Features

ChristianCafe.com now allows members to recommend a profile you find to either other ChristianCafe.com members or a non member friend through email. A great idea, especially for friends using the same dating site. There is great fun to be had in pointing out the really great (or really bad!) profiles to friends so you can talk about them later. The only thing I would have added to this feature is the ability to include a quick note with the profile explaining to the person you are sending it too, why you are doing it or what stuck out about this particular profile.

Date.com has just released their first version of a dating toolbar. This interactive toolbar lets Date.com members find dates whenever they are connected to the internet. It allows singles to appear online at Date.com even when they are visiting other websites. When a member on Date.com attempts to contact you, your Toolbar will let you know right away. Features of the Date.com Toolbar includes:

• Receive emails and Interest Alerts.
• Send and receive instant messages.
• Direct access to online chatting.
• Search profiles.
• Favorites list access.
• Statistics on members online and the number of times your profile has been viewed.
• Advice and news headlines from Date.info
• Searching the web, provided by Yahoo.

Creating a toolbar for a dating service is an excellent idea. It allows members to be accessed instantly even when they are not actively using the site at the moment. This increases there chance of meeting someone new. Most singles when they use a dating service are probably online only an hour or two at any one time. They then are off doing other things on the computer like emailing friends and family or just surfing websites. Now this "other" internet time and not just when they have logged into Date.com can be used to be alerted to requests for instant messaging, etc.

Date.com's Toolbar is available to both free and paid members of Date.com. For more information about this dating service, read our review of Date.com.

Looks like the weekend I reviewed ChristianCafe.com they had updated their Instant Messaging software.

I never used ChristianCafe.com old 'Quick Messaging' system, but their new one works well and also adds audio and video support for paying members. Reading there blog, it looks like there have been several updates over the last month to the dating service, which is good news for the Cafe's members.

About.com noticed that Lavalife offers a free Profile Doctor service to all of it's members. Once you are logged into Lavalife, click on the link for LavaLifes Magazine, Click. Once you are viewing the magazine you now then can go to the Profile Doctor signup page in the left hand column. The profile doctor will help you improve your headline and the "In My Own Words" descriptions by giving you pointers and informative comments on each section of your LavaLife profile.

Login to Lavalife to try out Profile Doctor or read our Lavalife review for more information.

According to this article on BrandWeek True.com has caught over 25,000 sex offenders and felons who have tried to registered. I've always wondered how many people their system has caught. I was never able to find a number about this on True's web site. I've always liked this feature of True and it is a first good step in having a safer online dating environment. I am surprised that the other major dating services have never offered something similar.

Read more about True on our review.

Here's an interesting twist from eHarmony,

eHarmony Marriage

This online service is almost a year old and is designed to help couples achieve stronger, healthier and happier marriages. It is built around the idea of marriage wellness, every marriage needs a small amount of ongoing care to thrive and grow. Underscoring its commitment to building happy and lasting relationships, this marriage wellness service helps marriages flourish by empowering couples with the knowledge and tools to build a deepened sense of understanding, appreciation and connectedness.

There are a couple of programs to choose from. The first one called Couple Marriage Profile offers a customized marriage report based on a questionnaire you fill out as well as a positive, non critical assessment on how to improve your marriage. The second program called Couple Marriage Complete offers more, such as a guide book and online videos. There is a free trial and eHarmony does offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you don't see any improvements.

I haven't tried these programs so I can't personally recommend them but eHarmony has helped countless singles in the online world so I am sure they are on the right track with eHarmony Marriage. You can get more information on this service at eHarmony Marriage. For more information on eHarmony Dating see are eHarmony Review.