even more people.

Cons

While the founders of Gay.com have successfully captured a niche market within the online dating industry, their site is not without its problems and controversies. Some have complained that the site's monthly membership fee, which is $19.95, is a bit expensive for their tastes. In addition to this, those who are not paying members will not be given access to the photos, which means your options are exceptionally limited until you pay for a VIP membership. Others have complained that the site has a slow load time, and is sometimes hard to connect to. One thing that I should also mention is that some people have claimed that there is a way around paying for full membership access in order to use all the features of this site.

In addition to the overall connection speed of the site, complaints have continuously been made about the speed of the servers, which are said to be slow. Like many other contemporary dating sites, there have been accusations made that Gay.com either is for or is unable to control the fake profiles which have been found on the site. Another form of criticism that has often be made against the site is its heavy use of ads. They are displayed all over the site, and many members have found them to be quite annoying. Some controversy has also been raised due to the advertising methods that the site chooses to use.

It was reported at Boston.com that a billboard ad showing two bare chested men embracing each other with the American flag was removed due to complaints which were made by anti Gay rights activist. It was found that the billboard was sponsored by Gay.com. While this company has made a number of smart marketing moves, and has successfully generated millions of members, it needs to concentrate more on speeding up its servers, as well as offering a better interface for its users. The Gay.com domain name itself is extremely popular, and is no doubt worth many millions of dollars

This large amount of controversy in the mainstream media, combined with the many technical problems that this site faces, has weakened the amount of acceptance and popularity that the site would otherwise have. The many complaints that users have made against the server speed of the site should prompt Gay.com to take more action in order to improve the browsing experience of the user. It is also important for this site to concentrate on getting rid of fake profiles and removing users who haven't been active within the last three months. If the company can do this, there is no doubt that its user base would expand exponentially.