Spark.com Review
With approximately 1 million members, Spark.com may not be the
largest online dating site - but it is surely one of the most
intriguing. Unlike most of its competitors, Spark.com requires all
of its members (both paid and free subscribers) to upload at least
one photo within 72 hours of registration. The resulting high
percentage of member photos significantly increases your chances of
finding a match with whom you are both mentally and physically
compatible.
How Spark.com Works
Spark.com offers a dizzying array of search features which can
be simultaneously exciting and slightly overwhelming. With
different tabs that relate to different aspects of a potential
match's personality, you won't be bogged down with all of the
information on one page. The downside is that many profiles are
incomplete, which can leave you feeling unsure about whether to
contact someone that caught your eye. You search based on
geographic location, keyword, who is online now, who has already
contacted you, which members are the most active, and by
personality assessment.
Spark.com's
search result layout
Once you have started to be in touch with other members, it is
helpful to that Spark.com's mailbox is extremely organized and easy
to follow. It can be particularly helpful to see at a glance which
type of correspondences you received.
Spark.com's mailbox
Like other online dating sites such as Chemistry.com and PerfectMatch, Spark.com
offers a comprehensive personality assessment. However, unlike most
other personality-based online dating services, Spark.com's
personality assessment doesn't play a pivotal role in the search
process. Instead, only a brief note is given about the personality
and qualities of your potential match. Nevertheless, the site's
personality assessment is rather relevant and can help you learn
more about yourself and what type of personality match may be best
for you.
Spark.com's personality assessment
Finally, Spark.com offers convenient ways to contact (and be
contacted by) other members. Unlike Lavalife which has a silent chat
feature, Spark.com has a delicate ping every time you are chatted
by another member, so that you don't miss a chat from someone who
may be the match you've been waiting for.
Registration
Spark.com's registration process is quite unique as compared
with other online dating sites. The initial process, which is the
Personality Test, takes about half an hour, which is comparable to
the registration of other dating sites including Match.com. The questions, however,
are of an entirely distinct genre. Each question is multiple choice
and is based upon your perception of your life when you were a
child. The questions seem somewhat random, though they are broken
down into several pages.
A sample page from Spark.com's personality
assessment
Upon completion of the Personality Test your profile will be
open and you will be able to contact and be contacted by other
members. You will also have the ability to supplement your initial
profile by providing information about your current-day lifestyle
and partner preferences. However, once you have been admitted to
the site, it is easy to get distracted by all of the match
possibilities, and many members fail to complete their profiles. If
you do invest the time in creating a full profile, it should take
about another 30-45 minutes.
Whereas most other online dating sites encourage you to add a
photo, Spark.com requires you to add a photo to your profile with
72 hours of creating an account. Of course, you may also add your
photo as part of the registration process.
Customer Support
Spark.com offers customer support by email and phone, which is a
rarity in the world of online dating. They promise to answer all
emails within 1 business day.
My
email to Spark.com
In addition, Spark.com has a relatively thorough help center,
which is hidden at the bottom of the site, and is called Help &
Advice. Once you identify this as the technical help center (and
not as a dating advice section), you can likely find the answer to
your question quickly and easily.
Compare Spark.com's customer support to
other online dating sites >>
Summary
Positive Features
- Every member has a profile picture
- Ability to send profiles to friends
- Easy to use communication features
Negative Features
- Many member profiles are incomplete
- The personality assessment plays only a minor role in helping
find a suitable partner
- Flashing advertisements are rather distracting
- Cannot search for partners based on specific details (pet
preferences, appearance, religion, etc).