Dating sites?

mood · 08-07-2010 8:45pm #1

Thinking about joining a dating website. Do you know of any good ones? Any advice?

Snoopy1 · 08-07-2010 8:55pm

Be picky, very picky!!
Im on one, and have met weirdos, stalkers, guys with girlfriends, guys after one thing!!
Im sure there are nice men out there, but just be careful.
I have met a couple of nice guys as well

mood · 08-07-2010 8:58pm

Can you recommend a site? There seem to be a lot. PM me if you like.

reallyrose · 08-07-2010 9:01pm

I like okcupid. Even if you don't meet anyone boyfriend-worthy, you can generally find someone interesting to chat to. I met my best-friend-ever on it!

Snoopy1 · 08-07-2010 9:04pm

Ive never heard of okcupid, is it good.
Im on Plentyoffish at the moment

Snoopy1 · 08-07-2010 9:05pm

mood wrote: »

Can you recommend a site? There seem to be a lot. PM me if you like.

I pm'd you!!

colly10 · 08-07-2010 9:18pm

How are these sites at finding good matches, are ye likely to end up on alot of dates with people not suited to ye in the slightest?

liah · 08-07-2010 9:37pm

OkCupid is definitely my favourite, seem to be little to no creeps/pervs/taken people messaging me on it which is a nice change. Plus, if you're bored, there's plenty of quizzes to take and other activities you can do on the site, so there's always something.

But it's globally based instead of just Irish so the results aren't quite that localized, but there are a fair amount of Irish people on it.

RhubarbCrumble · 08-07-2010 10:28pm

My friend met a girl on datinginireland.com, and they're getting married soon.

LilMsss · 09-07-2010 12:29pm

Dating websites definitely have their place. I have tried them in the past, mainly because my work schedule had affected my social life and I wasn't getting out enough, or connecting with men when I was out.

There are a lot of really decent men out there, and I went on numerous dates ... but there are also a lot of weirdos (like anywhere). Obviously I screened the guys I replied to, and arranged coffee dates with the one's I thought were nice.

The only problem I would find with online dating is that it's no substitute for the real thing - as in meeting someone through friends, or on a night out. You tend to know immediately if there is chemistry and don't end up wasting your time if there's not. I also found that a lot of men misrepresented themselves - said they were 5 ft 10 when they were actually 5 ft 5 (I'm 5 ft 8 and am attracted to tall men, 5 ft 11 & up, and stated this in my profile!), or that they came across as really outgoing and confident during email conversations and texts but were as boring as anything once I met them.

I'd say go for it. The main plus is that you may meet someone who is perfect for you that you ordinarily wouldn't have had the opportunity to connect with.

09-07-2010 12:37pm

I went with one of the paid dating sites. I was drunk and bored so I signed up without putting much thought into it. Best move I ever made. The members of the site run events quite often, attended a few of those, made more friends than I ever have in my life (guys and girls!). I actually never went on a date with someone I'd met purely on the site through messages and profiles. I spent hours in the chat room, was a great laugh, and met a guy at one of the events. He was mental, long and short of it. I should have spotted it a mile off, but always easy to be wise in retrospect. A few weeks after getting out of that mess, I was going to one of the events... talking to a guy in the chat room who had not only never been to one of our events before, he'd never been in Dublin city before, he knew no one, hadn't a clue where he was going... I said I'd meet him an hour beforehand and bring him to the pub, the way that he'd know someone already and wouldn't get lost. Over a year later and we're living together.

I didn't get any satisfaction out of the free sites, without the events and parties I would have tired of internet dating before I'd really tried it!

mood · 09-07-2010 8:44pm

I've looked at a few free sites. There are very few guys in my area! Don't live in a city. Part of the problem I suppose!

I suspect a lot of guy are lying about there age. Some are saying they are say 22 but look more 42!

Littleleaf · 09-07-2010 8:48pm

I met my husband on plentyoffish. We are having our 1year wedding anniversary soon and were still madly in love!

mood · 09-07-2010 8:56pm

Littleleaf wrote: »

I met my husband on plentyoffish. We are having our 1year wedding anniversary soon and were still madly in love!

There seem to be more on plentyoffish but I seem bad things written about that site here ie guys just looking for 'fun' etc. Very few picture up as well!

high heels · 09-07-2010 9:02pm

I'm on POF... I find it ok Just don't know what to say in that crucial first email..

forest gunner · 09-07-2010 11:10pm

Keep your expectations very low.
Ive been on plentyoffish and anotherfriend on and off.
Got about 3 dates in two years

.
I dont know...I try to make a charming first impression and have put up various photos but...:(

southsiderosie · 09-07-2010 11:15pm

I had a profile up on plentyoffish for about 72 hours, and after receiving lots of weird messages and recognizing someone in a pub from the site, I took it down in a panic. I've heard there is less nonsense with the pay ones, since it acts as a kind of screening mechanism.

mood · 09-07-2010 11:15pm

forest gunner wrote: »

Keep your expectations very low.
Ive been on plentyoffish and anotherfriend on and off.
Got about 3 dates in two years .
I dont know...I try to make a charming first impression and have put up various photos but...:(

Weird. I've been asked out already with now photo up! I know looks aren't important but surely you need to have some idea what someone looks like!

How did the dates go?

Panthro · 09-07-2010 11:37pm

id chance them but i have the oddest feeling the wimmin folk dont log on looking for mature student mid twenties blokes with pizza delivery as his college job!!!!

Snoopy1 · 10-07-2010 7:21am

I have met some nice guys off PlentyofFish.
You do get loads of messages when you first join, so it can seem over whelming.
One week, i had 5 dates in a week, couldnt remember who was who

If a guy doesnt post a picture, i ask for one.

10-07-2010 6:21pm

supremenovice wrote: »

Ive still been having a look around the websites since then but to be honest, in my estimation, it seems like the average of women is late 30s.
In fact, Id guesstimate that about 40% are over 40.
There is only a small percentage around my age zone (late 20s).

Yeah, I found this too. Very few people under the age of 30 - a lot of my friends off the site I used are seperated, late 30s up to early 50s! The younger people I knew who were on the site were mainly using it to expand their social circles.

Bally8 · 10-07-2010 10:32pm

I met my OH through datinginireland 3 years ago. We got married 3 months ago. Totally made for each other, madly in love and best friends. I was the first person he contacted- worked out well for him eh! I had met a few guys before him but knew straight away they were not for me. I had given up on it and had stopped logging on. Then after attending a friends wedding and thinking I would be on my own forever I logged on and saw an email from my now husband. Fate I think:D

newbee22 · 11-07-2010 9:38pm

I was on plenty of fish for a while, deleted my account though because was getting lots of weird messages!

chiefwiggum · 11-07-2010 9:42pm

try match.com,thats where i met my fiance...getting married in 3 months after meeting 4 yrs ago...and i must add there are possibly as many women weirdo's on there as fella's...just too even things up...my advice would be to text of chat online/phone for a while before meeting up that way you get a good sense of their character first

rainbow kirby · 11-07-2010 9:42pm

I've tried Plenty Of Fish and OK Cupid, the vast majority of messages I've gotten on them have been "Hi, we're a couple. She's bi-curious, want a threesome?". Very little of any actual substance.

MJOR · 12-07-2010 8:24pm

I met my hubby on another friend...

Reeni · 13-07-2010 2:09am

I was on plentyoffish which is where I met my lovely boyfriend. I will say though that women in general tend to get an overwhelming amount of messages. You need to sift out the weirdos from the norms

I'd say I only replied to 6 or 7 people out of hundreds of messages on there, but then I'm very picky!

princess-lala · 13-07-2010 2:07pm

I was on POF before and got loads of messages from both normal and weird men!

I went on one date where he turned up wearing dirty clothes! :eek:

Might give it another try now

Harrybelafonte · 18-07-2010 9:16am

Deleted User wrote: »

I went with one of the paid dating sites. I was drunk and bored so I signed up without putting much thought into it. Best move I ever made. The members of the site run events quite often, attended a few of those, made more friends than I ever have in my life (guys and girls!). I actually never went on a date with someone I'd met purely on the site through messages and profiles. I spent hours in the chat room, was a great laugh, and met a guy at one of the events. He was mental, long and short of it. I should have spotted it a mile off, but always easy to be wise in retrospect. A few weeks after getting out of that mess, I was going to one of the events... talking to a guy in the chat room who had not only never been to one of our events before, he'd never been in Dublin city before, he knew no one, hadn't a clue where he was going... I said I'd meet him an hour beforehand and bring him to the pub, the way that he'd know someone already and wouldn't get lost. Over a year later and we're living together.

I didn't get any satisfaction out of the free sites, without the events and parties I would have tired of internet dating before I'd really tried it!

Which site is this?

I was on plentyoffish before, but I never contacted anyone and seemed to have put off the one randomer who contacted me :rolleyes: It's really difficult to pick out anyone interesting on it, their descriptions all tend to involve "I like socializing with my friends, am very positive, love life, like travelling loads. Don't take life to seriously. Love nights out and dancin', but also nights on the sofa etc". Which is a bitof a pain when you're a grouchy 33 year old bloke who takes life very seriously and doesn't go out. But it all means you have to rely on looks more when all the descriptions are basically the same. The only girl I found interesting on it specifically said she didn't want anyone with kids, which left me out.

Am convinced I should do a description a la The IT Crowd, see what happens.

chirogirl · 19-07-2010 12:07am

I tried match.com. signed up for the month and went on 10 dates. Really enjoyed my month on it, good confidence booster. All the guys were nice, decent fellas. I've been seeing a guy from it for the past year.
Good Luck and enjoy!

brainyneuron · 19-07-2010 8:07pm

I am/was on Plentyoffish and ...ahem....Flirtbox :rolleyes::p POF seems to have a lot of decent Irish people there. Met a guy on it who was the nicest, most down to earth guy I've ever met. We clicked instantly and then it went downhill from there (only really lasted 3 weeks before it kinda fizzled out!) I was in final yr college and he was finishing up final part of masters so I think it may have been a case of wrong place wrong time! Flirtbox didn't have many Irish people on it, met one girl from it but she was only looking for a one night stand (and I wasn't!)
That was about 3 years ago and I haven't really checked them since! I must update or delete my profile! The trouble with dating websites is weeding out the weirdos from the genuine people! It can be done though!

Dating sites?

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