Spark.com Review

The Spark Network of dating sites has a significant presence in online dating today. This network offers dating portals for a wide spectrum of users ranging from those simply interested in casual dating to those looking for serious relationships. Moreover they are also known for owning a large variety of niche dating sites catering to users from specific cultures, religions, age groups, careers and so on. Spark.com is a relatively new offering from the network and within a short time it has made its presence felt in the world of online dating.

Billed as 'a fun site for serious daters' Spark.com is directed to the young “on-the-move” community of singles who like to keep up with the latest that the World Wide Web has to offer. Anyone above eighteen is free to join the site provided he/she is single and actually interested in making connections with others. The kinds of relationship offered on Sparks.com are quite varied ranging from easy companionship to casual dating, romance and even long term commitment like marriage. Users from United States and Canada seem the primary target of this site even though anyone from a long list of international location is welcome to join. However the site encourages only straight relationships and also prohibits any adult content.

Signing up with Sparks.com is free and is quite easy. At the outset you need to enter basic personal details like your age, gender, geographical location and email in order to get registered with the site. Once you confirm your username and password, you can log into the site and go ahead with creating your profile as well as posting photos which are necessary to come up with the right matches.

One of the most significant aspects about Spark.com is the importance given to the process of creating a dating profile. This not only includes basic information on your physical appearance like body type, height, hair and eye color but also details about your background and lifestyle like your religion, ethnicity, educational level, occupation, marital status and your take on having a family. Then there are short essays which will help other members know you better as a person, know more about your values and aspirations in life as well as the kind of person you are looking for. Apart from these you may also be required to answer questions like what is your idea of a first date, what have you learned from your past relationships, how important is physical appearance to you in a relationship and the like. A fun aspect of this profile creation covers your interests like your favorite band, movie actors, favorite cuisine and so on.

 
Yet another important aspect of creating a profile at Spark.com is uploading of member photos. Every member at the site is required to accompany their profile with at least one photo within 72 hours of signing up. This goes a long way in encouraging complete profiles on the site which in turn leads to a more satisfactory dating experience for its members.

Finally all new members at Spark.com are required to take the Color Code Personality test. This test evaluates a member’s response to several multiple choice-type questions and compiles the answers to come up with a personality type which is coded as a color. The first thirty questions ask you to pick from a set of four attributes that describe you best; for instance one question may ask you to choose from ‘proactive’, ‘nurturing’, ‘objective’ or ‘insightful’. The next fifteen questions have more to do with detailing your attitude in a specific situation; for example one question may state, “In social situations, I was most often…” and you can have to pick from ‘followed because I am assertive and on task’, ‘admired because I am caring and quality based’ and other similar options. The whole idea behind this personality test is to make you aware of your own traits and consequently help you to choose a match you are going to be most compatible with since all profiles will appear color coded on viewings and search results.

All these features are ample evidence that the site is serious about promoting meaningful connections among its users. When users fill up detailed dating profiles, compulsorily upload photos, and undertake color code personality profiling, the quality of profiles on the site is bound to be high which is ultimately good news for all members keen to find the partner of their dreams.

Apart from the above special features, Spark.com has an ample range of viewing, browsing and communication options. All members are free to view profiles, photos, message boards and even see who has viewed them. Apart from this free members too are allowed to read and respond to messages which may have been sent to them by paid members. This is an advantage that sets Spark.com apart from other dating sites which most often restrict reading messages only to paid members.
There are searching options galore at Spark.com. You can look for matches either by basic categories like age, gender, photos and distance from your location or use advanced searches to find someone on the basis of username, any specific part of the profile like marital status, occupation and education, new or recently updated profiles and anyone who is online. An interesting aspect of the searching function is that you can browse for matches on the basis of past activities like matches whom you have viewed and who have viewed you or those you have mailed and those who have mailed you.

Finally there are other features at Spark.com like message boards and forums which bring about an interactive experience for members and raise their interest levels in the site.

Basic membership at Spark.com is free which you can avail as soon as you register with the site. Paid membership also known as Premium Membership starts at $19.99 a month with options for quarterly and half-yearly billings. In exchange for an additional sum, you can subscribe to certain add-on facilities like Spotlight and Standout which increase your profile’s visibility on the site.

Spark.com was launched in 2009 by reorganizing two popular North American dating sites – Americansingles.com and date.ca. Today Sparks.com has garnered enormous popularity and poses a serious competition to giants of the online dating world like Match.com and eHarmony.com.