You’ve either found your way here to find love or have fun, but whichever it is, let me tell you that the theory behind Internet dating websites is actually more sound than you may realize. Despite what you may have heard from outside sources, research shows that the Internet is actually a great place to find a quality mate. There are so many different sites to choose from, but the one thing I know, is it’s best to go with one of the top 10 websites, as they’ll offer you the greatest number of members to choose from.
Beginning with the crème de la crème of Internet dating sites, eHarmony.com, Dr. Neil has discovered the ultimate formula to finding true love and has neatly packaged it in a $59.95 pink felt box with a purple polka dotted bow! Eharmony is in my opinion one of the better sites for finding members who are for the most part seriously looking to find “the one”.
Dr. Neil’s scientific approach to finding your match is certainly a step in the right direction, however, there is just one fundamental flaw in its grand design… People Lie! According to studies, upwards of 80 percent of all members stretch the truth about their age, weight, height, and active hobbies. There is also no scientific proof that any formula works, but I must admit I’m a success story. Did I play by the rules? Well no, but I did make up my own.
The eHarmony system works by finding you an opposite match, hoping your opposing viewpoints will compliment each other. For me, this was not the case, I am quiet and laid back, and my matches were consistently too aggressive for my taste. What I did was take matters into my own hands, retook the test, and answered the questions in the exact opposite of how I really felt. The end result was finding someone who was very similar to me, which was what I had been looking for in the first place. I’m not saying this would work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me.
I think we all bend the rules (and truth) to find what we perceive to be our ultimate mate, and if anyone should know what you want, even better than Dr. Neil himself, it’s you. This is why Beautifulpeople.com caught my curiosity for a short time. It is based entirely on looks and money. You cannot even get on the site if you do not have one or the other. You are actually voted and invited to stay by others on the site, which makes it a lot like the television show Survivor, except that admitting to slurping beetle dung might actually count against you here.
Beautifulpeople.net is a no-nonsense, in your face approach to the Internet dating realm. Either you’re hot enough to play in the sand, or you’ll be kicked back into the chilly playpen with the rest of the eHarmony cast away’s (not really, but the members sure would like you to think so). Nobody is asking you what your favorite Healthy Choice frozen dinner is, but instead what your favorite sexual positions are. Okay, so maybe not the best choice for finding true love, but it will certainly keep you entertained.
Somewhere between frozen dinners and racy sexual positions there has to be some kind of middle ground. Well, that just so happens to be Match.com and Zoosk.com. These are two popular dating websites where anyone is welcome, and the responsibility of finding a match is put back into your own court. These websites feature a healthy mix of those looking for a serious relationship and those looking for a good time, and they are usually pretty open about their intentions. Case in point, the famous Match.com introductory line, “Nothing serious, just FUN”.
I had a lot of fun with these two websites, and found a lot of great people to date. I would not say they were always the greatest of matches, but it was a good place to experiment with different people, which ultimately helped me decide what I really wanted in a forever mate. The biggest problem with the membership sizes of these sites, is people resort to assorting their top picks by looks, which is easier than reviewing every profile in its entirety. Keep in mind, however, that studies show most people will not look like their profile picture, and the better they look, the greater the chances the photo is old.
While I think choosing the right dating websites is a very personal thing, some good advice that goes across the gambit is to take it slow, don’t get too serious early on, research the different websites before making a decision to join, and be open to those who may not at first seem to be your type. But above all, be safe and have fun!
Photo via RhiannonsWave
