The Soulmatch Review

ChristianDatesOnline.com was created as a resource for Christian singles looking for Christian dating services online. We sign-up for every dating service listed on this site, review it and report what we find.

Summary: A quick look at what we liked best

	Sign-up kept us interested with intriguing and unexpected questions
	Soulmatch offers a fresh approach to Christian dating (See details below)
	Nice, clean, well-designed user interface - Did have a little trouble with the pages loading in Firefox

Detail: The Soulmatch Sign-up Details

Below you'll find a complete description of our experience signing-up for the Soulmatch dating service. But first, an overview of Beliefnet's Soulmatch dating service.

Service Overview

Soulmatch comes at online dating from different direction than eHarmony and match.com, two of the industry leaders. Like its competitors, Soulmatch has extensive questionnaires that do a good job narrowing you into a segmented population. Their angle, however, is that they base their matching criteria on spiritual chemistry, a philosophy that focuses on a person's characters and beliefs as opposed to the competition's tendency to favor physical attributes.

Soulmatch places particular emphasis on shared values, spiritual orientation, optimism, tolerance and appreciation for others' beliefs. Instead of relying completely on scientific algorithms (like eHarmony), Soulmatch lets the user do most of the work finding good matches. Don't get me wrong, they do a great job of showing you the most compatible matches, but because they're less stringent on matching criteria, you're open to more possibilities.

The last thing I'll mention before I get into the sign-up is the Soulmatch Values Code. This is perhaps the most compelling reason why Soulmatch is such an appropriate option for Christians. It's an extensive Values Code, feel free to check it out on their site, but basically it's an agreement between you and Soulmatch. You agree to be honest and genuine and to treat everyone with respect. In return, Soulmatch will do the best job possible to ensure that their network stays clean, safe and highly effective at helping you find your soul match. Create a free profile at Soulmatch now.

The Sign-up Process

Whether you decide to join Soulmatch as a paid member, or want to try the service for free, you'll have to start by creating a free profile. From the home page, you'll tell Soulmatch that you are a "man" seeking a "woman;" give them an e-mail address; create a password; fill-in your city, state and zip code; and input your birthday. Click the "go" button.

Now you're registered, and it's time to create your profile. They'll give you a few tips for creating a winning profile before you take the plunge. Their tips include picking a unique name that will standout; being honest, fun and thorough; and post up to eight photos because more photos mean more possibilities.

Create a free profile at Soulmatch now.

The "About Me" Section - All About You

The About Me - Basics section has 13 questions on two pages (12 on the first page, 1 on the second). In this section, you'll create a profile name (mine's Bee Killer from my name, Blake Killian), and answer demographic questions like:

	Are you single, divorced, widowed?
	Are you interested in friendship, dating, serious relationship, marriage?
	Your occupation?
	Highest education level?
	Ethnicity?
	Do you smoke? drink? have children?
	Height? Body type?

Page 2 of 2 in this section is where they ask about your religion/spiritual approach. I feel it's important to mention that all of the questions have a "leave blank" option just in case you're not sure, or aren't ready to answer certain questions. (I left plenty of questions blank). Create a free profile at Soulmatch now.

The About Me - Values section has 11 questions on two pages (6 on the first page, 5 on the second). In this section, you'll start to define who you are by the way you describe yourself. They'll ask you about the traits that best describe you; what you believe in; political leanings; and an interesting section on the 7 deadly sins. (Although I found this interesting, I left these questions blank).

Page 2 of 2 in this section lists 5 questions that are all optional, meaning you can skip them if you feel the process is running a little long. You can always answer them later. They ask things like:

	Describe the best thing you ever did for a stranger
	Describe the last time you lied and was sure it was the right thing to do
	Describe what you are most grateful for
	Is it important for you and your partner to be on the same page on certain issues?
	List what 3 things you save from a tornado (not pets or loved ones)

Create a free profile at Soulmatch now.

The About Me - Personality section has 15 questions on two pages (7 on the first page, 8 on the second). In this section, you'll answer fun and conversational questions about yourself and about how you act in certain social situations. You'll see questions that pertain to your sense of humor; your relationship to your cell phone; your job; how you deal with problems; and more personality traits.

Page 2 of 2 in this section lists 8 questions that are what I like to call a "check all, free for all." What I mean by this is that here you'll encounter a series of questions where you're allowed to check "all that apply." This is clearly where the bulk of your matching criteria will come from, so make the decision here whether you want a lot of possibilities or not as many. This is a very general series of questions about arts, culture, hobbies, sports, etc. Create a free profile at Soulmatch now.

The last section about you lists 8 questions about spirituality. 1 through 5 are quick to answer, and 6 through 8 are optional. At any point in the sign-up process you can choose to save & close if you find that it's taking too long. However, if you've made it this far, you don't have too far to go.

The "What You Are Looking For" Section - All About Them

You've told Soulmatch all about you, now you have to tell them about who you are looking for.

There are three sections, just like the About Me sections. There are 14 Basics questions, 5 Beliefs & Values questions, and 5 Personality questions. After you've answered these, the last thing you'll do is create a headline for your profile. You're done!