Reviews of Yahoo! Personals

I could not have asked for a better ending nor could I have written one. I went into Yahoo Personals with the intention of no longer needing Yahoo Personals and it happened. If you are honest, persistent, and true to yourself, it can happen. Internet dating offers you a venue to meet someone you would have had no other way to meet. Yahoo gave me a way to find the exact woman I was looking for and I am forever grateful.

Yahoo Personals was the easiest website to get around on, understand, etc. I was very skeptical at trying online dating, but finally figured I didn't have a lot to lose. I met some great people to talk to and become friends with. Unfortunately there are some very rude people online that give it a bad name and use online dating as a way of being inconsiderate and rude, but I think all in all the good people outweight the bad people. I think online dating is a great tool as long as it is used with caution and the right way. I went out several times, had a really good time, but it was just never the right person it seemed until I was ready to take my profile off. Then I met "Mr. Right" and its been the fairy tale ever since. We met in person about a week or 2 after emails and phone calls, and have been practically inseparable ever since. In fact we are now engaged and planning a wedding this April 2007.

Yahoo! was wonderful! It was so easy to navigate and view profile. I was apprenhsive at first but figured I'd give it a shot. Fate was with me b/c I met a wonderful man that I am sure I have a future with! :)

The only reason I went on is to look around, nothing else. I contacted a few and received very little in return. THen, a few contacted me, I replied, and reived very little in return again. This is the way life is, though. Everyone you are attracted to isn't going to be attracted to you. You look around and make yourself available, that's all. I received a surprise contact on Yahoo Messenger one day while chatting with someone else. I finished my business and got back to her. She had seen me on Yahoo Personals and had some questions. I figure women have more reason to be cautious than men, so I answered and we carried on for a bit. We began emailing each other, exchanged phots of family, homes, etc. It was like instant click! There was no prompting on the other side like, "do you like this", it was all "this is who I am what do you think?". No guarantees in anyhting, y'know, but this definately has a flavor I have never felt before. She is willing to fly to meet me, so anyhting can happen. I've tried many sites and my "meeting" experiences have been pleasant ones, some longer than others. The web puts you out there infront of the whole world. Take advantage of it!

I joined Yahoo Personals in Nov 2005. I signed up for a whole year thinking it would take me at least that long to meet someone. I was just getting out of a bad relationship, and had stated in my profile that I wasn't looking for a husband, just someone to enjoy my time with. I never sent emails to men. It's not because I'm old fashioned and think the guy should approach the girl...that's stupid. I just felt that with the situation I was in (with the breakup) that I shouldn't be actively "looking", but if someone emailed me I'd see where it went. I got a dozen or so emails in the next month, and responded to everyone who emailed me. Some of them I thanked for the interest, but wasn't interested in persuing it any further. I felt liberated! No longer did I have to say yes to a date when I really wasn't interested because I might have to see that person again. With online dating I could say no without having to feel terrible. I wished those men luck, and told them I hoped they found what they were looking for. The men I did want to respond to I would talk just through the Yahoo site, but didn't feel like I had enough of a connection with any of them to talk on the phone. I got an email December 12, 2005 from a man named John. His email was generic,as most first emails are, stating his name and that he thought our personalities were a good match. I emailed back with (again) a generic email stating what I did for a living and what I wanted in someone. We emailed back and forth for about 3 weeks, then both decided we felt confident enough to start talking via phone. After the New Year we decided to meet, Jan 3, 2006. Our first date was amazing! I was so nervous because I really liked him, and worried that once we met face to face that the spark we both felt wouldn't be there for either one of us...or worse...just one of us. But it was great, and now it's over a year later and everything is still wonderful. December 23, 2006 John asked me to be his wife. I never would have thought I'd meet my husband on the internet. I thought I was going on here to meet someone to kill time with, instead I met the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I read through some of the posts before I wrote my own, and I do have some things to say. In terms of the "fake" posts...who cares. Get on there, sign up for a month and see what happens. If you don't like it, don't complain that Yahoo Personals "failed" you. It just wasn't for you. Heck I was aggitated I signed up for a year and didn't use it after the 2nd month!! Stop whining that you can't find someone. There is so much pressure to find "The One" these days that people consume their whole lives with it. If you are happy being alone, which I was when I started on Yahoo, then someone will be happy to be alone with you. I have some advice for the people reading this who want to try the sites. First, decide what you want and be selective. This goes for guys AND girls. If you respond to every single person who emails you, your bound to find a bonehead or two (or fifty). Respond/Email people who you think really fit what YOU want. Second, don't write one paragragh responses to people when they email you, or when you email them. The people who I responded to who then wrote back...So....how have you been? I wanted to throw up. Tell people about yourself and be honest. Don't be afraid to tell them something they won't like. Don't change for people...if they don't want to talk to you, so what! Their loss. I was still living with my ex at the time I was edating, and I told this to every guy who emailed me. If they didn't like it (and there were alot who didn't)...Oh well what was I gonna do. But the one I'm marrying didn't mind. Third, pic up a picture! If a guy sent me an email without a pic I would A) think he was a scam B) think there was something terribly wrong with him that he couldn't put up a pic and/or C) think he had such low self esteem and wasn't happy with himself (and I didn't want to meet that person anyway.) Be proud of who you are! Even if you are a beast there is someone who may love that! Last, don't think Yahoo Personals is going to solve your love problems. I hate those commercials that show tons of happy couples who fell in love online. They make it look so easy, but online dating is just as difficult as regular dating. It's awkward and uncomfortable and yes (GASP) someone might not like you. If you go into it thinking that this is just a way of expanding your search, you'll be fine. It worked for me...and I still can't believe it.

I've been on and off Yahoo personals several times. In the past, I was always able to meet people. It seemed like people (some, at least) would respond. Now, no one responds. I mean it. I've sent about 20 emails and gotten NOTHING. I have gotten emails from men who are NOTHING like what I want. I mean, they are so completely opposite of what my preferences are set for. I have never gotten an email from someone even close to my age range.

I don't think the website is a scam, but I do NOT understand what the deal is. Why would someone sign up and then not respond. I know some of them don't pay, but then why the hell are they looking at the site?? I only write to people who are active within 3 days, and generally only within 24 hours.

If men outnumber women 3 to 1 on these sites, what is going on?

Now, you might think that there is something "wrong" with me. But... I would have to say no, in all honesty.

I'm 5'4, 128 pounds (look like 115, though... size 4). I'm really cute. And I'm not just saying that. I'm also an attorney. I live alone, never been married, no kids.

So... yeah... I'm a decent catch. At least decent enough for someone to respond to, you would think.

So... honestly... I don't really have much good to say about this site. Or about Match.com. It's the same problem.

In response to the poster that said they had to post a positive review because of the allegations of posters relating to the recent rash of good posts, something has definitely changed here. 17 of the last 20 posts are 4 star or better(almost all are 5 star.) There has been a recent rash of posts. 7 of 10 of the 21~30 group are 1 star ratings. From the 2 star avg. on this site you must guess most people rated it low. Am I to believe that YP has suddenly had a huge improvement in customer satisfaction? I don't think so. Go to their site and try to find a way to complain or make a suggestion. Good luck finding that. I am not a member now, but I still visit the site sometimes. They have changed the profile layout and that is a little better, but they don't appear to have recruited anymore females. The site is never going to be effective until they balance the numbers of men vs. women. Why don't they post those stastics? They also need to kick all the inactive profiles and closely watch for scammers. I had a woman from Russia contact me on their site and try to scam me. BTW, what is with the 14 paragraph post? Trying to push me to the bottom of the page? lol

I read through some of these posts and decided to write, especially when there were comments questioning the authenticity of the postings.

I became a member of the Yahoo Personals site back in August 2005. I was hesitant to put a picture up, and in fact, never did. The drawback to that is that I NEVER received even one inquiry letter. (Which is to be expected, I suppose. The old adage "a picture is worth a thousands words" is really true in the on-line world.)

I DID write several letters and sent them off with a promise of a picture sent separately. My experiences were interesting. I didn't receive a reply from most of the men. I corresponded with a couple of persons for a few weeks and eventually moved up to phone calls. I had a date with one of them who lived 4 hours from my home. We met half-way and had a really nice date, but the "chemistry" wasn't there for him (regarding me) and that cooled pretty quickly.

The "Icebreaker" feature was annoying. I understand the premise of a quick way to flirt and possibly connect, but it's also used by those who aren't members yet. Therefore, someone might send an Icebreaker, "I like your profile!" and then the communication stops because they have no way to correspond.

Fast forward a few months.

On January 19 (2006), I was sitting at the computer in the hotel lobby where I was staying while on a business trip and browsed Yahoo Personals yet again. I changed the search paramaters a bit to be a little more detailed about what I was looking for. A personal relationship with God was important, as well as a good sense of humor, interest in lots of outdoor activities, etc.

Having over 1,000 guys who "matched" my search criteria was daunting, but exciting- almost a "man smorgasbord" as I told one of my friends later.

One of the profilees caught my eye, not only because he was cute (yes, HE had a picture!) :) and wrote well, but because there was also a commitment to "write a reply to anyone who sends a note." Based on that promise, it was easy to craft a (somewhat):) witty flirtatious missive and I eagerly waited the promised message.

Two days later, I received a long, funny, intelligent and informative (wow!) letter in my mailbox. A flurry of notes and a few hours-long phone calls later, and Jim arrived in my little rural town after traveling 7 hours away from his urban dwelling.

It's a year later. We got engaged in August, married in a wonderful intimate ceremony at a B&B in Maine, honeymooned on the East Coast, and are now getting settled into our life between two states, two jobs, three teenagers, four properties (and a partridge in a pear tree.) :)

Jim travels to my town every other Friday, doing business on his cell phone as he drives, then spends a week with me. On the following Friday, he travels back to his (other) home in Chicago, where he spends the week with his two children. Every couple of months or so, I travel to see him and the arrangements is reversed.

The relationship is loving, fun, exciting, fulfilling and lots of work. :)People are amazed that we are so compatible and always want to know how we met.

Jim agrees that it seems to be a bit more difficult for men. He has said that it was rare to ever get an unsolicited letter from a female, and didn't get many replies when HE would send a note.

Yahoo Personals has many positive features- a good profile area, space for lots of pictures, excellent search parameters (including distance and interests), good tech support and is relatively inexpensive.

Take a chance! There's really nothing to lose.

An interesting note: In his profile, I didn't "fit" Jim's requirements in height (I was 3 inches taller than he "wanted"); distance (I was 350 miles further than his preference as he had never envisioned a long distance relationship); body type (I'm not "slender") and probably several others. I wrote anyway. Being a bit open minded on both of our sides at the onset was key to our meeting.

Jamie

About 3 years after my husband of 34 yrs died my friends said you need to get out - men just won't come knock on your door. But I was busy with work, family and friends and time just went by. One day I tried an expensive on line matching that gave you what they thought matched your harmony. After three months of not being pleased enough with any of their selections to meet them; a friend said try Yahoo. Well this was much better I got to see pictures read their bio's and choose for myself who I wanted to respond to. This was much better and a fraction of the cost and of my time.

I did go out with a few turkeys and a few that thought I was the turkey, I also found some that although we are not matched we have remained friends. Then in Oct 2005 I saw a picture of Greg and thought hmmmm- not bad, not bad at all. I e-mailed him and we met the next week and we were very comfortable right from the beginning; we got engaged in May 2006 and married in Oct 2006. I never knew I could be so happy. We tease about who found who first because although I had e-mailed him first he had saved my profile two months before that. I wasn't looking for a husband just someone to do things with; well I hit the jack-pot - there are kind, loving, wonderful mates out there and I really have to thank YAHOO PERSONALS - for sending Greg's picture on my weekly 'here are your latest matches'.

Do not get discouraged - I will give everyone the same advice my Son gave me - "Mom just go out and have fun - do you know how many first dates I had?" (I said I don't need to know that)

When I followed his advice and was just myself and went out to have a good time - I found the person that liked me for myself.

Thank you again Yahoo - I tell everyone that is out looking to try Yahoo Personals!!!!

I signed up for Yahoo personals in early 2005 after being out of a disasterous relationship for a few months. I was a little hesitant, but due to my geographical location, I figured I wasn't going to meet someone any other way. In March, I contacted a man who had an interesting profile. We emailed and talked on the telephone for a few weeks. We met on April 16, 2005 and have been together ever since. I always thought love at first sight was a bunch of hogwash, but now I think differently. We were married a few weeks ago. We lived about 140 miles apart and probably would never have found each other if it weren't for Yahoo Personals.