Mate1 Review

With a membership of approximately 16 million people, Mate1 is a large website which actually has a male/female ratio of 50/50! This in itself is remarkable, since the vast majority of dating sites on the web today have more male members than females, a big bummer to guys who are looking for potential matches.

Pros

In fact, this one factor has made Mate1 one of the most even playing fields on the web. Another thing which I find interesting about this dating site is the payment structure. The site is set up in such a way that women can join for free, while men must pay to join. While this structure may sound strange to those who aren't familiar with it, it seems as if Mate1 designed its site to balance out the male/female ratio, which it has successfully done.

Even though men must pay as monthly fee, it isn't very large, and besides, you're offered a 3 day $1.95 trial. One thing which I find distinct about this dating site is that it places a high emphasis on chatting, something that most other dating sites do not. While the profiles will offer you standard information on the other members, you can look for more detailed information through certain questions which can be found with their profille. The site has a homepage which is simple to use, and members also get access to a hot list, inbox, and a whole lot more. The site also has an option called "Online Now" which gives you the ability to hook up with the people you wish to connect with.

To make up for the fact that women can join the site for free, Mate1 makes a lot of its money through advertising. However, this doesn't mean that ads are all over the website on every page. The advertising is clean and displayed in a manner where it doesn't interfere with your ability to surf. There are lots of things that I like about this site, and one such example is the effort they make to help you become successful. This site is quick to provide you with advice which can help you to succeed in finding a match, and in addition to showing you how to create a profile, they also show you what you should and should not add to your profile.

They also show you what you should say when first contacting your match, and what you shouldn't. By providing this type of advice, Mate1 immediately stands out from the crowd of other dating sites, which force you to figure out this stuff all on your own. In addition to this, the site teaches you how to keep the conversation interesting and ongoing. It is features like this which make Mate1 truly impressive. I can't think of another dating site on the web which acts like a dating coach, but Mate1 definitely fits the bill!

Cons

For all the good things I've seen and read about Mate1, I've also heard some bad things. First off, many people have complained about the three day trial. While it is cheap, three days doesn't give you much time to evaluate the quality of the site, particularly if you're a busy person. Instead of having a three day trial, I personally think that it would be much more prudent to have a one week trial. This gives the user a little bit more time to view all the features and message some members, and they also have time to cancel if they don't like the site. The problem with three days is that its easy to forget to cancel in time if you don't like it, and many people have complained of being charged within such a short time span.

I've also found that Mate1 charges you just to view the emails. This is extremely annoying, because if you're already paying for a monthly membership, there should be no reason to be nickeled and dimed for additional services. The problem with charging to view emails is that companies can sometimes use their own employees to send you emails in order to get you to pay. While I'm not saying that Mate1 actually does this, many people become suspicious when they're charged just to view emails. Also, some members have claimed that they receive responses out of proportion to what they're used to, even when they haven't yet added photos.

Another source of contention is the fact that women are allowed to get free memberships, while men must pay. This seems to me like Mate1 values its female members over the male, since they don't have to put up money. However, many people would argue that they're just doing this to balance out the male/female ratio, and it could be likened to allowing women to enter nightclubs for free while making men pay: the analogy and structure are basically the same. There have also been complaints that terminating a membership with the site is a bit difficult.

Unlike MySpace or other sites, which have links that allow you to terminate your membership, some have said that Mate1 doesn't have such a link, and that this is quite fishy. It seems as if Mate1 has a number of problems that they'll need to get resolved before they can attract more members. While the site has a number of redeeming qualities, and has helped some people successfully find matches, it will need to offer more in the area of service in order to overcome its many weaknesses.

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