Internet Dating Services Blog

Although most online dating services are not free, it is in fact possible to meet potential dates online for no cost.  Free online dating is not only possible, but fun and easy at the same time.  You don’t have to pay the often exorbitant monthly fees of the more serious online dating services just to meet people.  There are plenty of sites that actually allow you to post a profile, send, and receive messages from other members without any charge.

The trick to finding a good free online dating site is to look for one that isn’t advertising itself as a free online dating site.  Counterintuitive, isn’t it?  Most of the sites that claim to offer free online dating are really just trying to reel you in.  They will allow you to post a free profile, and will suck you in with plenty of cute little features, but then when it comes time to send a message to someone you’re interested in, you immediately get taken to an order form and have to ‘upgrade’ your account to go any further.  And by upgrade we of course mean pay.

So, while it is technically ‘free’ to use these sites, it costs money to actually meet people on them.  You can’t even respond to people who’ve sent you messages without paying.  Basically, the good stuff, the real reason why you joined an online dating site in the first place, is kept behind bars until the online dating service receives their check.

There are a few exceptions of course; some online dating sites just starting out will give you complete use of their site for free just to build up a membership roster.  Also, if you happen to be a woman, you may be fortunate enough to receive messages from men that include alternative ways to get in touch, bypassing your need to pay any required fees.  Free online dating is therefore somewhat easier to pull off if you are female.  It’s kind of like ladies night where drinks are half off for women.  Who said chivalry was dead?

For men, free online dating services usually means either finding a dating site that is just starting out, or using a site that isn’t specifically designed for dating.  The rise in popularity of networking sites like Friendster.com and Myspace.com offers a free medium for meeting people online.  Now not everyone on these sites is necessarily looking for a date, but usually people’s profiles indicate if they are or not.

Free online dating can also be accomplished by way of free bulletin board style sites such as Craigslist.com.  While this is certainly the easiest and most anonymous way to meet people online, it’s also the riskiest and least likely to succeed.  Still, in addition to using one or more networking sites, Craigslist.com can help round out your free online dating options and boost your chances of finding a date.

Finally, it should be mentioned that there are a few really free online dating services that have cropped up recently. These sites are generally funded via advertising, so while you may have to put up with a few ads while surfing for your next date, it does save you a nice chunk of change.  One such example is PlentyofFish.com.  The point here is, if you just do a little digging, you’ll see that free online dating is very possible.