iDates is a nicely designed site; modern with good content, the shortest registration form we've ever seen on a site we've reviewed. The dating site is part of a large network of sites that operate all over the world, which all offer casual, no strings fun to their members. So far, so good.
When signing up, we were asked to confirm our email by visiting our mailing provider and clicking on a special activation link. This is all pretty standard stuff and a common tactic used by online dating agencies in an attempt to limit time wasters and people who are using fake details from joining the hook up site.
Once you're inside the main area is clear and simple. There are various ways to search and make contact with other members, but we started with the 'Flirt' option that let us flick fast through images of girls (when we tested as a man for review purposes) and click to send a 'Flirt' ice breaker message to them in order to indicate our interest in getting together for some casual fun. During this process we were prompted to add an image of our self in order to improve our chances of getting a reply from the recipients of our flirtations. It was good to see this as often people sign up to naughty/ fun dating sites and don't take the time to put effort into their profile. Then they wonder why they don't get laid! After around twenty flirt messages we were asked to upgrade to send more, but it was good to be able to see the variety of women on the site and make initial advancements before we decided to make a payment.
Other search options that are available as a free member include the ability to search based on users that are online now or new users or users that have visited your page.
After testing in several locations, our reviewers were encouraged by the number of genuine and interested members on iDates.