****Relationships really can work, if we're willing to be honest about them!****


About-Home-Contact-Helpful Resources








Monday, December 22, 2008

Why pay when free is just as good?

You know, over the last 5 years or so, I've belonged to many different sites. I have met some really fantastic people through forums and dating/pen pal sites. I have seen quite a few people "Hook up" and have great romantic, as well as friendly relationships. I've touched on this before in another post, but I'd like to figure out what the difference is between paying sites and free sites?

Take plentyoffish for instance. It has a large and diverse membership, local get-togethers, personality tests, picture ratings etc. It's one of the best free dating/friend sites I've seen around. It seems to have all of the qualities that the paying sites have except for the cost.

So, what is it that attracts people to go looking for relationships on paying sites when there's free sites that offer almost, if not exactly, the same thing? Sure, some of the larger pay sites advertise on mass media, but what does it take for any of us to just type in "free dating sites" into google?

I know I'm not the brightest star in the sky, but I just can't figure out why people pay when in all reality, they don't have to.

Any ideas?

*Note-I used plentyoffish just as one example. I could have used hi5, myspace, friendster, yelp, youtube and even twitter in the near future as examples.

.
Posted by at
Labels:

8 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 23, 2008 at 12:39 AM

    I used to wonder that myself. But I think it's
    A. People may don't know
    B. People who are serious will pay. Keep out the people who are not so serious.
    C. Free sites is more for them who are looking to flirt and not marriage.
    D. People think they can't find love just by connecting with people online without having to go to a pay site.
    E. The pay site is looking professional, and we go to a professional when we need help, right?

    ReplyDelete
  2. bobbyboyDecember 23, 2008 at 2:56 PM

    Healthygirl, are you sure that you aren't an expert in this area of dating? lol

    Love your answers and also I have thought that people tend to believe that if it's a free site, it can't be professional and honest.

    Thanks for the fantastic insight :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 23, 2008 at 4:22 PM

    I'm afraid my treatment of online dating sites is more like that of a people-watcher than a date-seeker. I get a kick out of reading the little blurbs people post about themselves and how similar most of them are!

    Most love sushi, their HUGE group of friends, and something that either involves animals(guys) or sports(girls). Micro marketing at its best!

    Like most aspects of a relationship; it's what you put in that counts, right? A lot of people tend to think that spending money for a dating site account puts them in a better position for success.

    The rest of us cruise okcupid with a lop-sided grin and save our money for buying coffee with our deranged online dates!

    Seth

    ReplyDelete
  4. bobbyboyDecember 23, 2008 at 4:25 PM

    Hi Seth, I'm a people watcher as well, with a touch of friend maker thrown in lol

    Love your perspective and insight also.

    "Like most aspects of a relationship; it's what you put in that counts, right?"

    Can't agree more :)

    Thanks for passing by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 28, 2008 at 6:58 AM

    I think it really depends on where you live. I live in a medium-sized Midwest city and the men on Plenty of Fish are DISGUSTING. I hated it on there.

    Someone told me, "You get what you pay for."

    Now, with that said, I think it depends on which city you live in. But that's just a theory because I don't live in a huge city. I just hear about people having more luck online dating in larger urban areas.

    ReplyDelete
  6. bobbyboyDecember 28, 2008 at 7:19 AM

    Hi Ms. Single Mama,
    Area or region as a factor? You might be on to something there, I never looked at it that way. On the other hand, there probably are those who hate POF who live in a big city, as well as those who hate paying sites that live in big/smaller cities also.

    Thanks for the input MSM :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 28, 2008 at 5:20 PM

    Ms. Single Mama has a really good point. When I was looking into dating sites the first thing I did was go to ALL of them and do preliminary searches for guys in my demographic in my area (NYC). Then I went with the one with the best options for me (the most interesting seeming guys). Otherwise there really is no difference. A lot of people are registered on 3 or 4 sites at once so it's not like the users are all that different from one to the other.

    ReplyDelete
  8. bobbyboyDecember 28, 2008 at 5:36 PM

    Hi SG,

    "it's not like the users are all that different from one to the other."

    This question is what prompted me to do the post.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for your comment and input! :)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
 
eXTReMe Tracker