Are you new to the world of online dating and looking for a good starting point with your love life? There are a ton of dating services and resources available to single people online and new ones cropping up on a daily. I recommend that you join a few different services from the free dating sites to paid subscription services and you’ll see that most of the functionality between the two are about the same but that the real apparent difference is in the quality of the users.
Plenty of Fish (www.plentyoffish.com) is one of the largest and more respected free dating services online with about 800,000 active users. The guy behind the operation still runs the company out of his apartment with his girlfriend and a few employees now that handle photos and customer service issues. He spends most of his time on removing fraudulent users from the site which is obvious from the lack of design aesthetic on the site. According to data collected by Comscore Plenty of Fish had about 1.4 Million unique visitors back in November 2007. POF has been on a steady growth curve according to Quantcast and Compare.com.
POF has a basic but easy to use interface and the sign-up process is fast. You can search or browse for singles in your area or get sent matches via email. If you are serious about meeting someone be sure to upload a photo of yourself. Profiles without photos are almost non-active and get almost no attention. Plenty of Fish uses the UserPlane AV Webmessenger system for instant messaging which I wasn’t able to get working on my Mac Firefox browser.
I would say that free dating services like PlentyofFish.com, Meeta.com, OKCupid.com, DateHookup.com and Mingle2.com are great places to start your journey into the online dating universe. Most of these sites have very fast sign-up processes that help you get into using the service quickly. You can divulge as much as you want on your profile or keep it limited and private but keep in mind that profiles with little bio or personality info on them usually get missed and you really aren’t getting the full value or visibility on a site if you are hiding yourself from other people wanting to learn more about you.
Plenty of Fish also has their own Compatibility Predictor (CP) test that measures five broad relationship variables that are each essential for building romantic relationships. Users don’t need to score “high” on each of these characteristics to be in a fulfilling relationship. What’s important is how your profile interacts with the profile of a potential romantic partner. The Compatibility Predictor captures the five key ingredients that can determine whether or not two people have the “right” psychological chemistry. Below are the relationship variables they capture:
Self-Confidence, or the degree to which a person feels comfortable with him or herself. People that are high in self-confidence tend to be assertive and competent in both their private and public relationships. People that are low in self-confidence tend to be reticent and somewhat anxious.
Family Orientation, or the degree to which a person supports and values the family. People that are family-oriented tend to want or already have children, are very close to their immediate relatives and prefer cooking at home to eating at a restaurant. People that are not family-oriented tend to be individualistic, unconventional and very much enjoy attending parties and social functions.
Self-Control, or the extent to which a person exerts control over various aspects of life. People that are high in self-control tend have strong emotional reactions to things and try to regulate those feelings by micromanaging and attending to specific details. People that are low in self-control are usually relaxed, even-tempered and lenient.
Openness, or the extent to which a person is open to and dependent upon others. People that are high in openness tend to like a wide range of things (e.g., food, music, movies, etc.), in part because they are concerned with pleasing other people. In contrast, people low in openness are very independent and opinionated; they know what they like and aren’t apt to change their opinion.
Easygoingness, or a person’s work ethic and degree of mental flexibility. People that are high in easygoingness are very relaxed, broadminded and unaffected by change. In contrast, people low in easygoingness tend be hardworking, firm, and sometimes inflexible.
PlentyofFish.com has grown over the years with new features and better matching technology. They have a huge presence in the US and Canada and usually have about 100,000 users online at during peak hours. The sign-up process took me about 5 minutes and that was including taking the personality test that you have to complete every question on.
Be sure to keep yourself safe dating online and check out some of our Online Dating Safety Tips.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 eclectricities // Jan 18, 2009 at 7:17 PM
The following is a (mostly) objective review of PlentyofFish.com, written by a 24 year-old former user with reference to a sample of users ages 20-29 observed for approximately five months. The reviewer has been described as “very good-looking;” one user described the reviewer as the “cutest (*insert gender here*) on the site.”
I joined PlentyofFish.com because, to be perfectly honest, I’ve had my nose to the academic grind for the past six years, and am now, post-graduation, finally getting back into the swing of social life. I thought PlentyofFish.com, and internet dating in general, might provide a fun and easy way to meet new singles, and make, at the least, some new friends. This is what I observed.
In general, profiles were poorly constructed; most users in my age range (20-29) wrote an average of one paragraph (5-7 sentences) of self-description, and said descriptions were generally riddled with unattractive grammar errors (e.g., “hi my name is ____ i like too party and chil with my friends sound good? plz write”).
Of the few extended, more well-written profiles, most were arguably narcissistic, and subsequently as unappealing. In general, extended content offered insight only into users’ opinions of themselves (as opposed to specific likes, dislikes, experiences, etc.); proper grammar correlated with verbosity. Curiously, these profiles were generally accompanied by a primary photo in which the user was not smiling.
Regarding content, most profiles were strikingly similar, although this is likely a consequence of their general brevity. Most common likes included “going out,” and “having fun.” Most users expressed partiality to activities involving alcohol consumption. Most users were unsure of their reason for joining the site.
Younger users (30) were more likely to present a multidimensional self-characterization.
Many users, male and female, plainly state “no creepers,” etc. Many female users report receiving multitudes of sexually explicit and otherwise upsetting messages from male users, including photos of genitals and requests for sex. After numerous conversations with users, I can say with some confidence that male users with appropriate intentions may be greatly outnumbered by male users with inappropriate intentions.
In general, approximately 50-75% of users of both sexes appeared noticeably unhealthy. Female users most often presented photographs taken from a peculiar angle in which the user looks demurely up toward the camera held by the user above herself at arms length. The user’s forehead and eyes appear greatly enlarged. The resultant photo resembles a space alien or toddler. Male users seem to think a picture is a picture; a photo of their nostrils’ interior might as well “do the trick.”
The reviewer is pleased to note that s/he spoke with at least two superlative users over 30; however, the reviewer is 24, and does not feel inclined to date users older than 30.
Overall, with respect to users under 30, the site appears to be loaded with half-assed, often unappealing profiles written by individuals who a). would, honestly, rather be meeting people the old-fashioned way, b). seek mass adulation, and/or c). are already profoundly skeptical of online dating, none of which is conducive to establishing a single, worthwhile relationship via online dating. Thus, I cancelled my profile, and am now pursuing more traditional, actively social means of meeting friends and potential dates.
In conclusion, based on the sample observed, the reviewer cannot recommend PlentyofFish.com for users under 30 who seek serious relationships. The reviewer might suggest that young singles continue to do what they have always done: get off the computer, volunteer, go to a church, go dancing, build a network of like-minded people who will introduce you to other like-minded people, and meet Mr./Miss Right face-to-face, in a context that you will both remember with fondness.
2 JEANETTE // Jan 24, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Where are all you gentlemen
3 71flavors // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:51 AM
free online dating is the way to go…
4 Simone Travis // Apr 23, 2009 at 8:02 AM
POF yanked their IM last week without notifying their members. This is indicative of the kind of nonsense members have had to put up with from POF management. Needless to say I’ve cancelled by membership, and will be going elsewhere!
5 Leni // Jun 10, 2009 at 11:23 AM
I have tried 4 times already to get into your system and I have NOT succeeded. It keeps telling me I need to choose my state in which in reality, it doesn’t say state, but rather Province? and I have to choose something in that field. Very weird. So I do choose the closest province to the United States, but then it deletes me off every time. After spending 20 minutes each of the times creating a profile. Please help!!!
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