Reviews of Match.com

I used to have such a hard time finding dates on Match.com and the blind dates were painful. I found a good website that will hook you up with someone in your area to go on a double-date with. Me and my friend John went on a few double dates with women we met on Match.com and there was a lot less stress. The women seemed to feel safer too.

The website also has this thing called Profile Overhauler. I haven't done it yet, but I guess they write a profile for you using all of these marketing techniques that get your more dates. They also take these really good pictures. I might do it soon. Anyways, the website is overhauler.741.com

Happy Dating!

Did you know that match has a 50 e-mail a day limit on each account? Maybe this is not news to you, but its certainly news to me. I've been using match for several months with limited success. I go on about 3 new dates a month. In the past I've never sent more than 25 e-mails in a day and going weeks without sending a new e-mail when I think I've met someone and prefer not to e-mail anybody new. Being in a slump and realizing its a numbers game I started e-mailing more people in a day. I realized that while the match system was telling me that my e-mail was sent it wasn't showing up on recent e-mails that I had sent page. I called and had the run around. Finally I heard back from a manager that match has set a policy of 50 e-mails a day limit on all accounts. I asked if it was just mine and they said no its accross the board for all members. However, to my knowledge I was never notified of this change and not sure where it is written on their website. If I didn't noticed this and made an issue of it for them to correct I never would have known. Furhter I would have missed the opportunity to hear back from several people. Do any of you know about this limit? Do you know where it is written on their website?

Hi there,

I waa reading the reviews of match.com because I joined match.com a 3 days ago.. I'm a 3 days free trial before they charge me for 6 months .. I haven't got any email/ winks. I sent out a lot of emails and winks.. but no responses.. Well, I'm 28 yrs old gay guy, who is disabled also.. I'm upfront with my disability in my profile and I have a pic... I have Cerebral Palsy. I KNOW I KNOW most of gay guys run the other way when they find out that I'm disabled. Its disappointing how match.com is set up.. My question is Should I cancelled my 3 days free trial before they charge me? and Should I give it a chance? 3 days free trial is very stupid... maybe try a week or 2 not 3 days!!!!

if you want to check out my profile Here is my screen name "Socalsweetguy28" and tell me what you think.. Darn Sure I need a better pic!!

THANKS

to "p" in the Bay area.

The Bay Area is definitely a unique place to live if you're a match.com user. Did you know the Male to Female ratio on match.com is 1.2 men to 1 woman for people living in the Bay area, CA? You can't beat those odds anywhere else in this country.

The nationwide Male to Female ratio on match.com is 2.3 men to 1 woman.

I've seen many of the ladies profiles on match.com stating something about not wanting a "player". My quess is they've been heartbroken at one time by one of these majestic players. The thing I don't like about these ladies profiles' is their text can drive a guy to write like a nice guy. As you know, women dislike "nice guys" more than "players" in regards to a romantic partner. So, your best bet may be to write a profile that sounds like one of a fun person, with a bit your own emotional in the text. You know the kind of profile that sounds like yourself, sounds fun, and mentions you like walks on the beach because your parents took you.

For some reason women love hearing about your family history, if you can tie that family history into a food item or a activity. One example is cooking a dish for her and saying the dish is a family recipe passed down through generations. The tell her a little story about the origin of the recipe( fictional of non-fictional ). This same trick can be used in your profile. The thing is you can only give a hint of the story in your profile. This sort of trick is just a way to get her to email you.

After reading many of the reviews on this site, I am happy to note that many of my intuitions about Match.com were true (and I’m sure the same can apply to other dating sites). Let me give you a background of myself so you can place it in context. I’m 24, attractive, educated, and athletic, have a great personality, and earn a decent income. If you are in the 20 to 25 age range you will have better luck in other venues, big time. And this would make sense in many regards. I have asked many users about their experience with online dating and the age range that seems to have the best success is 28 to 33. There have been many studies conducted that women figure that this age range is typically when men are ready to settle down. And it appears that most women that are online are looking to settle down (not all of course but from what I encountered, it seemed that they were searching for the perfect man under the guise of seeking the average Joe). Ask the overall population if they feel they are average and 95 percent will believe that they are average or above average (hmmmm...think about it). Somehow math is not the forte of society. It also helps if you have a decent income and are relatively attractive. But if you are young, for the most part it seems that you will have limited success as a male in the online dating arena.

I was on Match.com for one month. I had about 80 winks, 10 e-mails, and two dates. And like in life, you get what you pay for. Was it expensive? Well, not anymore expensive than going out to a club, bar, or coffee shop. I’m not strictly picking on Match.com because from reading the reviews of other dating sites, it seems that this is a common gripe across the board for online dating services. Women complain that they receive too many e-mails that are not suitable while men struggle to generate demand. Looking at the ratios is it any wonder? And also with the lopsided numbers both parties will not be satisfied with the results.

If this is one of your venues in approaching the opposite sex then I think it is okay. But be cognizant of the facts and the reality that people are more guarded and the ratio is definitely not in your favor if you are male. Plus, online dating serves as a filter to that elusive “spark” that you can have with someone you just meet. I’ve met people with a simple hello, a slight smile, gotten their number, and dated them. I’m sure we all have. This is because you have to take a chance to meet someone new. Did they know my income? How about my personality? All they knew is “there is something about this guy that I want to find out about.” Online dating is a difficult venue to meet quality women just as it is in a club. The environment makes women highly guarded and their emotional barriers are up. It is much easier to meet someone for example at a gym or even at a art gallery. There are many other places to meet high quality people.

Yet you can have success online and people have. I am not knocking it completely and making it seem like you have no chance of success here (I mean I tried it like everyone else with the attitude of finding a great person – why else would I pay?). To be honest, all single men and women are seeking a good partner. Someone that they can enjoy their very important time with. As most psychologist and dating columnist would say, a mutually satisfying relationship. But you cannot do this unless you are realistic with yourself about these venues. Do not take it as an ego blow if you do not get any responses after one, two, or three months. Try other things. Honestly, if you see an attractive person in a grocery store, why not go up and say hello? If you do not take a risk there is a 100 percent chance you will not succeed. Say hello and your odds increase ten-fold.

There was a review here that actually posted 5 mock profiles of users on Match.com and the results are very enlightening:

http://www.edatereview.com/091001displayreviews.aspx

It is midway down on this page. But I found this experiment (whether it is true or not I am not sure) to be very accurate from what I have talked to with other users. Use your judgment when posting your profile on these sites. And keep in mind that finding a suitable partner has ALWAYS been a challenge. I’ve read many articles proclaiming that in our modern era dating has become a vicious jungle and that in the past it was much easier. Really? In the past did people not have to take a risk to meet someone? Where people guaranteed a partner as a birthright? Hah! People that are worth something, that have substance, that have value beyond their outer shell, and that are relatively attractive will be a highly sought resource! Think about it…a person that is truly passionate and is great to be around will have many people pursuing them. These are the laws of attraction.

I really appreciate this site and I love reading views from both sexes (I apologize I cannot speak for the ladies since I am not one) but can only voice my thoughts as a male that has tried the online dating scene. I wish everyone fortune in their future endeavors and you will find someone; and that will happen when you focus on yourself and work on improving your value as an individual. You will be your best marketing tool to attract the person of your dreams.

Hi, I just wanted to thank all of you for posting. If you are any indication of the people on match, then I am sure to meet my share of intelligent and interesting people. I haven't actually subscribed yet to match and have been wondering about what I would write in my profile. Thanks again for your tips. I plan on posting this year for sure. :D

One question about profiles: if a person is not interested in "players" or people constantly looking for the next best thing, what are some things you would write to make that clear, yet avoid sounding too selective or strict?

Finally, since this is supposed to be a review, I'd say I like the range of women I've seen in my personal searches (10 miles within my zip, Bay Area) in terms of photo-attractiveness. I've also come across a few that I thought were quite interesting from reading their profiles. I don't like how, even though I am a "member", match does not remember my gender or search preferences, and some of the profile questions are a bit vague. Nobody's perfect.

Wow. I was a little suspicious when I hadn't gotten but three emails from ladies in SIX MONTHS, and suddenly, the day that my profile expired, I received an email and had to renew my account to respond to her. She said she's 'going to be out of town' until Thursday. That's tomorrow. We'll see what happens. She 'really liked my profile'. If it turns out that she doesn't want to meet, I will cancel my subscription, because the system is obviously a sham.

Match.com is okay so far. I've been a member for two months and have averaged about a date a week. I'm around thirty, relatively good looking, and make a decent salary. I get a couple of winks and/or e-mails a week from women. Mostly winks.

This website does have a lot of flaws. The male members outnumber the female members by a large margin. So pretty much any guy is going to have to deal with a lot of rejection and non-responses. This can be quite depressing. But, remember that the best hitters in baseball fail over two thirds of the time, so I guess on-line dating isn't any different.

The key is to be persistent. Unless you're really good looking, I would send e-mails instead of winks. Also, only initiate contact with women that you have something in common with. They are far more likely to respond to you. But you have to be good looking too.

Also, beware of scams. I occasionally get e-mails from women who are out-of-state. They are usually very pretty, and often send a generic e-mail saying how interesting my profile looks. They often want me to messenger them on yahoo or something like that. Their profile is usually unavailable. Don't respond to these girls.

Match isn't perfect, but I have met some decent people using it. But of course your mileage may vary, depending on where you live, how you look, and what you do for a living.

I may try eharmony next, since the women supposedly outnumber the men on that site.

I have to agree with some of the posts here about the censorship practices Match.com engages in. I've been a subscriber on and off over the past year and have had mixed results. I won't re-subscribe until such time that Match revises their policies. First, in regards to emails: If you and the person you're contacting are BOTH subscribers (at least in the past), you can send an email address, phone numbers, home address, etc. without fear of it being censored. But as soon as you stop subscribing and, if a paying-subscriber sends you a message with their email address in it (via Match's email), Match substitutes the sending subscriber's real address with the talkmatch address. Trying to 'disguise' it may work but is not guaranteed. This is one of the main reasons I no longer subscribe because I'm pretty sure that emails I sent to women who may or may not have been subscribers (Match doesn't indicate their status) may have been censored. I know for a fact that a few women subscribers sent me their 'real' email address only to find out that it had been replaced with their talkmatch address. Needless to say, they were pissed when they found out. My opinion is that, if I'm paying for a service, I should be able to contact anyone on the site with whatever information I want and the service should not add, change or delete what I send - let the recipient block me if they want. If someone is 'crippled' on Match (i.e., unable to reply), THEN SPECIFY THEIR STATUS, and I'll decide if I want to waste my time contacting them in the first place. Second, regarding profiles: Whether a subscriber or not, when you submit it for approval, Match will review your profile, and indiscriminately remove words, sentences and sometimes random letters at their discretion and then notify you that it's approved and active. Sometimes I've gone back and re-submitted the profile multiple times with the same changes in it and it either comes back with MORE missing info or accepted as submitted! Guess it all depends on who's reviewing it and how they interpret what you've written. Only when I've actually submitted blatant obscenities (just to get their attention) have I received the notice that it violates their 'Terms of Use' and that I need to edit my profile. Duh! This is what should happen whenever a profile is in violation - don't just arbitrarily remove stuff and say it's okay.

Great tips, Faye. I think the best advice for men or women is to put your best foot forward online, without misrepresenting yourself, but also showing a little pride in your appearance and life. I listed a few tips for men based on my experiences. Here are some of my thoughts on women's photos and profiles.

1. What I said before about guys in bars goes for girls as well. Do I really need to see seven photos of you surrounded by your friends grinning away raising beer glasses? One is enough. Too many of these just says you are a barfly. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I see way, way too many pics like this on Match, and they aren't flattering.

2. If you are 23 or younger, the high-contrast webcam pout photo might be cute, but looks absolutely ridiculous on a grown up. Find a friend with a good camera or learn how to use the self-timer on the one you have. You'd be surprised how good photos can look when you turn off the flash and use ambient lighting.

3. Bikini or lingerie shots are not hot. You might as well wear a sign that says "Attention wanted, even from online psychos!". And for the love of all that is good, don't wear a belly shirt or low cut jeans unless you've got the goods for it.

4. Perhaps it is just me, but I'm wary of women who put "No Way" for smoking, yet allow more leeway in their male of choice. Most non-smokers strongly prefer the same, in my experience, so I tend to think these women are either lying about their smoking or desperate.

5. Women love sexuality as much as men, but the reality of online dating is that any woman who mentions sex in her profile will be dismissed as a fake, desperate, and for the same reason as #3, a magnet for every psycho on the website.