Match

Recipient
Match.com

After careful review, we have determined that Match.com is the winner of the Editor's Top Pick - Over All Award. This is the third year in a row for Match.com to win this Award.

A large part of the criteria for this Award is how popular the dating site is. Singles like using Match.com, and this is reflected in the dating sites membership numbers. In 2009, the United States and the world faced a recession that was the worse financially since the great depression, and yet Match.com was still able to grow their membership base by almost 5 percent. Match.com also continued to grow their brand awareness in 2009 by partnering with other websites like eBay, MSN and The Naked Chef's.

Mobile Dating got a big boost this year, thanks to Match.com. This dating site released online dating applications for 3 different types of cell phones. This includes the Palm Pixi, the Palm Pre and the iPhone. With these devices and your cell's internet connection a user can search for members, check out profiles and send messages. The great thing about these Apps is that they are usable. The user interface is clean and well designed and the App contains most features found on their website (plus, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to send someone a message). You don't even really need to use the website anymore, if you are comfortable with your phone. Match.com also added a feature to the Apps not found on their website, location based dating that uses the phone's built in GPS. With this feature enabled, members now can find other members who are currently near their location.

Since Match.com launch in 1995 they have continued to grow and lead the dating industry. With their well designed and easy to use dating service, they continue to be the number one pick for people looking to find love online.

Read our review of Match.com for more information about this online dating service or visit Match.com directly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: eHarmony.

First came the Match.com App for the iPhone (see Story), and then the dating app for the Palm Pre (see Story). Now Match.com has released an application for the Palm Pixi. This phone is available now on the Sprint network.

This new Match application is designed for users in the United States and Canada. It allows Match.com members to search for matches, send winks, and email. You can also find other members by using the built in location based capabilities of the Palm Pixi. With the application you can also edit your profile and headline text.

The App is currently in Beta and can be downloaded from the Pixi's App Catalog. For more information you can visit this Match.com Palm Pixi page or read the press release.

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

Since I first tried online dating over seven years ago, the sites have gotten a lot more sophisticated. There’s so much functionality and service built-in on the more popular sites that you can’t help it but to be impressed by the concierge-type service you receive.

I really enjoy Match.com’s Daily 5 concept. Each day when you log in for the first time, they’ve got 5 brand-new matches ready and waiting for you in your Connections. While they won’t always tickle your fancy, it’s great that they make the searching easier by bringing potential matches to you.

It seems that I get anywhere from five to ten new “you’ve caught his attention” notifications from Match each day. This is where you click “I’m Interested” on a particular profile in your Daily 5. But I’m telling ya: that doesn’t do me any good. It’s great that you’re interested, but it doesn’t tell me anything about YOU. So here are a few tips to make you Daily 5 on Match.com work better for you (and the people you express an interest in!).

The online personals site, Match.com has recently partnered with eBay Australia. So from now on, when you click on the dating menu item at eBay's Australian website you will be directed to Match.com's Australian dating service. eBay AU has about 8 million members and Match.com wanted to tap into this pool of internet users.

To visit eBay Dating, see this page and for more information on the dating site and how it works, read our Match.com review.

Match.com has recently partnered with Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef. The Jamie Oliver website receives over 1.4 million visitors, with an equal gender split and, with almost 70 percent being 35 years or older. This is the ideal target market for a dating site like Match.com. The Jamie Oliver dating page even has hot dinner dating tips with several ideas for making everything from the starter to the dessert, so you can impress your date. You can even win a dinner for two at Jamie's Italian restaurant (United Kingdom residents only).

The new service can be found here and targets the food lovers among the dating community. For more information on Match.com in the United Kingdom, you can read our review.

An east coast class action suit against Match.com has been moved to Dallas, where the company's head office is located. We have talked about this case before when it was just Sean McGinn suing Match.com, but I hadn't realize it had become a class action suit (see Story). One of the things the suit alleges is that the "vast majority of Match.com members are cancelled subscribers, or have never subscribed at all”. This leaves members feeling rejected after using the dating site, because only paid members can reply to their messages. The suit seeks to stop the company from engaging in these "deceptive practices".

As for the reason why the suit was moved, here is the direct quote:

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled that the case should be be tried in Dallas rather than New York because of a “forum selection clause” in the user agreement that Match.com members agree to when they sign up for the service. That forum selection clause specified said if a dispute arose, such case would be tried in Dallas or Collin County, court records say.

Match.com has said in a previous statement that the suit is without merit and that they will defend their position.

For more on the story, read Dallas Business Journal.