When you first decide to venture into the online dating world, one of the first steps is to decide which site you're going to use. There are so many to choose from that this process can be a bit daunting. I have a friend who treats online dating like a job. He belongs to a few sites and keeps notebooks with pretty concise notes about profiles and his hits and misses. The guy is totally obsessed. This is an extreme case and you should not be put off.

Select a few sites by reputation, I've listed some of them below with the key highlights, and then narrow it down to the one that you can best afford or that you think you'll be more comfortable using. And remember, you're going to need new shoes and a few dresses. Why, you ask? Silly girl...for all those dates you're going on! Budget wisely.

Sites I recommend:

Lavalife
- they offer 3 communities for you to explore: Dating, Relationship, Intimate. This is pretty cool as it encourages members to socialise with like-minded singles
- they offer an online dating environment for active singles 45+
- the have a membership base of over 15 million people worldwide and despite all the online dating sites available, their membership base keeps growing

Matchmaker
- they offer advice on loads of subjects relating to online dating; from how to meet someone online and go from your first email to your first date
- this website is for those who are focussed on developing long term relationships.
- they offer a keyword search - something you won't find on many dating websites.

Diamond Lounge
- their website is classy, no, sophisticated is a better description.
- they offer live email, text chat, video conferencing, have online groups and forums
- they tend to go for a more professional membership base and therefore assess all profile applications for "suitability"
- the website is simple to use and it doesn't feel like a dating site when logging on

eHarmony
- they use a patented Compatibility Matching System which looks at which eHarmony members you would be compatible with and most likely to enjoy a long-term relationship.
- their stats reveal that in the US, 236 eHarmony members marry every day.
- they offer guided communication to help ease you into the world of online dating.

Make Friends Online
- they have a "local pub" dimension (which is pretty unique) where members can chat in large groups.
- they are all about the socialising aspect (hence the friends bit), which relieves some of the pressure of online dating.
- members arrange "meets" every week across the country.

Sugar Daddie
I know, I know...where do they come up with these names? Before you rule this one out, let me point out a few things about Sugar Daddy
- they have been featured on the Dr Phil show as well as the Richard and Judy show.
- this exposure has made them the leading leading site of its kind - that is, Sugar daddy and Agen joker123 pasti bayar Millionaire dating.
- they boast that their membership pool includes millionaires, models and professional businessmen.

Quite a few websites to have a look at but better to do your homework and ensure that you're going to be comfortable with the site that you're using.