The best free dating sites are the ones that offer the most features. When the idea was first introduced, chatting was the main feature. You can still chat, but today’s advanced sites offer much more.

The main attraction today is the profiles. You can browse through the profiles, look at pictures and read about the user’s interests. Uploading a photo is easier than choosing the right shot.

You should have the ability to upload an image to your profile and then share additional photos as you are getting to know someone. There should be no charge for any of that.

Browsing the profiles lets you get to know a little bit about a person before you contact them. Just make sure that the site or sites you choose to use protect your personal information. The company should promise to protect your personal information and never sell your name to another organization.

The better sites include instant messaging services. You can send and receive an unlimited number of messages at no charge to you.

The discussion forums are another feature you can use to meet people or get to know more about them. Discussion forums cover a variety of topics. They are fun and interesting.

Matchmaking is another feature included in some of the best free dating and personals websites. The degree of matchmaking varies. Most sites use your city and state to help match you with other people.

You might be wondering what the pay sites offer, when there is so much you can do without using your credit card. Well, they do have some additional features.  For example, if you pay a monthly subscription fee, you can include a video in your profile. You might have more to say than you can include in the standard no-pay profile.

The matchmaking offered by free dating and personals websites is limited. Some of the big companies use matchmaking questions and answers to make suggestions.

The more information used in the matchmaking criteria, the more likely you are to get results that are real matches. While the area you live in is a major consideration, there are lots of other things to consider. Your religion is an example.

My recommendation is always to start with the no charge sites. Wait and see what turns up. If you are disappointed, you can always sign up with one of the pay sites later.

The best free dating sites can help you meet new people. No matter where you live, meeting people without the internet can be tough.

About The Author

As a well-known Internet dating safety advocate, Sarah T. Connor is also a successful dating advice guru and the publisher of Free-Datehookup.com, a 100% free online dating and matching service for singles who are looking for that special someone. Sarah Connor has a B.S. Degree from the University of Maryland.