| It used to be that there is no such thing as a free lunch. | | | | leaves a trail that can back to the subscriber. A person |
| Then along came the internet and free became | | | | who can be traced is less likely to engage in crooked |
| almost an automatic expectation. | | | | activity. |
| The expectation of free stuff has but pervaded the | | | | Another important thing is quality. If the site is not |
| internet, online dating included. Add to this that some | | | | making money from subscriptions, it must be getting its |
| people-including some of whom should know better- | | | | revenue from somewhere. The most likely source is |
| cannot quite distinguish between a true internet dating | | | | advertising. Prepare to be bombarded with ads, |
| site and a chat room. Whatever happened to "you get | | | | pop-ups and offers. Most Spy ware and Trojan |
| what you pay for"? | | | | infections sneak into a computer through "free" |
| So, do free dating sites exist? If so, are they worth | | | | services and downloads. |
| your time? | | | | Caliber of potential prospects also matters. What kind |
| The answer to the first question is yes. But wait, not | | | | of person will not commit a few dollars to finding the |
| so fast. There is a price to pay. To answer the | | | | perfect mate? You can be sure that many lowlifes, |
| second question, I will ask you this; how much is your | | | | losers and practical jokers will find a haven in free |
| time worth? Or should I ask, how much is time spent | | | | sites. Is a wonder that most online dating nightmare |
| on finding your soul-mate worth? | | | | stories seem to originate from free chat rooms? |
| You see, while it may seem enticing to use a free | | | | In contrast, a person who is willing to pay a subscription |
| dating site, you could end up investing so much time | | | | fee is already demonstrating commitment, and can be |
| that it will cancel out at best. Most likely it will not be | | | | taken seriously. |
| worth it. You will find yourself spending lots of time on | | | | Finally, free sites will be likely to cut corners in order to |
| poor quality websites that don't work efficiently. Read | | | | keep operating costs as low as possible. This means |
| frustration and agitation. And this is just for starters. | | | | that features will be limited. You will also get very little |
| Next is safety. Background checks and/or verification | | | | useful information about your prospects. Site |
| are most likely inexistent on free sites as they just will | | | | improvements will be few and far between if any at |
| not spend much time or (duh?) money on this. What | | | | all. |
| this means is that you will most likely be contacting a | | | | The bottom-line still is: you get what you pay for. If you |
| person who is not whom they claim to be. Read | | | | want quality you must be willing to make the |
| potential disaster. | | | | commitment. If in doubt get a free trial membership |
| In contrast, a paid dating site usually requires the use of | | | | with a reputable dating site, then decide if it is what you |
| a credit card, or other verifiable form of payment. This | | | | want. If so, go with it. If not, move on. |