Phil and Pam, Flickr
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and you can bet there will be loads of ladies hitting the dating sites hard looking for a man just in time for the special day. In preparation, let’s take a look at some online dating sites and whether they’re right for you. Are there any that you’re already using?
Photo credit: Phil and Pam, Flickr
9 OkCupid
OkCupid’s whole premise is built on answering hundreds of questions that range from dead serious to dumb humor and then being assigned compatibility percentages based on whomever’s profile you are perusing. This does not work. Who’s to say that the 90% of things you match up on aren’t less important than the other 10%, which constitute complete deal breakers for both of you? OkC is also free, so very few of their women are actually serious about online dating. Still, the site can be pretty fun to use and has a nice layout and solid functionality.
Chance of Success - You’ll find plenty of ladies to have fun with, but very few that you’ll actually want to keep around.
Photo credit: OkCupid Screenshot
8 JDate
JDate has a personality test that color codes who you are, but also breaks it down into percentages. This allows you to see not only what your secondary and tertiary compatible personality types are, but also where the person whose profile you are perusing fits into your own personality. This is a cool feature and will help you avoid speaking to anyone who is your opposite…unless of course you want a “hot opposites attract so hard” long weekend together before you begin to hate one another.
Chance of Success - If you’re Jewish and don’t mind doing some serial dating for a while, you’re sure to find the right one. Mazel Tov to you.
Photo credit: JDate Screenshot
7 Match
Match has loads of people on it and since they’re paying for the service, they tend to take dating more seriously. The interface is clean, it’s easy to search for women in your area and it’s an equally simple task to adjust your profile, preferences, account and other features.
Chance of Success - Match has 96 million registered users, including lots of beautiful women. With the right profile, picture and match-hunting ethic, you can’t lose.
Photo credit: Match Screenshot
6 POF
Lord knows how this site got so popular; it’s one of the worst online dating services in existence. POF has changed very little in the past oh…six or seven years, so if you look at something like OkCupid and then go back to POF, it’s like going from Facebook to GeoCities; it’s that bad. Still, there are tons of people on it and you can definitely find a date or two.
Chance of Success - With 40 million users, she’s bound to be in there somewhere…but good luck finding her.
Photo credit: POF Screenshot
5 eHarmony
You have to put in some time and effort to use a site like this. You are pre-screened for your personality traits and that is chiefly how you are able to connect with others. Something that looks compatible on paper is nice, but shouldn’t be a pre-requisite for a real life encounter.
Chance of Success - Low, but at least you won’t have to go out on a bunch of maddeningly inconsequential dates to find that out.
Photo credit: eHarmony Screenshot
4 Date Hookup
This is a poorly designed, almost-gaudy, MySpace-like dating site where you’re just as likely to get spammed as you are to be messaged by something you aren’t completely sure is human.
Chance of Success - If getting laid by a bottom of the barrel woman is your goal, then you’ve got this one in the bag.
Photo credit: Date Hookup Screenshot
3 Chemistry
This is limited like eHarmony, with the goal of connecting you to your perfect match. Here, members are only allowed to connect with other members based on similarities in profiles.
Chance of Success - Low, like eHarmony, but as long as you’re willing to move across country for that perfect match (there won’t be many of them), you’re golden!
Photo credit: Chemistry Screenshot
2 Speed Date
Years ago this was fun, because it would enable you to speak to someone right away in a real-time chat, rather than having to email back and forth. It was forced chat, but it was a nice alternative. Now, you have to pay for every single feature the site offers and it’s just not worth it.
Chance of Success - With a user base of about 9 million, it’s pretty low unless you’re planning on shelling out for every single feature.
Photo credit: Speed Date Screenshot
1 Zoosk
This is integrated with the Facebook community, so it’s super easy to use and there are plenty of people. But it’s also INTEGRATED WITH THE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY. Is nothing sacred?
Chance of Success - Almost as good as your chance of public online humiliation since it’s INTEGRATED WITH THE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY.
Photo credit: Zoosk Screenshot
(Previously published on January 30, 2013.)