I would have to disagree with the ratings given to this site. Like any dating service you are going to have the good, the bad and the ugly.

First off I would like to mention that this site is 100% free, so that gives it a major advantage over any other site. Don't like what you see? How can you complain? It's free! It costs nothing to join or contact other single people. You can keep your profile up with no maintenance and check your regular e-mail account that sends you notifications when someone e-mails you from POF.

This site is best for 20 something singles who are looking for dates and not looking to settle down. It is good for a temporary connection.

When I joined I received more e-mails than I ever did from any other pay site. I also received a ton of instant messages. (Which you can turn on or off in your preferences or allow only those on your favorite's list to contact you.)

The best feature of this site is that you can filter out who you want to contact you. For example: If you are looking for men, who are looking to only date, that are ages 18-25. Then that's who can e-mail you. It really eliminates the hassle.

The bad: The way the site is designed, it doesn't have a clean look like other sites and it's not as user friendly. I am a savvy computer user and it took me 5 minutes to find out where the delete button was in the inbox because it wasn't highlighted. I would say take a good 20 minutes to acquaint yourself with the site's features.

I have to say, I came across a lot of empty profiles, which was a bad sign. All you can do is e-mail the person you're interested in to find out what they're like. But, in my opinion it comes off as suspect.

The same reason why I think this site is good: for 20 something singles who are looking for dates and not looking to settle down, would be bad for others looking for something deeper. I'm not sure how many men are honestly looking for a girlfriend and long-term commitment, but like any site that's really determined by how well you can connect with someone. There are men who state they are looking for "someone special" but those are fewer and far between.

The Ugly: Well there are some desperate men on that site. There are men that are only looking for sex. Put those two together and it can be an ugly combination. You will have to be extra cautious and screen people before you give out your phone number or decide to meet! People lie so easily on the internet. The only thing I can say is try to talk to someone at least a week before you meet. See if they're consistent. See if they ask you general questions, but nothing too personal. Then meet up for coffee and take your own transportation. Its all common sense really.