There are so many dating websites out there… which one should I choose? Part 1.

Guardian Soulmates: http://dating.guardian.co.uk

Run by the Guardian newspaper, it’s your standard internet dating website that lets you browse other members’ profiles and exchange emails.

Cost: £32 per month

The men: As you’d expect from a website run by an intellectual, left-wing newspaper, many Guardian men fall into the ‘media wanker’ category. They’re frequently good looking and will sweep you off your feet with discussions about politics (liberal) and religion (atheist/agnostic).

Pros: You don’t have to pay to create a profile or read emails, so you can subscribe and then wait until you hear from a hottie who can string a sentence together before you fork out the cash.

Cons: The competition is stiff. One of the most interesting parts of the site is a ‘Most Popular’ table, which ranks the 20 men and 20 women who are receiving the most attention. In general, I believe women tend to be better looking than men, however this takes it to a new level. The Natalie Portman and Charlize Theron lookalikes can also write good and do charity work on the weekends. Good luck!

Lovestruck: www.lovestruck.com

Split up by major cities, Lovestruck lets you meet ‘single professionals nearby’. The idea is that you register according to where you work and can then meet up for lunch dates or after work drinks.

Cost: £35 per month

The men: If you like ‘city boys’, Lovestruck is for you. Personally, I get a bit bored with talk of mergers and acquisitions, however as well as paying for your dinner they may well put you in a taxi home and charge it back to their company account. That said, I do work near The City, so perhaps if you were Camden-based you’d find a more alternative male.

Pros: An ‘elite membership’ option lets subscribers receive emails from non-paying members. Because many men on Lovestruck own hedge funds and the extra cost is nothing to them, that means you may be able to contact men without having to spend a penny. (Just after I typed that I realised it’s a euphemism for urinating. Sorry, this isn’t really the place – if you’re into watersports please refer to the ‘Be Naughty In London’ blog, which will be posted shortly.)

Lovestruck also holds free singles nights at bars in the city, which you can read about on the website. You show up and are given a red straw to indicate that you’re on the prowl, then are left to your own devices. I haven’t been, but a friend tells me they’re always rammed.

Cons: The ‘free for lunch today’ and ‘free tonight’ buttons lets you promote your imminent availability to all subscribers. Frankly, it comes across as a bit desperate – I prefer to play slightly harder to get and also have better things to do with my lunch break than Russian roulette-style dates with neighbouring bankers. What if you went on a terrible date then had to face him in your local Pret every day afterwards? Cringe.

That's all for now folks. Part 2, including match, mysinglefriend and benaughtyinlondon will be posted shortly.

Happy dating!