What is it?

Dating Direct is the UKs largest dating service with nearly a million members (which means that about one in 40 people of dating age in the country must be members!). In my experience it's also the site that most of my friends have had success with.

How does it work?

Putting your profile on the site is free, which turns out to be a rather cunning ploy, as although you can advertise your avaliability and indeed view other members profiles at no cost, what you can't do is email anyone or indeed read emails from people when they send them to you. Which they do with surprising speed! I defy anyone to refuse to pay the joining fee once the emails start rolling in. Curiosity always gets the better of you!

Who does it attract?

Apparently everyone! As you can choose to view only profiles of those members who consider themselves to belong in the 'attractive' catagory, you are at least spared some of the more horrifying sights, but still what you end up getting is, to say the least, a mixed bag! I reckon about 80% of the members are average in the looks department. 10% are "call your mate over to look at the computer" ugly. (indeed my sister actually ended up doubled up on the floor laughing at one man's photo) and the other 10% fall into the "wow" catagory. Probably a bit like real life!

What's different about it?

The sheer number of people who belong. That guy who looks a bit like someone you once knew, probably is infact someone you once knew!

What does it cost?

Anything from £4.95 (for a 3 day membership) to £69.95 for a whole year. Most people seem to opt for the 3 month option (£29.95) which seems to be on some kind of endless special offer! I found three months to be the best length pf time to sign up for.

What makes it special?

It's extremely reasonable to join, great fun and I spent hours reading profiles and searching the site when there was nothing on the TV. It's a nice ego massage to get emails (as *everyone* does) telling you you are great, interesting and attractive to the opposite sex! Who wouldn't enjoy that!

What's the down side?

You'll be fired up with enthusiasm at the beginning, but the novelty wears of quickly and because you have to actually make the effort to go out and meet the people you've been talking to, it can end up feeling too much like hard work. Also no matter how many phone calls, texts, emails and photos you exchange it's no substitute for face to face contact. One man I talked to had seemed promising on email, but barely was I in the door of the bar and having made eye contact with him I knew he wasn't my type. Then because you've built up a friendship over email with this person you have to make polite conversation for a respectable length of time.

Any tricks I need to know?

Photos, photos, photos! It's so much easier if you stick to the rule of not corresponding with people who don't have photos, even if their photo is 'awaiting approval' or they promise to email it. Because if you start chatting then get the photo and don't like what you see, its really hard to get rid of them! If you find you're getting a lot of miss and no hit, take yourself out of the search facility and then pick all the guys you like and stick them in your favourites (which they can view) that way only guys you have vetted can see you are avaliable to contact

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