When you live in a small(er) town, like say, Appleton, Wisconsin, choosing an online dating site that has a large database is important. Geographically, you’re already at a numbers disadvantage when compared to other women in large cities. That’s why we matched MJ with…Match. We wanted to make sure she had as many guys as possible to interact with.
But sometimes even when the field appears to be white unto harvest, at a closer vantage point, it’s not as great of a crop as first thought. Here’s her final evaluation of her three-month Online Dating Experiment on Match.com:
Let’s get down to numbers: In your 3 months of online dating, how many guys have you actually communicated with: How many have you talked on the phone and/or texted with? How many have you gone on dates with? How many had real potential, even if it didn’t work out?
MJ: Communication on Match goes through many ways on the website. I had lots of likes and winks. Actual people I’ve e-mailed with would be about 15-20. People that I’ve texted with: 2. Didn’t go on a single actual date. I would say there were a few who I thought had potential in their profiles, but they never responded or they stopped e-mailing, so overall it was a bust.
Are there any reasons you think your online dating experience is exceptional or atypical?
MJ: I’m not sure. I was really hoping this would be different but it turned out pretty much the same. Match initially seemed to offer more options in my area, but nothing ever progressed enough to an actual date. I’m not sure if my profile is not appealing enough or if I’m just looking for something that guys on online dating don’t have—you know like an actual interest in Jesus. My other experiences in online dating were similar. I got some initial interest from some people, but never enough to get a real live date.
Are you planning to continue online dating? If so, would you use the same site or try a different one?
MJ: I don’t think I’m going to continue with online dating at this point. I wanted to give it a chance since I really do want to meet someone, and I don’t meet single guys in my every day life. But it just hasn’t worked out for me and seems to require too much effort on my part, checking it every day and trying to send out messages to guys that interest me, without receiving any real results.
Are you planning to continue online dating? If so, would you use the same site or try a different one?
MJ: If I were ever to try again, Match would be a possibility just because of the sheer number of members, but I’m not sure. It’s still a little confusing on how to respond and start real conversations, more than just winks back and forth if they don’t respond to an email.
You’ve been on this online dating venture for 3 months now. What one word would you use to sum it up?
MJ: Disappointing. The first month I was really hopeful after receiving so many notifications from members—more so than any other site I’d been on. But the results were the same. No dates and just frustration over people who wouldn’t respond and being creeped out by a few who initiated with me.
Would you recommend other people try online dating?
MJ: I still know of friends who have had a great experience with online dating and have met their husband/wife through it, so I know it can work, but based on my experience with it, it would not be my first choice to recommend to a friend. I’m thankful for the opportunity and feel like I’ve learned more about myself and what I’m looking for through it, but at this point, it’s not for me.
Have you tried Match.com? Was your experience similar to MJ’s or not?
