Archive for the ‘Free Dating’ Category

Friends first!

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

 

One of the reasons I’m so enthusiastic about internet dating is that it gives me the opportunity to not only find dates, but also new friends.  And I’ve made quite a few new friends through my favorite free internet dating site.

Actually, I’m a big believer in being friends first, before deciding whether or not the person could possibly be something more.  After all, if I don’t like them enough to be friends with them, I certainly wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with them either!

And that got me to thinking about what makes a good friend?  Not to pat myself on the back (well, not too much anyway), here are some of the things I’ve done in the past that I think make me a pretty good friend;

  • Dropped everything when a buddy’s fiancé dropped him two weeks before the wedding.  The fact that I never liked her didn’t enter into the conversation.  Hey, I’m not insensitive!
  • Lent my mechanics tools to a guy I know who wanted to try fixing up an old car.  I did set a timeline though, those babies were expensive and I wanted them back.
  • Let myself be set up on a blind date.  Just once.  Never again.
  • Offered to look after a friend’s house for a week on a moment’s notice while he attended a family funeral out of town.
  • Told another friend his daughter was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen.  Remember the Seinfeld Ugly Baby episode?  ‘Nuff said.

When all is said and done, that’s what friends are for; helping each other out and being there for each other. So next time you are using an internet dating service remember that you might also make some great friends along with finding that special someone!

Will she be just like my mother

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

 

As I posted yesterday, after a first date and weeks of chatting on a free internet dating site, our second date was a success!  Through our internet dating service chats and emails, and after meeting in person twice, we’ve found that we have quite a lot in common.  It’s early days yet though, so whether this internet dating relationship will go anywhere is anyone’s guess.

I’ve been wondering lately about the influences in our lives that determine our eventual choice of a life partner.  After doing some reading on the subject, it appears that our parents, and what they’re like as people and how they treat us, has a lot do with it!

Now I like my Mom just fine, she’s a terrific lady, but I don’t know that I’d marry someone just like her.  That’s just a bit too Greek mythology for me, thanks very much! 

Besides which, she has a couple of annoying little habits that would drive me absolutely nuts in a partner.  Being competitive is one thing, but being a sore winner is almost as bad as being a sore loser, and (sorry Mom) my mom is both.  Being gracious in victory, particularly when I’m the loser (!!) is important to me.  I don’t need to have my nose rubbed in it when I lose a game of crib, and I’m happy to say that my date didn’t!

Internet Dating Sites Make a Lot Of Money

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

 

I read an article not that long ago about the amazing amount of money that internet dating sites are currently making.  Even the free internet dating sites that generate revenue from ads still do pretty well. What amazed me when I read this article and visited these internet dating services is that none of these companies appear to do any sort of charity work in any way.  Should a company that is making so much profit be expected to donate to charitable causes, especially while bragging to reporters about how much money they make? And if an internet dating service was big into charities would you be more inclined to join?

There are some guys out there making a ton of money and I always ask myself how much is enough and when should they start donating their huge profits?

Will This Be A Growth Year For Internet Dating?

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

 

There are more and more people joining free internet dating sites every day.  Will this be a growth year for internet dating? Most people agree that regardless of whether or not someone joins  an internet dating service, there are more and more people that have access to the internet. The numbers are mind boggling and in countries like the US where internet access is wide spread, the increase in time spent online is climbing. We are adapting very quickly to using social networking sites or free internet dating sites in addition to every day stuff like banking and buying airline tickets. I think most of us will agree that our online habits have changed and we are increasingly becoming more accepting of the internet.

Look at how many users there are on sites like Facebook and how many people enjoy meeting others and sharing their lives online. I personally think overall internet usage is going to skyrocket over the next few years and with smart phones like the iPod more and more of us will be online with our phones. As for internet dating, well, social networks will steal some traffic but overall my guess is they will see an increase as well.

The Big Internet Dating Guys Have Gone Free

Monday, March 30th, 2009

 

Well kind of. There are thousands of internet dating sites and most of them charge money; in some cases a lot of money.  In the past 4 years free internet dating sites have started to become all the rage and are taking a lot of traffic away from the expensive, pay as you go, sites.  Well it seems the big guys in the pay internet dating services world have decided they can’t let the free guys get so much traffic.  So match.com has launched a site called downtoearth.com, which is a free site.  The question is will match divert some of its paid users to this site and if not, how will they market this site and get traffic to it? This really is the toughest part about running any dating site.

I for one don’t think this is going to be a huge change for match, aside from the fact that they might alienate some of their paid clients.  Just imagine using a site that costs roughly $30 a month and then realizing the same company is offering a free version of what you are paying for!  Wouldn’t you be a little pissed off?  I imagine I would be though I don’t know for certain, as I don’t use match.com.  Time will tell how this interesting change in a company’s focus will impact them and the rest of the dating world.

Would A Matching System Change Your Decision?

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

 

If you are going to use an internet dating site would a proper matching system entice you to join one site over another? There are many internet dating services out there that have matching systems, some of them are more well known than the others. I think it’s important to try as many of these matching systems out before you settle on one particular site. While most of the paid sites are the ones with these matching systems there are now free internet dating sites that offer matching systems. Whether you choose free or paid most of the paid sites allow you to take the survey before you are required to give them a credit card.

So really take your time find the site that best suits your needs and given the state of the economy I would strongly suggest that you think about going for a free site over a paid one.

Great Date Tips For Cold Weather

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

 

So there you are; you’ve found someone through your favorite free internet dating site and now it’s time to plan the first date. You want to go out for a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant and instead of ending the evening right away you want to do something outside for fun. While you have been talking on this internet dating service you have both have agreed that you are outdoorsy people, the problem is it’s winter.  But instead of wimping out why not plan a great evening outside in this winter wonderland.

First things first.  You need to dress appropriately; more is better and it’s best to make sure you aren’t going to have to end the night early because you didn’t dress warmly enough. There are so many things to do, skating, going for a walk in the city and you could even try tobogganing. Being outside during the winter months can be quite romantic and of course once you are done it’s up to you to figure out how to warm up!?

Should You Be Sad That You Are Lonely?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

 

The word lonely is a pejorative word that I don’t normally associate with those of you using free internet dating sites.  That being said it amazes me how many people are depressed about being single. Being single is nothing to be sad or ashamed about, and worse yet, trying or forcing relationships upon yourself to remove this feeling is not going to help. Like most things in life finding that special someone will happen when you least expect it. While using an internet dating service will increase your chances of finding someone I think most people should focus more on meeting people online as friends as opposed to finding Mr. or Miss right!

There are many great dating services out there that can help with this process. Again I think it’s important to just take a deep breath and enjoy the fact that you are single. Living with someone is, I believe, the most difficult thing we do in life; it’s usually always easier to live by yourself.  Of course finding that special someone can really change your life in so many positive ways, but rushing into a relationship to ease your loneliness, in most cases, will only create more problems down the road.

The Lack Of Support On Internet Dating Sites

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

 

I have used many great internet dating sites over the years. The one thing that does drive me nuts is how bad some of these internet dating services can be about returning email requests. The other area that needs work on just about every site except a select few free internet dating sites is more FAQ’s and a better way to find them. It doesn’t take that long to make the FAQ’s and given the amount of requests most of these sites are getting they no doubt have a huge database of their most common support requests.

Why not take the most popular requests that you receive and start writing FAQ’s for your users. It can’t take that long and would increase your client retention along with user satisfaction. I think many of us are lazy when it comes to complaining about poor service on the internet. How many times have we actually received an email reply from MSN, Ebay or Facebook. Maybe we should step up as a group and start demanding better service!

Are There Changes Needed On Internet Dating Sites?

Friday, March 20th, 2009

 

There appears to be a growing trend that shows some free internet dating sites are starting to charge for certain services. The owners of these internet dating services claim it’s because they are trying stop users from spending money on other sites.  Some people, according to the site owners, believe their members feel the need to pay in order to get quality matches.  Is this really the case with free internet dating sites?  I am not sure I agree.  I understand that some people might want to do this but at the end of the day, business owners are always trying to get the best return on investment.

So now that we know most of these sites that are starting to introduce these paid services will this affect the way you use dating services?  I think most of the people using free dating sites like the fact that it’s just that, free!  When you have clients used to a service, especially one that’s free, it does change how they view your service when overnight you start to charge for things!