How to Pick the Online Dating Site That's Right For You
Online Dating is drawing more and more people to the Internet in
search of love, but the abundance of dating sites can be
confusing for many. Here are a few points to keep in mind when
trying to decide what dating site to sign up to.
Know what you want
Different websites cater to different people and their needs. In
fact, there is probably a site out there catering to any
possible part of the population. When coming to choose a site,
it helps to know in advance what you want to get out of your
online dating experience. You could be looking for new friends,
casual relationships, marriage etc. Some sites cater to a
specific requirement, while others are more generic in nature. A
few things to remember:
Free sites have an obvious advantage but are also often a haven
for scammers and timewasters. Good sites have moderating systems
in place to keep the site safe.
Bigger sites have more members, but there is no guarantee the
people on there will be into the same things as you.
Smaller "niche" sites are more likely to cater to your needs,
but will have fewer members.
Similarly, sites catering to local people will allow you to meet
only people who live in your area, but bigger sites will
increase your chances of meeting suitable people.
Look Around
It's worth spending time checking out a few different sites
before you commit yourself to spending time and money on a
particular one. Recommendations from friends and family can help
as a starting point, but if you don't like what you see, try
some other places and make up your own mind. A good way to start
searching is by typing a particular word (or words) followed by
the word "dating" into a search engine (for example: Indian
dating, single parent dating etc.) Most sites let you perform
searches for free, so you can see what type of people use the
site and whether there are any members from your area. Be wary
of sites that require you to pay anything or put your credit
card details in before allowing you to run a search.
Treat this research stage in the same way you would when
planning to buy anything else. Questions to ask yourself are:
Is the site easy to use? Does a search produce enough profiles
of people who could potentially be suitable? Are the membership
prices affordable? Does it offer useful features such as a chat
function etc.?
The look and feel of the site, while important, is never as
important as the people who are on the site. Do not be put off
immediately by a site you find unattractive. It's worth running
a search and seeing whether the site's members make up for its
lack of style. Similarly, a well-designed site is no guarantee
that you will find what you are looking for.
Sign up for a trial
Many sites let you sign up for a trial, free or otherwise,
before committing yourself to spending the full membership fee.
When signing up for a trial, make sure you take the time to read
the terms and conditions. This is particularly important if the
free trial requires you to put your credit card details in, as
many places would require you to actively cancel your trial
membership by a certain point of be charged the full amount.
Never agree to terms you haven't fully read and understood. Once
signed up for the trial, make the most of it. Some sites let you
put up a profile for free, and it's best to do that before you
sign up for a trial, to save you time. In either case, make sure
your profile is the best it can be and contact as many people as
you can. This will help you see if you are getting any promising
responses worth paying the extra money for.
Give it time
Keep in mind, that instant results are not very common. There
are many factors that could influence the results you get and
not all of them are to do with the quality of the site.
Depending on the length of the trial you got, it may be too soon
to know whether you could meet someone on a particular site or
not. If you are getting no responses, though, or the wrong kind
of responses, you may not want to keep spending money on the
site. Some sites will let you leave a profile up even without
paying, so you can see if any responses are coming in and decide
whether it's worth spending the money in order to read them.
Don't give up
If you can't find what you're looking for on one site: try
another one. There is a site out there for anyone, you just need
to keep looking and you will find the place where your kind of
people hang out.