Free Online Dating: What You Need To Know

If you've tried your hand at online dating, you've run across this problem:

You find a great site, with some great pictures, and start to think "this is actually pretty good!" You create a profile and...

They want money.

It's not a lot of money normally, but you can see the issue. Some sites won't let you even browse without laying down a credit card. Others tease you like the one above, allow you to the door then slam it in your face.

The reason for this is pretty obvious. These pay dating sites are taking advantage of the fact that this is a HUGE industry. The amount of traffic dictates that you have a valuable commodity. Someone finally slapped a price tag on it.

What do you do about this? Well, the good news is that there are quite a few FREE dating sites out there. That's right, not a penny to join.

There are some other wonderful upsides to these sites, and some downsides too though. I'll show you the perks and show you how to deal with the issues.

One of the better perks is that you can see EVERYONE on these sites. All the pictures, and you can get a feel about someone without having to jump through hoops.

The down side of this is that there is a LOT of bad profiles. Many that don't have pictures, or have pictures that are either old, or fake. Since these fakers can set up as many free profiles as they want, they tend to do a lot of them. Why? There are a multitude of reasons, but only a few apply here.

The primary way to deal with this is to be specific in what you are looking for, first and foremost.

Are you partial to redheads? Then search for redheads only, to start. It's always a good idea to start with specifics, then move on up with generalizations. One thing to always look for is the option for profiles with pictures only.

Second, take a look at the pictures. Is it a singular picture of a model from a magazine? With no accompanying "real life" pictures? Chances are, it's a fake profile.

The last thing to watch for are solicitations. Rule of thumb: if they want you to leave the site, or email them off of it, then forget it.

You should be able to weed out the good from the bad easily, with some practice. This is important, as you don't want to spend too much time having to weed through the multitude of profiles you encounter.

That brings me to another issue- high traffic means high competition. If a profile of a very attractive woman goes up, rest assured she'll get bombarded with emails, more than she can read. She'll be able to set some high standards. Don't fret though, you can come out ahead of the curve, if you understand what to say.

The key is to get her attention fast. First and foremost, have a picture. Period. No picture, no response, I can guarantee you this.

Next, you need to quickly catch her attention with what you've written, and not appear typical. See my website for more information.

Make sure to mind your manners as well. Although I HOPE this should be obvious, I can guarantee you that a classy woman isn't going to want to date some guy who starts off with a lewd solicitation.

Heeding the above should allow you to separate yourself from the first wave of riffraff she'll encounter.

One final tip: don't get discouraged! You'll get some no replies, and some flat out "no" answers, but remember it's a huge numbers game. Get out there, hit it hard and you'll be rewarded.

So which free sites are good? I like Plenty Of Fish, or Ok Cupid. For my area they are pretty good. Try them, and if you don't like what you see, keep looking on google. If a site looks good, give it a try!