AFTER I got divorced for the last time, I joined THREE dating sites.

E-Harmony could not FIND a match for me that was not at least two states away.

Match.com found me ONE match, who wanted to meet me...unfortunately his thing was his boat...and I get seasick. So I never met him. Also, he was way too focused on ME wearing sweaters.

Plenty of Fish was SO nightmarish that I was half convinced the ex was PAYING those guys to provide me with the most nightmarish experience possible.🤣🤣🤣 Now, if he wasn't, I am pretty sure that MOST of the guys I met were meeting me on a bet...for a joke.

I had a bet going with my old work mates on who can get the most matches on Tinder. We were all kinda low to mid looking but good earners at our age so we figured at least something would come our way...

Well...

It was a humbling experience to say the least lol

Yes.
Dated someone who I quite liked but then realised I was in love with my now husband so we never saw each other again.

No. A friend did and met a nice bloke and they've been happily married for 5 years.

Years ago I joined a dating agency where they would match you with someone.

Yes. I've tried dating sites twice in my life - very early on in the early 2010's, and more recently in the last few years. The differences are stark.

First time round, they had a lot of real genuine people who would actually communicate genuinely. I had quite a few nice experiences meeting women before I met my second ex (via eharmony) and romance went downhill from there.

Second time round, I found that they are full of largely fake AI/bot generated 'people' plus dating has become much more gamified due to particular apps like Tinder and Bumble.

I even tried real-life speed dating, and that shows you how bad dating even irl has become.

Also it seems basicall all so-called 'women' on the apps filter specifically for tall men, which is their choice, but it excludes 90+ pct of men on the sites (me included - I'm not 6 ft+). So to most women on dating sites they will not even see most men's profiles just from the height filtering.

I gave up and fully removed all my profiles from the few sites I thought were a bit more positive, but now I just think online dating is entirely 100 pct negative for all men except the top 10 pct who have a 'sexual market value' of 9 or 10 (out of 10).

My second ex was a dating site match back in 2013. I dated one woman for a few months in 2020 who was a dating site match, but there's never been any other positive results from the online dating realm for me. Everyone's experiences will be different, but if you ask men you'll get almost a 99.9 percent universal 'they are bad and should be avoided' response.

I've never asked any women about their experiences partly because I don't socialise or know any single women to ask about their dating experiences.

Basic rule is that they are designed as commercialised romance scams. If you get positive results that's great, but don't go into online dating expecting to immediately find the 'perfect match' or 'soulmate'. Be realistic and then you'll be less shocked by how bad online dating is.

Be happy being single and learn to be the best version of yourself.

Yes. It was interesting. Met a few screwballs, but also some really nice women. I have been having a blast quite honestly. Now I'm culling the herd and happy to settle in on one that I really enjoy.

Dating apps - I've met every one of my exes except one off the apps.

It’s been a. Long time since I used one but I have.

Something I will add. As well as regular sex hookup sites (rsvp, tinder, bumble, pof and the like) I've tried more 'scientific' ones too (eharmony, elite singles, etc.) and because I'm neuro-spicy I gave 'alternative' ones (feeld, redhotpie, adultmatchmaker, etc.) a go.

The sex hookup ones are a total abject failure. (dated someone who turned out to be a toxic feminist from POF in 2020)

The scientific ones are also a total abject failure. (second ex was eharmony match in 2013).

The alternative ones are also an abject total failure as you have to be a single woman or a couple to have any chances on those. I'm neither of those things. 8-) I thought being more targeted on people who are 'different' the outcome might be a little more positive, but it wasn't.

If you have a high SMV you might (as a woman or a man) get lucky.

Yes but not in a long time.

I've tried a few times. It has brought so much crap into my life I will never get on one again.

Never on the internet. Years ago Telacompanions on the phone. Biggest mistake of my life. Met my emotionally and financially destructive 2nd wife there. Yes I was stupid thinking with the wrong head.

Yes. It's sad experience bc I have filters and I wont date local. Makes it slightly impossible.

Yes several. Pretty poor.

all about getting your money 🤗

never had the guts to 🤗⁰

you mean when i log into my alt account and go on the prowl in the images feeds? 🤣...lol, tbh i don't use dating sites

Not in 20+ years they were scary then and they're probably horrific now.

Nah.

NOPE DATING SITES OR A SCAM

Yes unfortunately 😒 Don’t recommend 😭

Never

Nope.

The saddest thing is how online dating has 'gamified' the whole dating culture. It's basically now 'swipe culture' where you pick from a list of criteria and you never see people who don't meet them.

In real life you still see all the people who don't instantly trigger attraction and make choices on who to approach, and who to allow to approach you. You are generally free to approach others and be approached, and deal with the reaction accordingly.

Online you only get presented with the tiny subset who you 'match' with, and it's a 1 in 10 million chance of finding 'the one'. The toxicity (esp from women) on dating sites is horrendous.

Dating sites look more and more like gambling machines at licensed venues like casino's and clubs with poker machines, where everyone is chasing instant gratification.

One time for a few months in the 80's. It was a waste of time.