I guess back to Craigslist’s classified section 😆
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2026
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I remember using MyYearBook back when it was called that (I think it was changed to something like MeetMe or whatever, last I heard), and had a fair bit of fun on that site when I was younger. It was chaotic, super broken, was kind of like a really bloated MySpace, and what really made it fun is that they incorporated a whole plethora of mini-games to match with people in fun ways.
It kind of seems like a lot of platforms now days, both for dating, as well as games want to restrict communications, if that makes any sense? Like in a lot of online games, you might not even be able to open a text chat, and can only communicate through pre-defined gestures. And dating sites seem to want to put abstractions like swiping and questionnaires before any dialogues take place. And maybe for good reason.
There's just a kind of fun in things like the classic chatrooms that I miss I guess. Just make your profile, do some shitposting until people start dropping ASL's into your DM's, and go from there.
Chatroom style ones like Discord can still work okay except for the part where you gotta use Discord.
Online chatrooms restrict the depth of communication you can have because of moderation.
Can't monitor and police the world wide chat 24/7. Easier to just allow templates.
Maybe if they weren't all about making money off loneliness they might be doing a bit better.
The dating app kinda reminds me of gambling. Gambling is selling the hope of being rich. Dating apps are selling the hope of finding a partner.
Grindr is the ultimate gamble, hahah I was telling me wife my blocklist grows every day. I had a guy solicit me for dirty socks, didn't even want to buy them just wanted to trade one dirty sock for three clean ones... I had another guy call me an asshole for not responding to them. Not to mention the people who don't read profiles.
They just throw quarters into the machine and hope one of their bets pays off.
website has a persistent AI chatbot overlay, btw
easy avoid, for me
Yesterday, I matched with 12 men. Only two messaged me.
Lmao she should have tried running an account for an average looking man
"Yesterday, I swiped on 1000 women. I got one match. She removed me. An above average day"
- why I'm not on tinder anymore.
Have you tried being 6'7"
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Everything I've watched or read online seems to indicate that dating apps suck for an overwhelming majority of people so good riddance?
What I can't figure out is what comes next. Singles events (at a bar for ex)? Meet up type events where your doing something with other single people? Friends try to set you up with someone?
I've been married for 10 plus years so I have no skin in the game but it's an interesting topic to me.
I've personally had luck with dating subreddits like r4r.
I'm too introverted for irl dating so it was the only remaining option for me.
Found my current girlfriend there and I couldn't be any happier.
My current strategy is to die alone
From my social circle at least college seems to be by far the most popular place where couples met eachother. Nearly every couple we knew in college is still together almost a decade later. It's followed by Hinge, but we only know two couples who met there. We also know two couples who met on discord, so that's also definitely a good option if you're already into some hobby which isn't heavily dominated by one gender.
I've been married for a long time too and we met on the greatest dating website of all time: Craigslist Personals.
You entered your gender, age, a written segment, and an optional photo. No algorithm, no matching. Everything written was searchable and published via RSS. All communication went through email. No app, no subscription, and the only ads were sex workers.
In the context of this article, it forced the user to engage by reading people's blurbs instead of just swiping for brain chemicals like Candy Crush. You felt like you were talking the other humans and the website was just where you went to meet them.
If such a site were recreated today, users would want to run the RSS feed through a slop rejection filter.
Craigslist casual encounters was wild. IYKYK
It was what Tinder always advertised itself as but never quite became 😂
lol I loved reading them, never replied to any.
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HOW is this Possible? All dating Apps do is make it IMPOSSIBLE to Find a Real Person! How is that NOT a Winning Strategy in the "Find a Real Person" Industry?
it’s not because there isn’t a desperate need. it’s that they are predatory and make a hard thing fucking impossible, and have a vested interest in making it impossible and charging for the solution, but not a good enough solution to invalidate needing to keep using it.
I of of the opinion that these sites commoditize women. They take in profiles, they curate and hoard them. They know that men will pay to get access to them, so they put the best "opportunities" behind their paywall. If you don't pay, you can see them, but have low chances of getting their attention. I presume the same happens to both sides, but regardless of how they operate, they don't want you to find someone. They don't make money if you find someone and quit using the app.
They manipulate a population that is hooked on convenience and pretend to offer the same thing. Be a lazy turd and find a hot woman from your sofa. That isn't realistic, but that's the pitch. Nobody starts dating thinking "hmm, I want the chunky person who has no other hobbies than swiping on their phone while Netflix plays in the background". If these apps were at all helpful, they'd tell you to put on some pants, get off the sofa and develop some appealing interests (no, "hiking" isn't one of them because you don't actually do it).
Good fucking riddance if this is at all true.
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If they are dying, I'd say nothing of value is lost.
It's so uncommon to see good news these days.
As they should for good!
Good riddance
I’ve paid for a few to see if it helps - It does and I feel like it was worth it up until 2 years ago when they changed how matching works. But you know what doesn’t work, people telling the truth on their profile. So great, I had better matches or in my case on bumble, better choice for matches based on who liked me. But damn if Jeni from the town next door loved “hiking” when really she just loved watching tv and one day wanted to “be more active”. She also told me she wanted to move to Spain one day… guess who also wanted to move to Europe ( Spain, wherever) - me! But I got the job and she’s pulling the “well not yet!!!” and in the end just wanted to visit and knew I have money to do this. P.s. I live in Spain now.
Each profile is a crafted (and truth bending) aspect of your life for others to review and I hate how it doesn’t capture the truth of who you really are in person. I went in being honest and found women who liked the same, but yet they were never really who they were on the app. I found my best matches when I wasn’t truthful or bent the truth a tad but yet I never stayed together long.
Best girlfriend so far, met her organically on the beach because my dog went over to say hi by licking her face. She’s a bit over the top, has tattoos everywhere including a funny phrase on her ass, but she’s the most compatible woman I’ve met so far.
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