With hundreds of online dating services, narrowing the choice down can be a difficult task. The important thing is to always read the Privacy Policy, About Us page, and the FAQ page. Each of these will give you a good look into the philosophy of that service, helping make the decision easier.

The information provided below is reputable and the sites have worked hard to make each member's experience a positive one. Although there are hundreds of other options, these are considered the top choices, being great sites for bringing people together, whether as new friends, or in a romantic aspect.

One of the most popular dating services is Okcupid.com. It is free and easy to use. It was also rated the #1 dating site by About.com.

Getting yourself prepared for the online dating experience is truly your first step to meeting someone special and making your experience a positive one. Start by making an honest list of what you expect, what you want and do not want, and most importantly, you need to be 100% honest with yourself. For everything to come together the way you want, you will discover that there are several factors to consider:

* Remember that magazines and advertisements for online dating services will often glamorize the process. If you notice, all the men and women look perfect. However, while there will be beautiful people on the dating websites, most people are your typical day-in, day-out person. These people are just like you, working hard at their job, taking care of family, and all the things you do. Therefore, while you can certainly have expectations, make sure they are not so high that they are unattainable.

* As you begin your search, you will probably be taken back by the hundreds of profiles and photos to browse. Keep in mind that although dating should be fun and adventurous, it is also serious business. It would be easy to simply look at the photo and not even read the profile or just scan the profile but if you are going to do this right, you need to take your time and really read what the other person wrote. In most cases, you will find out very interesting facts, good or bad, that can be used to make a decision whether to communicate with this person or not.

When meeting someone through an online dating service, good communication is imperative. Chances are that you will meet several people from around the world, many with different cultures and beliefs. Therefore, the last thing you want to do is say something that would come off as offensive although it was meant in fun. Additionally, since you will start by typing messages to each other, it is important that your words make an impression. The following communication tips will help you have a more enjoyable time, safer meeting, and better success with your online dating experience:

* Meeting Online - Most internet dating services offer a number of ways for you to communicate. You initially start with a simple e-mail saying, "Hi" and telling the person that you read his or her profile and were interested in learning more about him/her. Just make sure you did read the profile and have something specific mentioned in the message that they know you did. For example, if you are a woman and you found the profile of a man that intrigued you because he owned Labrador dogs just like you, you could say something like, "Hi. My name is Mary and I noticed in your profile that you own Labrador dogs. I do too!" From there, give a brief description of your dog, mention that you would enjoy hearing back, and sign off.

Intuition - Always trust your internal red flag system, no matter how charming or handsome/beautiful a person may be. If you choose to respond to a message and those messages become too assertive or personal, you are not required to keep communicating. In addition, you are not required to explain why you are NOT communicating, which is one beauty of online dating. Secondly, if you receive an initial message that makes you feel uncomfortable, you simply do not answer.