Design

The Canadian owned dating site, Lavalife received a makeover of their homepage and front end of their website recently. As long as I can remember Lavalife has always had a homepage that was predominantly red (see right image). Now a light blue and grey is used, as shown in our new updated image on the left. Once you log in though, you will find that the members area has remained the same, with the familiar red in the background.

Another surprising change to Lavalife's homepage, is the standard image of a couple having fun is nowhere to be found. This is a staple for most popular dating services. You just get a basic Join for Free and Login panels for visitors on the new homepage. The Lavalife name and logo doesn't even really standout. I am not sure if this simplistic approach works, as image wise it doesn't show what Lavalife as a service offers. As matter of fact the word Dating is only mentioned once in small letters, in a link for a directory at the bottom of the home page. They mention finding singles, but not really what for. Obviously most people visiting this page would know, but I think Lavalife should of mentioned they are a dating site, since their company name doesn't suggest online dating either. Plus, what do most people type into a search engine when they are searching for a dating site, I would think the term dating site or something similar! If these words are not on the homepage, Google and other search engines are not going to return it in their search results.

I really like the dating site, Lavalife and what they offer singles but, I do think they made a number of mistakes in the redesign of their homepage. They have other landing pages which are more traditional and contain more information, but it is was mistake not to include more information on their homepage.

On a somewhat related note, last year I looked at other dating sites and their use of blue (see Story).

For more information on this dating site, read our Lavalife.com review.

JDate.com received a complete site makeover this month that includes both the front end of the site and the members area. The new look of the homepage (on the left) gives a more modern and professional feel than the previous version of the site (right). Other updates include redesigned profiles and searching. You now can now search by keywords or a phrase. This allows you more control over who is returned in search results since you can now search the entire profile, including any text inputted by the JDate member. Search results also have been updated to include a new mini search view which is available while you are viewing a potential matches profile. Enhanced search filtering of results is also available for the quick search tool.

Two other new features include a blog and video show. JBlog is a new web blog for members which JDaters can contribute too, discussing their lives and dates. A certified therapist will also blog her advice, analysis and answer any questions from the community. JDateTV is a weekly produced online video that follows "eight JDaters on their journeys to find their soul mates". The first season is now online in its entirety and available for viewing.

You can find the JBlog here and the new JDateTV here.

For more information on this dating site for Jewish singles, read our JDate.com review.

The Unofficial eHarmony Blog let us know with a post that eHarmony has updated their interface based on feedback from users. There are now 3 tabs which organize your eHarmony matches. The New tab shows all new matches. The Communicating tab shows all matches you currently communicating with or have requested communication and the Closed tab shows all matches you have closed or have been closed by the match. A search field also has been added to find your matches easily, with a built in auto complete. Communication also has been streamed lined to make things faster and simpler to use.

For more information on this popular matchmaking service, read our eHarmony review.

It seems like a fair number of the major dating services have been updating there services recently. The latest dating site to do this is, Lavalife. Along with new features, Lavalife has also received a facelift. Though not a major interface overhaul, Lavalife did make their site cleaner looking and easier to navigate.

The major new features which Lavalife added include:

• While you are Instant Messaging with a single, it is now easier to view profile information on the person. This was complained about before and I am glad Lavalife listen to their members.
• The photo gallery now allows you to share up to 30 photos with the ability to assign the pictures to one or more of Lavalife's 3 communities (dating, relationship and intimate encounters).
• Members are now also allowed to upload high quality videos (up to 6).

According to Hitwise (Oct. 2007) Lavalife is the top Canadian dating site and is one of the top ten worldwide. You can read our Lavalife Review and user submitted reviews or go directly too Lavalife.com for more information on this dating service.