Launched in 2002 after getting its start in phone based personals in 1987, Lavalife is one of the most established internet dating sites and has a particularly heavy presence in North America.
Lavalife offers subscribers three different communities in which to post their profile; Dating, Relationships and Intimate Encounters. Members may post a profile to one, two or all three without affecting the cost.
Pros

1. This site offers free memberships that include more than what is normal for a paid dating site. You do not need to be a paid subscriber in order to reply to emails or instant messages that have been sent to you.
2. “My account” information is easy to find and edit. The extensive account controls regarding communication from Lavalife allow users to regulate how often the site contacts them.
3. There is a separate site prime.lavalife.com that caters to men and women over 45. No offense to the “kids”, but sometimes the grownups want to play in a room all by themselves!
4. For those who want anytime, anywhere access a Lavalife2go subscription, in addition to your regular subscription, allows access via your mobile phone.
5. Easy to use tab layout gives you quick access to each community as well as the forums, the Entertainment Lounge (horoscopes, city guides and the Lavalife Party.

Cons

1. The biggest, annoyance with the site is the inability to turn of Instant Messaging. This is a major downfall as a constant barrage of IM’s can be very intrusive.
2. Though the idea of three separate communities is a good one, but don’t let it lull you into a false sense of security; it does not prevent “crossovers”. If you’ve placed profiles in the Dating and Relationship communities, you may still be contacted by someone from the Intimate Encounters community.
3. We can all understand that Lavalife is a business and as such it is out to make money. However, this site gives new meaning to “double dipping”. Revenue is generated through their subscription service, in addition to site advertisements, LOTS OF THEM. And they’re not just unobtrusive text ads, no, these are GREAT BIG BANNER ADS along the top, side and bottom of search results.
4. I found the overall look and feel of the site to be cluttered with too many different colors. Combine that with all the advertising and it comes to resemble an undercooked Western Omelet!
5. Cost; one month $29.99/month, three months $18.99/month, six months $14.99/month.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Dating Site Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.