Which internet dating website should I choose?
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“Online dating is big business, drawing about 4 million U.S. Internet users daily in June 2006 (and 25 million monthly), and they spend a daily average of nearly 17 minutes each on these sites. That adds up to a lot of page views – almost 4.5 billion per month. And that doesn’t take into account the billion-a-day MySpace.com page views, which many people argue is basically a very large dating site. All told, at least 15% of U.S. Internet users visit an online dating site each month.”
This is what TechCrunch.com reported in July of 2006. In my experience, I have had the best luck with Match.com. There are many other dating sites and “friend” states in our so-called “Web 2.0″ world. But, the others are usually much smaller and tend to cater to niche markets like “alternative lifestyles” or religious themes. I stay away from these personally because I like to fish in well stocked waters. “The greatest fisherman in the world will not catch a single fish in an empty pond.”
The Paid Sites
In this guide, we will focus primarily on the paid internet dating sites. I prefer the paid sites because the women members are literally paying to talk to me. Hence, they are less likely to mess around. But all of the principles we will go over in this eBook are applicable to the free websites and the Web 2.0 sites as well.
Match.com
Ah Match.com. If you haven’t tried internet dating before, or you’re confused about where to begin, indeed, begin here. It’s the biggest and one of the oldest dating sites on the internet. It was started by net guru Gary Kremen in 1994. (Curiously, Kremen was also the first person to register sex.com, which he sold for 12 million dollars in 2006). Match.com is great because of its professional user interface and because it boasts the largest user group of any internet dating site.
Yahoo Personals
Yahoo Personals is commonly mentioned as the “number two” dating website. It is similar to Match.com but seems to attract a younger crowd for some reason. Yahoo Personals differs from Match.com in that they have incorporated their very popular Yahoo Instant Messenger with their dating service. This is of course beneficial if you plan on utilizing IM as part of your game. Personally I don’t have the time for IM anymore. But I should say, sending an Instant Message to Yahoo Personals members can be much more effective than email, if you know what you’re doing.
JDate
Israeli women are some of the most beautiful in the world. I should know. I used to live with an Israeli girl in Jerusalem. And I can tell you, over there, JDate.com is very popular. However, half of JDate members reside in America. And, though JDate will take anyone who has a credit card, the majority of JDate members are indeed Jewish. Some members are willing to meet a non-Jewish dater, while others react negatively to solicitations from men of other faiths.
AmericanSingles
AmericanSingles is very similar to Match.com in look and feel. The most significant benefit being the slightly lower price. But in my opinion, if you’re actively searching for a girlfriend, then you might as well spend the few dollars more to play in the bigger pond offered by Match.com.
eHarmony
eHarmony has worked hard to brand themselves as a dating website focused on the creation of “harmonious” long-lasting relationships — as opposed to a singles “hookup” website. If this is what you’re looking for, then this site might be the way to go.
The Free Sites
Craigslist
If you actually decide to try to use Craigslist to find a date, be sure to use an email address that you’re willing to throw away. Craigslist is free, simple, and only takes seconds to setup a dating post. Consequently, it is utterly riddled with spammers. Seconds after emailing a few “girls” on Craigslist, your email inbox will be stuffed with advertisements offering you penis enhancements and moneymaking scams from Africa. That said, because Craigslist has such astoundingly high traffic volume, there are indeed some diamonds in the rough.
PlentyOfFish
You should definitely consider joining PlentyOfFish no matter which paid dating site you choose. Because, well, it’s free of course, and of all the free sites, it is by far the most popular.
OkCupid
Similar to PlentyOfFish, OKCupid hosts a professional free website with the option to upgrade. It doesn’t have as many users as PlentyOfFish, but the ones it does have seem to be quiet dedicated.
The Web 2.0 Sites
Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, and the Web 2.0 Revolution
The web 2.0 sites offer quite a different game. But it is worth noting that I know many men who get dates almost exclusively via Facebook. None of these sites are necessarily marketed as dating websites. But nowadays, it is somewhat implied that these sites result in online dates. The most interesting aspect of MySpace.com lies in the freedom it gives its users to decorate an extensive media rich profile, as well as the ability to build a social “friend” network. This allows you to generate “social proof” simply by networking with other users.
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