SAQ#2 Why shouldn’t I use a free dating site?
Many people swear by free dating sites. “Why should you pay when you can get the same thing for free?” is the argument. Seems to make sense, doesn’t it? But what you get is really not the same thing, some of the ways obvious, some not so obvious. Basically, it comes down to two old truisms: “you get what you pay for,” and “you are known by the company you keep.”
PlentyofFish.com and OKCupid.com are two of the biggest free sites, with PlentyofFish and Match.com duking it out for first place in traffic month after month. Go to the home pages of all three for a dramatic look at the differences.
PlentyofFish is plenty stark, no frill here. The biggest problem I see with Plentyoffish is that the profile photos seem even worse than the usual poor pictures people post: distorted, and that must be the fault of the site. Photos are SO important. The site just seems so minimal, even trashy. I wouldn’t want to be seen there, frankly. I also think that the general allover look cheapens those who are listed. Do you want that? There is also a “free-for-all” feeling about the site, freewheeling as well as free. I suspect a serious single could waste a lot of time here with inappropriate people interested in anything but a serious relationship.
OKCupid’s home page – which looks considerably better than Plentyoffish—doesn’t tip its hand by showing any singles, or at least more than one or two on the left side. You need to do a sign up first to gawk. OK does do a better job on the profile photos – they at least aren’t distorted. I did a quick scan through the guys in my area – seem to be the usual bad photos, minimal writings in the “My self-summary” sections. In general, though, the individuals seemed a bit scruffier and marginal than those on Match.
What’s the big deal in paying a little at a paid site like Match.com and cutting out the guff that you get on the unpaid sites? I just checked, and you can join Match with the best package at just $17.99 per month with a six month membership! That’s PEANUTS! Even buying one month at a time is only $34.99, just over $1 a DAY! Match has consistently kept its site clean and upscale. Since Yahoo! Personals merged with Match, Match has become the biggest – and really only – show in town, other than eHarmony, which is in a class by itself. If you are a serious dater, that’s what Match is known for: people who are seriously looking. The pay feature cuts out a lot of the casual (and marginal) folks.
Remember, you get what you pay for, and you are known by the company you keep. Plus, putting some money on the line in your search for love is its own investment and a real sign of commitment.
