Dating websites that advertise as 'free'.

[john70t]

Signed up for PlentyOfFish Their registration process was particularly nosy for certain personal information and would out allow opting out of most answers. They wanted email, zip code, clear photo, and especially yearly income. They internally matched people based on income. I value personality and aptitude and genuineness over income. Non-material things. That is true unconditional love, isn't it? But the website pre-filters applicants. The users are not allowed to know about or contact women outside a very specific 10k income range. I tried to use the site and discovered that all the messages I received required a subscription to view. My email notifications link back to their website.
That is not "free".
PlentyOfFish let me 'delete' my account.

Tried the same signup with Match. Actually POF had links to the other dating sites on their page. Same result. Could not use their website for "free." But Match would not let me 'delete' my profile. The icon button was there but would not click or work. I had to 'suspend until I visit next'. So now they got my face and email and income and zip code.

This is classic Bait-N-Switch but I had already given them my information. Much of it accurate.
I feel robbed.

[pwd72s]

Amazing what guys will do in this 'puter age...well, you live & learn.

[kach22i]

John one of the guys at the cigar lounge knows a bit about those sites, maybe we can chat with him.

The other guy at the lounge bought a convertible Lamborghini, and as I understand it this is working out just as well, and maybe even better.

[legion]

I'm married. I haven't dated in 20 years. I've never used a dating app or website, so take the following with that in mind as all of my information is third hand at best.

That said, my understanding is you get what you pay for with the dating sites. If you want some meaningless flings, the "free" sites are fine. If you want an actual relationship, then pony up for the pay sites as it is easier to weed out the crazies.

[Baz]

Best place to meet chicks is the grocery store. Plenty of space so you can choose your point of attack. Plenty of opportunity to initiate chit-chat without appearing to be on the prowl.

Best part is you don't put all your info out on the net for any dingbat to see.

In the meantime.....enjoy your single life.

[john70t]

That's just it.
The websites were not "free" to use essentially.
They didn't even work.

They were bait-n-switch operations to collect personal data which people willingly gave away...based upon a stated 'duty to provide or perform'..or whatever such contractual obligation is called.

I would click on inbox 'messages' and it would start posting photos of mostly ugly much older women asking if I wanted to date them.
I would click through 20 of them.
Much more than the 5 messages in my inbox.
Then I realized it was some sort of psyche experiment. Had to be.

With all the data brokers out there, in-store customer facial recognition usage (already by Target/Facebook/Google/etc/etc), any consumer's personal information gets re-sold a hundred times a year to various companies.
Data mining is big business.
There is real value there.
Value that has exchanged hands even though the website is "free".

[Tervuren]

Grocery store also has an advantage that you can see what sort of food they likely choose/eat.

[Craig T]

Nobody with an online business is doing charity. They all have a business plan for making money. If an online service is "Free", you can make one of two assumptions.

1. They will bombard you with advertisements.
2. YOU are their product....and they are selling your personal data to advertisers.

[reachme]

entering in salary information is not for you, its for the women
Just like a woman might be offended entering her weight/bust size as irrelevant but we all know it's not.
Your salary is part of the alimony calculation they like to know up front

[john70t]

I've heard there are a lot of fake entries designed to get people to sign up and pay.
Especially women. The true shoppers of the economy.

I guess mine just joined those fake entries?

[Dixie]

Pay or free, the same crazies are on the same sites.
Here's a few other things I learned in my brief online dating experience.
* Women are unrealistically picky online. After all, she's online to find Joe Out-of-her-league. Joe In-her-league will hit on her in real life.
* Dating sites are mostly men. That means she's getting deluged by emails, and you're not. Your challenge is to get her to notice your email.
* Odds are she's lying.
* It's a numbers game. Contact everyone you might possibly be interested in. Then see who replies.

[legion]

Originally Posted by john70t

I've heard there are a lot of fake entries designed to get people to sign up and pay.
Especially women. The true shoppers of the economy.

I guess mine just joined those fake entries?

Well, Ashley Madison got busted for doing that, but it's not what I'd consider a dating site.

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by john70t

I've heard there are a lot of fake entries designed to get people to sign up and pay.
Especially women. The true shoppers of the economy.

I guess mine just joined those fake entries?

One day I had five different women contact me via Match. All five had the exact same profile photo.

[legion]

Originally Posted by Capt. Carrera

One day I had five different women contact me via Match. All five had the exact same profile photo.

You'd think some basic duplicate checking in their code could avoid that.

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by Capt. Carrera

One day I had five different women contact me via Match. All five had the exact same profile photo.

Like many guys, I've always thought that twins might be an interesting adventure. Have to admit though, I'd never considered quints ...

_

[Rick Lee]

First Match.com date I had was a hottie and turned into a year or so long relationship. She told me she usually got 100 messages a day and just didn't have the time to even look at them all, let alone respond to them. So yes, you really have to have a profile and good writing style to get the attention of a woman who's bombarded with messages. It does give a leg up to the guys who aren't tall, dark, handsome, rich, etc, if you can write well and convey a sense of humor and earnestness. I did very well on Match. It was exhausting, but worth it.

[BK911]

Craigslist casual encounters is free, and worth every penny!!

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Capt. Carrera

One day I had five different women contact me via Match. All five had the exact same profile photo.

[Dixie]

My best advice? Start your own online social club. I used meetup.com to create mine. By creating events, I was bringing the women to me. In addition it got me out of the house, broadened my social circle, and lead to new friendships.

That's how I met my wife.

[onewhippedpuppy]

A friend of mine did online dating for years, eventually meeting his wife. He echoed some of the advice on this thread, in that the free sites are a waste of time and it does require some effort. He met multiple great girlfriends from the site that turned into longer term relationships and ultimately his wife, so I’d say it works. He is a CPA but didn’t miss his calling as a model, so I disagree with the assertion that all women on those sites are trying to date up. Like most things in life, you get out what you put in. I’m happily married 15 years, but if I was single I would definitely give it a try.