Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 12/1/2004
Posts: 5
Points: 30
Location: United Kingdom
|
Dating and
community websites are the up and coming stars of the internet. I have used such sites for several years now,
so it seemed to me that the time had come to start one of my own. Once the
decision was made the next part was to find suitable software and a service
provider. I spent hours on the internet looking for and downloading demo
software, reading service providers specifications and comparing the all
important costs of setting up and running a website…. It was mind boggling! Shopping around for the right software
package is a daunting task especially as there are so many variations to choose
from. Many dating software packages were
tied into service providers who supplied limited web space at a cost, whilst
others were merely affiliations where you only got a percentage for introducing
new members.
I had
decided early on that I wanted an “all in one” package for easier administration,
but I had limited start-up funds. Just
when my searching had started to become a headache, I came across a community
forum email which had a link to Mailyoulike and on following this link I found Friendsyoulike.
Overview - Friendsyoulike is a dating program
based around the developers, Suhail Kaleem, original community email program
Mailyoulike. It has all the basic dating
functions like Profiles, Search and Chat Room and includes a free domain name
based email panel for users. Other nice touches include Poems that you can
email or add to and Date Me where members can rate a fellow member’s picture
for fun. The administrative side of the
software is comprehensive and covers all the functions one would expect to find
in order to administer a dating website.
These functions include the ability to set different access levels of
membership, approve members profiles and pictures, set payment gateways, set
members email storage space either at membership level or individually. I have
only touched on some of the functions here, there is lots more…… just see for
yourself.
My Choice - I have chosen Friendsyoulike as the
basis for my website for 4 main reasons –
- Cost ~ compared to other comparable software being offered
over the internet, Friendsyoulike is more than good value for money. In my opinion, its presentation and
functionality surpasses that of similar software being offered at upwards
of twice the price. - Ease of Use ~ The site pages are laid out for ease of navigation
and the administration panel is quite straight forward to learn and I was
able to have a profile up and running in a very short time - Development ~ Friendsyoulike is currently at version 1. Suhail is working on version 2 which
will be a virtual makeover and include SMS, Picture Galleries and numerous
other improvements that have been suggested by his clients. Suhail is a developer who listens and is
willing to implement suggestions and that is good from the point of view
of a website owner. - Internet Presence – Suhail supplies his software as standalone or
for a small extra charge you get the software and support. For an arranged fee he will place your
website on his server and administer it for you. Plus, you will get Unlimited storage
space!
I have
worked closely with the Suhail over the past couple of weeks. I found him to be easy to work with. His replies are prompt and informative and he
is quick to resolve any problem which may arise. One thing to remember here and that is the time
zone difference, so allow for this when emailing. I found the software is best
viewed and administered with Internet Explorer, because in Netscape I found that
the html ability in email did not work!
Conclussion – Friendsyoulike works for me. It’s
an extremely good piece of software in its present version 1 form. But what makes the difference for me is that this
software is being continually developed and not just “off the shelf”. It is also extremely good value for money compared
with other offerings on the internet and you get to work hand in hand with a
developer who is interested in listening and implementing suggestions. So if
you are thinking about starting your own community or dating website and want
an extremely good and affordable program, Friendsyoulike could be just what you
are looking for!
My name is
Roger Lakeman from the UK
and my website (still under construction) can be seen at www.belaroza.com The opinions and views expressed in this short
review are mine and mine alone.
|
