LDS Singles Online Review

As mentioned in my article 7 Best Online Dating Sites for LDS Singles, LDS Singles.com was among the first, if not the first online dating site designed specifically for LDS Singles.  Owing to that distinction I thought that I would make it the first in my series of Online Dating Site reviews. Here is my explanation and commentary of the services offered by this site.  Note: I may not always remember to make clear when a particular feature of the site is for subscribers verses guest members.  If a particular feature doesn’t work the way that I describe, it is probably because I spoke of it as it works for subscribing members.

THE ONLINE PROFILE

This includes your basics: age, height, body type, hair and eye color.  You also indicate marital status (this particular question shows the site is maintained by LDS individuals or those who understand the culture because “separated” is not one of the choices.)  You can also indicate how many children that you have and how many currently live with you.  (I personally appreciate that they aren’t asking you whether or not you want children.  I think that is a more personal question than deserves to be put on the front page of an online profile. But, that is just me.)

You also share with viewers, your occupation and temple status (because of the nature of this question and the myriad of situations that apply, you can elect to click (or not) any of the three boxes: endowed, recommend, and worthy).  The other major part of your basic profile is The Greeting.  Here is where you tell people a little about yourself in your own words.  This section combined with your picture goes a long ways towards giving people insight into who you really are.  This is where your personality should and does come out as you tell people the things that you think they ought to know about you.  Take some time. Put some thought into what you put here.  (This section can be edited regularly.  So, read it often.  Change it regularly, until you are really happy with it.)

Photos
A profile on LDS Singles.com can include (and should if you are serious about meeting people) a profile photo and a photo album.  A profile picture is one of the key elements in making your profile more appealing. The guidelines for posting a profile picture on LDSSingles.com are actually great in reference to what a profile photo ought to be.  Those guidelines are as follows (taken from the website itself): “must be of you (dare I say, DUH!? But there are people who for whatever reason ignore this rule)… dress must be modest (no bare chests or shoulders for males and no bare shoulders, bare midriffs, or low cut tops for females); no short shorts or dresses with hemlines or slits above the knee; photo must be close enough so all features are plainly visible (no masks or obstructions); no photos with members holding or brandishing firearms; photos must be current and unaltered.”  There are additional restrictions on file size, etc…  If you do not have a digital file of your photo, there is the option of mailing photos to the company to have them scanned and added to your profile at no charge.  Given the importance of having a photo on your profile, I say find a friend with a scanner or go to Kinko’s. You will be better served and the lag time will be lessened.

In addition to the picture you post (and you should, to make your profile much more search friendly), you can post pictures in a photo album.  A word of advice:  the profile picture that you post with LDSSingles.com does not enlarge when clicked on.  Therefore, I recommend that at minimum, you put the picture you used in your profile in your photo album. 

Interests
This is the section of the profile that gives the potential suitor more insight into your likes and dislikes; helping them and you understand if there is some common ground. You highlight your interest in 12 different areas such as:  Sports, Fitness, Books, TV, Movies, Music, Art, Home, Academics, Outdoors, Games, and Religion. (Is 12 just a LDS thing?)
 
The Interview
There is also an interview section of the profile that you fill out that asks questions you might be asked in an initial contact or on a first date: Favorite pet, favorite color, favorite holiday, favorite season, favorite TV show, movie etc…  This section also asks question like what is the bravest thing you’ve done; how many broken bones you’ve had and what you favorite calling is/was.  This is a good section from which to draw questions and comments when contacting a person for the first time.

NAVIGATING LDSSINGLES.COM

The Dashboard of your home page is what really makes LDS Singles Online (LDSSingles.com) simply easy and fun to navigate.  From your homepage (or from most anywhere on the site) you can quickly navigate to all the features of this site:

Searches
Who’s Online
Profile Views (The “Who’s Checked You Out” page)
Matches
Favorites
Events
 Articles
The Forum
Chat/IM
Messages

SEARCHING

The search tab on your homepage at LDSSingles.com is one of the most comprehensive search engines I’ve seen.  At LDSSingles.com you can perform 3 types of searches: a full search, a quick search and a quick pick.

The full search enables you search for singles within any distance from you by gender, age, height, general build, church attendance, temple worthiness and whether a returned missionary or not.  You can choose to include keywords in your search.  You can opt to be shown only the profiles of members who have recently been active. Want to see only newly created profiles? How about only seeing profiles with a photo/photo album?  Would you like to include or exclude profiles that you have hidden?  If this search is one that you perform often, you have the option of naming and saving this search for use later on.

The quick searches are divided into categories. The basic quick search lets you look for someone based on gender, age, keyword, and whether or not they have a picture. You can also search for someone who has the same interests as you (see “Interests” above), by username, by mission experience or name, by occupation.  The quick search option also lets you look through those members you have marked as favorites, those who have checked you out, those you have checked out, and those who have marked you as a favorite. 

The quick pick: “The Quick Pick Search brings you up to 4 new profiles each day that you might have missed otherwise.”  The criteria that you use for the quick pick settings are: age range, distance from you (including anywhere) and height.  These four “quick picks” will show up on your homepage and change daily.

FLIRTS

I have to mention the Flirt Section of LDS Singles Online.  (Well, I don’t have to, but I want to.) For the most part I think the flirts, quicknotes, sparks (whatever you want to call them: the simple ways of letting someone know there is some interest) of most all websites are cheesy and you really are better served taking the time to craft a well thought out email.  That being said, of all of the sites that I currently use and that I will review, the Flirt page on LDS Singles Online is by far the most creative, the most well thought out, the best designed and the most worth while to use; hands down..  For Guest Members these flirts are the only way you can contact other singles in whom you are interested while you are trying the site out.  However, if that person emails you back, all you are going to know it that you received an email you won’t be able to know who sent it or even read the email.  (So, if there is someone you really like, you are going to have to join.  Otherwise spend eternity flirting back and forth like two 18 year-olds at their first Institute Dance; “forever [flirting] but never coming to a knowledge of the [other’s name.]”)

EVENTS, ARTICLES AND FORUM

LDSSingles.com posts notification of singles events on your home.  These events include things like BBQ’s, Dances, Conferences and Cruises.  I have noticed that many of the events posted seem to be located in the mountain west; that may simply be reflective of the general population of the site or who is actively posting to the event board.

A variety of articles on subjects specific to single Latter-day Saints are available for viewing.  Some of the content is from members.  Additional material is contributed by outside authors who are well known authorities on the issues facing LDS singles.  All of these articles are well written and certainly worth the time to read them.

Can’t find what you need? Have a question that is bothering you?  Need to know something specific to dating or being LDS and Single?  Create your own forum topic.  Post your question and benefit from the wisdom and insight of your fellow Saints.  (Online Dating Tip: the forums are a great way to get to “know” someone without the “risk” of contacting them directly.)

PROFILE MATCHING

LDSSingles.com offers its members the opportunity to take the COMPASS® Personality Profile.   There are two separate, totally voluntary, series of questions.  The one profile is designed to help you assess your readiness for a relationship. (I took this one when I first joined; the results were enlightening to say the least.)  The other is the compatibility portion of the personality profile. After taking the COMPASS® Personality Profile, you can be matched and search for people who would be a good match for you based on your compatibility.

ANNOYANCES

There a several things that I really don’t like about LDS Singles.  Not the least of which is the fact that reading someone’s profile can be very difficult.  It has nothing to do with the writing of the member, but more to do with the fact that the site has decided to make it easy to find someone with similar interests by making links out of “keywords.”  And trying to read a profile with multiple random words made into links is enough to make one go cross-eyed and yearn for green jello with carrots and Kool-Aid without the sugar!

Another thing that really annoys me about LDS Singles Online has to do with the email notifications.  If you are like me, you can access your email from your cell phone.  When someone sends a message to your LDS Singles inbox, you receive a notification that you have a message.  The only problem is that they don’t tell you who your message is from, only that someone has sent you a message.  The notification for the flirts on the other hand tells you who the flirt is from.  I’m not a big fan of the flirts (I’ve mentioned that, right?).  However, if someone is going to go to the effort to craft a message there should be some recognition of the time spent.  I say tell me who sends a message and keep me guessing about flirts.  I am more likely to want to answer a message quickly (which would mean logging on to my account) than even to give attention to a flirt.  I also thought that the absence of information on the notifications was specific to guest members, but when I upgraded my membership, the annoyance continued.  I wasn’t overly pleased that my membership didn’t increase the information I received about who had sent me a message.

Along those same lines, perhaps it’s my exposure to social media, but it would sure be nice if when I’m reading/answering an email, there was a picture of the person to whom I’m writing.  I’m better at remembering faces than I am names and having to go back and look at the profile all the time bothers me a little bit.

Another bothersome issue with LDS Singles is the third party advertisements (sponsored links they call them) that are placed throughout the site.  I appreciate that by having those links, the site is able to offer memberships at a more reasonable price.  However, having the right column of the screen constantly enticing me with computer products, cell phone service, online safety services, television shows, anti-aging products, IQ Quizzes and sometimes even inviting me to visit another dating site gets on my nerves.  Honestly though, compared to other sites, the advertisement placement at LDS Singles Online is pretty benign.

 SIGNING UP

There are several subscription options to choose from.  You can choose to sign up on a month by month basis for $14.95 with a monthly renewal at the same price.  You can pre-pay 3 months in advance for $35.97 with a monthly renewal rate of $11.99.  You may also go for the gusto and pre-pay 6 months for $59.94 (a 33% savings from the monthly subscription) with a monthly renewal rate at the end of the 6 months of $9.99.

The payment options are somewhat limited.  You can either pay by credit card or by mail.  I think it would be nice if they also allow for a Pay-Pal option (I personally like the safety of that) or perhaps an online check option.  But those are more preferences than requirements.  (But if you happen to be from LDS Singles.com and reading this review…there is my $.02.)

Ready to try LDSSingles.com out for yourself?  Then, Click Here!

Remember:  We’re LDS! We’re single! And, we’re all in this together!

P.S. For a look at some of the other online dating sites suitable for LDS Singles read 7 Best Online Dating Sites for LDS Singles or check out my review of LDS Planet