General Question

Xpress411's avatar

Does online dating work?

Asked by Xpress411 (120points) December 31st, 2007

If yes, what sites should I check out?

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12 Answers

glial's avatar

My online dating experience ended in me filing a Peace Bond, 4 tires on my vehicle being slashed, falsified pregnancy (she was lieing), lawsuit over a rental property (I won).

Other than that it’s great…

paulc's avatar

I worked for a few years as a developer at a company that had some very successful dating sites. We honestly had a tons of people writing us to tell us how well everything worked out for them and how happy they were. Judging by the revenue alone (from monthly memberships), I’d say that a lot of people believe in it.

On the other hand, we’re not likely to get emails from people when things go wrong. Also, most of the emails we received were from people who actually hadn’t been dating very long and, in some cases, got married within a few months of having met (read: still in the honeymoon stage of the relationship). So I can’t vouch for the longevity of these relationships.

I know for a fact that a lot of people use online dating as a means for casual sex. If that’s what you’re looking for you shouldn’t have much trouble.

Ultimately dating is dating no matter how you meet the person initially. If online dating opens up the possibilities for you I don’t see how it could do any harm. Unless of course… well, see glial’s response :) Don’t forget, though, that this could happen in an “offline” dating situation too. Crazies are crazies no matter where you meet them.

If you do decide to do it, I would suggest signing up at multiple sites. Users are very fickle on dating sites and will only spend a few months on average with one before moving on to another never to return to previous stomping grounds. Signing up on many concurrently will probably get you more “coverage”.

joli's avatar

I think it works best for young professionals. I started at age 41 and most men wouldn’t respond to me assuming I was unattractive. When they did pursue, the sexual innuendos came into play immediately, before I’d even seen them in person. ( If you’re not truly funny and experienced with that, don’t bother! YAWN.) The few men I’ve actually met, sadly misrepresented themselves with a photo taken years prior. Even so, I did experience two interesting very long friendships, both of them being much younger than me. The older men have been jaded and angry, which is great to find out in e-mail before you decide to meet. All in all it’s the same as meeting people in daily life, if you don’t drag out the initial encounter where you can have that emotional reaction to them. The most pathetic was the guy whose GF had just dumped him. He jumped the gun on that one, meeting me for lunch with tears in his eyes. Bummer! I suggest being very honest and pay attention to what people tell you. Do ask questions without hesitation. Married people infiltrate without disclosure. Don’t waste too much time on e-mail, and write them off quickly if they hedge.

artemisdivine's avatar

@glial LOL i laughed so hard…

you need to be careful. there is “dating” and there is “casual sex”. there are tons of casual sex sites, a lot fewer TRUE dating i.e. i wanna go out and get married sites. and quality COSTS sadly. i dont know if the PAID services are better than FREE. but they might work more on your profile to help you out etc. might get more assistance i have no clue. finding someone is a lot of work and time etc.

the big two i would say are eharmony and match. or at least the ones with the BIGGEST marketing budgets etc. but i threw in a free one too. always good to START with a free one just to check them out.

http://www.plentyoffish.com/everyoneonliner.aspx

Unlike eharmony which charges $49.99 a month plentyoffish.com is completely free. Plentyoffish is the largest free dating site in the world and the largest dating site in North America.

http://www.match.com/
Dating Site: Match.com
Slogan: Connecting People
Review Date: November 28, 2003
Online Dating Magazine Rating: 8/10
Browse for Free? Yes

Cost Structure
1 Month = $19.95 (first 3 days “free”)
3 Months = $39.95 (first 3 days “free”)
6 Months = $59.95 (first 3 days “free”)

http://www.eharmony.com/

Dating Site: eHarmony
Slogan: Fall in love for all the right reasons
Review Date: July 2, 2003 (2006 update added to My Experience)
Online Dating Magazine Rating: 8.5/10
Browse for Free? No

Cost Structure
1 Month = $49.95
3 Months = $99.95
6 Months = $159.95
1 Year = $299.95

blogs are always fun too (personal experience from people)
http://www.pinoy.ca/eharmony/
http://mssinglemama.wordpress.com/tag/dating-online/

you might enjoy these links too in your research
http://www.online-dating-zone.com/guide/tips-advice/
http://onlinedatingpost.com/
http://www.findabetterdate.com/
http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/
http://onlinedatingmatches.com/
http://onlinepersonalswatch.typepad.com/news/

reviews
this site http://www.dating-directory-review.com/ reviews the following

eHarmony
PerfectMatch
Chemistry.com
Christian Cafe
True.com
American Singles
Yahoo Personals
Date.com
Match.com
Senior Friend Finder
Online Dating Tips

glial's avatar

It was Yahoo Personals, by the way. It lasted a year, just got very ugly at the end.

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