In our fast-paced and time-poor society, technology has come to our aid offering us a myriad of ways to get more done in less time. Developers have hacked solutions to even the most personal and intimate parts of our lives, dating and sex, promising to deliver a soulmate (or f-ckmate) in a few clicks of a button or swipe of a finger.
I will admit that I initially was a skeptic, but after several false starts with men whom I’d met organically, I eventually gave into the temptation of an algorithm relieving me of the burden of picking a match. In the past nine months I’ve trialled three of the most popular online dating platforms: OKCupid, Match.com and Tinder, each for a period of three months. Despite sitting under the same parent company (IAC’s Match Group) each platform maintains its own distinct flavor. Based on my experience with all three, this is my take on each service.
OKCupid – Everybody and their mama
A traditional dating site with an added swipe-to-like functionality.
a) Cost: Free or pay to upgrade to ‘A-list’ membership starting at about $5/mo.
b) Good for: hook-ups/ casual dating/ serious relationships/ marriage
c) Ease of setup: Easy
Sign-up is by email address or Facebook account to expedite the process. While there are sections in the profile that prompt the user on what to write about (e.g. What I’m Doing With My Life, I’m Really Good At, The First Thing People Notice, Message Me If), there’s no requirement that all sections must be completed. OKCupid also has a plethora of Match Questions that the site encourages users to answer in order to better match community members. Filling in these questions can be time consuming but, again, it’s not mandatory. I really like that OKCupid gives the user flexibility in deciding how much or how little to invest into their profile, making the setup process fairly easy and adaptable to each user’s patience tolerance...
Excerpt from post originally published on Madame Noire.