| 2/22/2003 "Singles Sites Are Just As Bad As Porn Sites." Has anyone else noticed that there is no such thing as a good singles site on the web? I mean, not like I've been surfing through singles sites or anything lately, but I do remember signing up for a few back when I was single... Ok, singles sites are usually set up for a single purpose, and that's to introduce people to one another, and hopefully form a couple out of a possible pair. A lot of sites out there allow you to make a profile, and add a crapload of information about yourself via stadard information blocks like in an application, followed by a series of short-answer text boxes, and multiple choice questions, that are supposed to give someone who is reading your profile a slight idea or inkling of your personality. Most sites also allow you to upload pictures to add alongside your profile. So far, it sounds pretty good, huh? This is where the crap starts. Ok, you've made your own profile, and you begin to skim through all the profiles of members of the opposite sex... Some sites have tiny little thumbnails of the girl or guy...they're so tiny, that the only thing that you can tell about these people is their body build. They're features are so small and blurred that they are imposible to identify, and when you click on the picture to enlarge it, another window opens up, telling you that in order for you to see these photos in full-size, you'll have to sign up and pay a certain dollar amount a month. Why is this crappy? Because all you're looking for is one or two possibilities, you know? Some singles sites are even sneakier. They allow you to view these attractive people, and allow you to read their profiles, but they have editers view the profiles before they are posted, and they remove all contact information such as email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, etc... In fact, in order to even contact these people, you have to sign up and pay the monthy fee. Some sites even make you fill out a page about your "ideal match" then they use this information to come up with a list of possibilities, and then spam the hell out of you with a daily or weekly list of members of their site that could possibly be an interest to you because of your similar answers to your personality serveys and such. I'm not even going to waste my time searching around and compiling a long and stupid list of singles sites to end this rant with. You know where to find them. They have their stupid banners everywhere. Yahoo has it's own singles service, and I'm pretty sure that just about every large email account provider site, such as MSN and AOL have them too. Internet Dating Services have hit an ultimate low with thier clever schemes to get your money. In my mind, they're at PORN SITE LEVEL. The amount of spam from both of these sites is about equaled, and both genres of sites have their stupid little banners that they pay other sites to put on the border of their content to enhance site hits. In short, I suggest that you don't waste your time trying to meet a possible boyfriend or girlfriend on the internet through a singles site. I mean, if you got the money...do whatever you want, but i recommend against it. There are better methods that what they have set up for you. Chatrooms, although they suck, do work. Go to a local chatroom, and you can sometimes meet people there that actually talk like civilized beings, and don't beg people to either show their nakedness on their webcam, sing or play music into their microphone, or curse because it makes them feel cool. Another option is that you can check out sites that allow people to make profiles, but don't consider themselves a dating service. Yahoo used to have a collection of profiles, but I don't think that that service is offerec anymore. It was a "members directory" of sorts. Otherwise, you could always try sites like www.makeoutclub.com, a site designed to make friends with similar interests, not couples. - Rob |
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