Online Dating?

[pridepancakes21]

Have you ever used online dating? How did it go? Did you actually find a relationship or a fuck buddy? What is a decent gay dating site for the US?

[megumidesu]

i haven't used dating sites , but it seems like most of the time people on there are just looking to hook up

however , i do know a few people who have met people online and ended up in long term relationships . if you're using one to find a relationship , it's unlikely that you're the only one

[pellaz]

if you dont restrict your dating options in a already small dating pool of gay men. Address the general gay male population minus a few deal breakers. Honesty and wanting a relationship would be places to start

be honest.

[Chas]

Its true what Megumi says, most of the time people are only looking to hook up. There are risks with meeting people from any websites or phone apps but doing simple things like arranging to meet in a public place and arranging your own transport to and from the place of your date can make things a little more safer for yourself.

Not everyone is a bad person on these apps and websites though, I found my current boyfriend on Grindr which is well known for being a hook up app. I also had too many offers for no-strings fun which didn't really appeal to me.

The best apps/websites are all determined by what you're actually looking for and the people in your area who use them. I found normal dating sites great for the dating side of things but my boyfriend was ironically found on Grindr.

[LateBloomer]

For sheer numbers, go for Match.com.

Lot's of people on there.

But one word of caution: Your listed age is 18. If that's accurate you need to understand that at your age and probably through your 20s and 30s you're gonna meet lots of guys on ANY website just looking for hook ups. It's the nature of the beast.

There are exceptions! But generally we male types are not interested in settling down until our 40s.

Good luck. Online dating can be fun if you approach it with the right attitude. Try not to be cynical. Just go one step at a time and have a good time.

Zen philosophy might suggest we find what we're looking for when we stop searching. Not true in my case, so I suggest getting out there and mixing it up but keeping expectations realistic.

[MisterTinkles]

No, no, and no.

You might as well be in a bar trying to pick up men....its the same damn thing...just with more drunks, druggies, and morons.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I've been using OKCupid - lots of nibbles but no hits and the majority of nibbles turned out to be looking for 'just sex' or 'sex first'. There was one nice guy who sent me like a gigabyte of photos of himself and his other sex buddies doing all sorts of interesting things.... And I didn't even need to ask.

And I have a lengthy profile which is decidedly relationship oriented with very little said in the sex department and still got the attention of that critter.

I looked at other sites, but I figured if their profile pictures are of their penises its not a site that will find me a man/husband/potential mate/whatever that isn't just a dick....

I think that there are no real site out there that shields one from sex-aholics looking for their next fix....

[VileKyle]

I've been using online dating lately, and I don't see any problem with it. Sure there's the people you'll run into who only want to hook up and fuck, but there are a lot of "normal" people on there too. For someone like me, dating sites make a lot of sense. I have severe anxiety problems (not online, obviously) and I am uncomfortable and unable to bring up dating with people in public. It may not be for everyone, but for certain people (me) online dating sites make perfect sense.

[ChrisH]

For me, it's hit and miss with people - more often than not with me, it's more like I end up initiating conversations with other guys, and rarely is it the other way around. I had what could barely be called a relationship over long distances last year, and this year I've gained a pen-pal (also long distance, but strictly platonic).

I've also met guys for a date and never talked to them again, for several various reasons.

There aren't really any good gay dating sites - you could call them hook-up sites if you wanted to.

But, like with cars, your mileage may vary. You might hate it, or you might like it.

Personally speaking, my surrounding area consists of 750,000 people, with probably a sixteenth or less of that being gay and a sliver of that being within my preferable age group.

[LONDONER]

There was an interesting and revealing documentary on BBC2 last night precisely about online dating sites such as Cupid.com, Match.com etc. It seemed to me that most of them are just cons.

For example, Cupid.com is free to join as seems are all of the others. You join, create your profile and in the case of some of the examples illustrated, the person immediately starts to receive dozens of replies. Trouble is that he or she can see the replies but is not able to answer until he or she pay the fee that is not an inconsiderable amount. Then, surprise surprise, all the replies dry up. Then, once the subscription has expired, the e-mails come flooding in again and once again you have to pay a further subscription to be able to reply to them and, unsurprisingly, they all dry up again.

The investigation proved that a large majority of the profiles were false. The photos were of real people, one of an TV announcer in Australia, another of a British actress and one even of Michell Pfeiffer! Naturally, none of these people had ever opened an account with Cupid.com.

Some whistleblowers who had worked for the company told how they had been told to create false profiles to lure customers in.

So, in resumen, you shouldn't bother with them unless you are really gullible and are willing to spend vast sums of money. One man confessed that he had spent something like £8,00 in four years! Cupid.com has a vast turnover. I think the figure mentioned was £81,000,000!