Thinking of trying online dating. Advice?

[Alexander The So-so]

After so much time of no luck, I'm finally thinking of giving the online dating world a whirl. Has anybody had success with it? Would you recommend some sites? Any other bits of advice?

[theryno665]

I'd probably avoid eHarmony. I surprisingly wasn't rejected but I kinda wish I was as when I was done, I was only paired up with 3 women, none of whom had pics. I realize that makes me sound shallow but I like to at least see something, plus uploading a pic shows that you've at least taken some time in the process and are somewhat serious about it. So I never went there again and all the time I get emails about "SPECIAL OFFERS" and "FINAL CHANCES" that I don't care about because you gotta pay to do just about anything anyways.

So yeah, anyone want to recommend some 100% FREE sites? I realize that they gotta make some revenue somehow but they don't realize that we gotta pay money to go on dates and such. Why pay even more money for an extra step? Do you ask your friends "Hey, can you set me up with someone? Oh yeah, here's $20." Actually, I probably should do that considering the types my friends do end up setting me up with...

[Cyno]

I have yet to know anyone that's had eHarmony work for them. I'd stay away from it.

[Professor Chaos]

sugardaddie.com is good to meet hot chicks. They're golddiggers though but just take them out to a nice dinner and you might get lucky once in a while.

[Alexander The So-so]

Jan 31, 2010 21:07:24 GMT -5 theryno665 said:

I'd probably avoid eHarmony. I surprisingly wasn't rejected but I kinda wish I was as when I was done, I was only paired up with 3 women, none of whom had pics. I realize that makes me sound shallow but I like to at least see something, plus uploading a pic shows that you've at least taken some time in the process and are somewhat serious about it. So I never went there again and all the time I get emails about "SPECIAL OFFERS" and "FINAL CHANCES" that I don't care about because you gotta pay to do just about anything anyways.

Ha ha, not shallow at all, man. I'd look for someone who has a photo too, just because I like to know what I'm getting in to.

[Franchise]

I recommend www.plentyoffish.com.

Personally, I had minimal success there...couple of dates but nothing really stuck. However, a good friend of mine met her fiancee on that site, so...I know first hand it can work.

[Annette]

Feb 1, 2010 0:33:25 GMT -5 Franchise said:

I recommend www.plentyoffish.com.

I have a few friends who have had success with this one as well. Good luck.

[Agent P]

Tagged worked for me, even if it wasn't technically a dating site.

[Mr T L Wolf]

PlentyofFish worked for me. Think it worked for my younger brother, as well.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

eHaromny has a certain demographic they are really for, which they don't exactly advertise. That is, white and Christian. If you're not either of those things, your odds of finding any "matches" decrease significantly. Also, it costs money.

Plenty of Fish is totally free, but you get what you pay for there. I've been on there for quite some time, only met one person and weren't a match on any level beyond I was a guy and she was a girl. Site also appears to be populated by people who think far too highly of themselves.

I was part of one site back in the day, I think it was an offshoot of match.com for teenagers. Anyway, I did meet one girl there, and while we're not a couple, we remain extremely close to this day.

These are just my own observations.

[Cyno]

On the off-chance you're Jewish or want to meet a Jewish special someone, there's JDate. Not that you HAVE to be Jewish to be on the site (friend's sister met her husband there and he is almost militarily atheist), but it probably helps. And I know a surprising amount of successes from there.

[Spyke the Pacers Fan]

Feb 1, 2010 0:33:25 GMT -5 Franchise said:

I recommend www.plentyoffish.com.

Personally, I had minimal success there...couple of dates but nothing really stuck. However, a good friend of mine met her fiancee on that site, so...I know first hand it can work.

Met my current girlfriend of 9 months on there after only being a member for 2 days. There are a LOT of single moms on there to weed through though, so be forewarned if that's not your thing.

[doclock]

Two of my friends have Russian mail order brides. It is working for them, because they are both pretty religious, as are most Russian women. The downside is that they both tell me that Russian women can be bitchy, obstinate, always have at least one kid, and the younger prettier ones are looking for at least an upper middle class guy with above average looks and earning power. Also, I have heard at least 3 horror stories of Russian women taking men for a lot of money and then jetting back home never to be seen again.

I also know 3 men with Chinese mail order brides. They are very happy, and tell me that Asian women tend to respect men more, have more traditional values, don't bitch and moan as much, and have bigger libidos than American women. The downside is that they usually have kids, too, but that seems to come with the territory.

[Alexander The So-so]

Thanks guys. plentyoffish sounds pretty good. I'll be sure to give it a look.

And yeah, I've heard some less-than-stellar reviews of eHarmony. Besides, regarding the demographic thing, I'm white myself, but I'm into interracial dating (I actually tend to be attracted to non-white women more often), so I want my options to be wide.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Feb 1, 2010 16:46:35 GMT -5 Alexander The So-so said:

Thanks guys. plentyoffish sounds pretty good. I'll be sure to give it a look.

And yeah, I've heard some less-than-stellar reviews of eHarmony. Besides, regarding the demographic thing, I'm white myself, but I'm into interracial dating (I actually tend to be attracted to non-white women more often), so I want my options to be wide.

Plenty of Fish is excellent if you like mommies. Because there are TONS of moms on there.

Actual quote from one profile I was "matched" with "I am single mom of 4 children and looking to settle down"

Four kids, single and looking to "settle down".....

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah.

Oh, if you go with POF, add a lot of pictures. I mean, tons, an obscene amount. I only have 2 and they are years old because I can't think of anything more useless than having pictures of myself.

Also, in your profile, be sure to talk about how active you are and unique. Unique in this instance means how much alike you are to everyone else. I know, I know.

Also, when messaging a girl, don't even think of saying something like, "Hello, I liked your profile, you seem (funny, sexy, interesting, well-rounded...etc) No way, man, you gotta start with some magical, whimsical first message as though you're in the midst of a conversation you are not yet having.

Try to pick girls with the EXACT interests as you, because "I like to try everything once" means "hasn't tried shit and has no interest in actually trying".

Maybe the girls in your area are better than the ones in mine, I certainly hope so.

Your mileage may vary.

[spec]

I would say don't and put the time into finding someone in 'real life'. Although i'm basing that on my own experiences and it may be different if you try it.

[Magician under the moonlight]

Plentyoffish sucks, no girls want to talk to me. Guess I am also a failure at dating sites.

[theryno665]

As a serious suggestion, there's Geek 2 Geek (gk2gk.com) but you have to pay for it. And even though I got a decent selection, I never got anyone to reciprocate a wink or a nudge or whatever the hell they call it. Also, there were a few chicks on there that were married, possibly just looking for people to game with or whatever.

As an even more serious suggestion, there's always Craigslist. :-P

[Jay Peas 42]

Everyone lies on the internet. Deal with it.

Actually, I've heard good things about eHarmony, that is, if you are religious. Dating sites are heavily segmented (see; Gay Chubby Dating). You should only use ones that are targeted towards your demographics and interests. Seriously, you can't go to a website promising compatibility and long term relationships looking for black women with a thing for nerdy white guys. Find a different site.

[i.Sarita.com]

Plenty of Fish would work for me....if I liked fat girls, who smoke, and who have kids but no car or job.