Your Experiences with Online Dating Services?

But I'm curious as to whether Mefites liked their time on it (or Match or eHarmony or fill in the blank). I used Match back in 2003. I got married to someone I met from Match in 2005. We've been married two years and it's wicked awesome so far. I did like my time on it. It's not generally a good service if you're just looking to get laid, just like bars are not generally a good service if you're looking to do much more than that. Basically, a dating site cuts eliminates the stuff that impedes serious dating:Everybody on it is looking for a relationship, so you don't have to wonder if someone is available when you start chatting with themLots of your dating deal-breakers are laid out for you so you have an indication whether the other person is worth talking toYou don't have to be in the right place at the right time-- everyone's in the same place.And now it's probably even better to use a site because the stigma's further eroded. Or maybe refined cash-flow techniques have wrecked them. But either way it's worth a shot. Good luck.

My main problem with online dating is I think everyone has a tendency to weed out anyone that they don't think is their type. What I was really getting at more, is that in real life you meet people in a non dating context the majority of the time, so you get to know them regardless of whether you initially think they are dating material. You still make small talk with the college friend of your friend at a party, even if you feel no initial attraction because you aren't approaching this person as a potential date, you're just talking to someone at a party that happens to be standing near you. And even with your situation, scody, you felt some initial attraction even if he wasn't your type. There was something there. I'm talking about the people you wouldn't look twice at until you get to know them. I mean if I saw the profile for a republican engineer from Iowa who loves to watch the game every Sunday, I couldn't move onto the next person fast enough, but he could be nothing like what I expected and I think often those are the people that are the diamonds in the rough. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying don't try online dating, I feel meeting someone is ultimately a bit random, so up your odds, it certainly isn't worthless. But if I were to pick one over the other, I'd go offline everytime.

I met my husband on Match.com, but this was "back in the day" (4 years ago?) after about two years, off and on, on the site. I met some great guys there, and had some great dates and a few medium-term relationships, including one who is still a good friend. Here are the two main lessons I learned: - The good thing is everyone's looking for the same thing, so it's ok after one or two dates to call and say "Sorry, it's just not the match I'm looking for." No hard feelings! It goes both ways. - Don't get too caught up in the email phase. It's easy to be wooed (and to woo) with words, and personal chemistry is something else. Meet soon.

My main problem with online dating is I think everyone has a tendency to weed out anyone that they don't think is their type. Maybe so for some (and even most) people, but A) that often happens in the world on non-online dating for plenty of people, and B) can wind up being irrelevant. For example, for many years I had -- or so I thought -- a very specfic "type," and most of the guys I contacted online fit that mold. My boyfriend is very much a different type, on the surface, and yet.... there was something about his profile that I really, really liked. (It was funnier than hell, mainly, plus he was one of the few 40-something guys on there who didn't give the eyeroll-provoking 18-34 age range for the women he was seeking.) I didn't contact him right away -- specifically because he didn't seem to be my type -- and then finally gave it a shot (because I figured, hey, it's just an email). We met a few weeks later, got on like a house on fire, and have been together ever since. So yeah, having a "type" is bunk. But in my case, I don't know that I would have found that out if I hadn't tried online dating.

Perhaps I've feeling particularly jaded today but I find they all pretty much...um...suck. I had what you might term as "success" with Match and Yahoo in the past (one year-long relationship, another just short of that.) Out of all of the sites mentioned, Craigslist works best for me. It's free and seems to have a higher number of the not so "normal" types. As far as I can tell (and maybe this is true only for my neck of the woods), everyone on Match.com is looking for the house in the 'burbs, 2.5 kids and car payment life....YMMV.

I (34, F) met my husband 2 years ago on match.com. I hated eharmony - they rarely sent me matches and, when they did, generally sent me completely inappropriate men. I have one or two friends who married men they met there. It also seemed like a scam, because I'd go months with no new matches, but a *huge* set of them (maybe as many as - gasp - five) would show up the day after my membership expired. Of course, none of them ever communicate with you once you renew....

Nthing OkCupid, k8t's right. It's fun, it's free, and the matching algorithms are really good. Just be sure to explore every corner of the site so you find the little options and set them. OkCupid rewards that behavior with better matches. I'm not looking to date right now but I've met some absolutely fascinating people through OkCupid. It's highly atheist-friendly, btw. :)

I met my husband on matchmaker.com 5.5 years ago. Not sure if it even exists anymore. I think dating web sites are just free screening services. You know that the people you're matched with have similar or compatible religious and political beliefs, views about marriage and kids, etc., assuming they answer honestly. You can assess their writing ability and get a hint of their interests and personality. That cuts out a lot of time and effort that you'd have to put in if you were just meeting people in the world, while opening you up to a much broader range of potential dates than if you were just relying on friends. To find out if the people you're allegedly compatible with are honest (look like their pictures, are actually literate, etc.) and have personalities and looks that you're really drawn to, you have to meet in person. Probably five out of every six people you meet in person won't be a great fit, but that compares to 99 out of 100 people you meet on the street/in the bar/etc., so odds of eventually finding someone good are much higher, as long as you don't give up when the first person you go out with is celibate, the second person has a skin condition and the third person says he isn't technically homeless, he just chooses to sleep outside at night because his roommate is trying to kill him.

I met my husband on OKCupid, so obviously that's my favorite. However, I have a friend who met her husband on Match.com (female, 50s) and another who met her husband on Yahoo (female, 20s). I'm female, in my late 20s. I also tried eHarmony and had no luck. For me it's too much money to spend on a service that doesn't work that well.