Absolutely Free Personals

From LoveToKnow Dating

Setting up and replying to personal ads online can get expensive, which is why it can be tempting to stick to absolutely free personals.

Find someone special on a free site!

Consider the Advantages and Disadvantages

There are some advantages and disadvantages associated with using free personals.

The following are some of the advantages:

No credit card numbers or other financial information needs to change hands, which is a definite plus when dealing with an unfamiliar site.
There is no limit to how many ads a person can respond to or how many times someone else can respond to that person’s ad.
It is possible to set up multiple profiles without breaking the bank to increase the odds of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right.

Here are the disadvantages:

Sites that offer absolutely free personals are sometimes besieged by spammers or identity thieves who set up fake profiles to lure consumers into their traps.
Free sites most likely have less stringent screening criteria so the personality matches may not be as good as, for example, eHarmony's.
Some free sites do not offer very good security options for keeping personal information private.
Many people looking for serious relationships go straight to the sites they deem more legitimate, often eschewing the free sites.

That being said, there is no reason not to give free personals a chance. It’s just important to use them carefully and to understand the drawbacks of these online dating sites before getting started.

Sites that Offer Absolutely Free Personals

Once you are ready to get started, you have a lot of websites to choose from to either post or search free personals. A few of the most prominent sites are:

DateHookup.com – This site is based in the United States and is for men and women. Criteria include hair and eye color, education, personality (shy or outgoing) and occupation. It has social networking aspects such as a blog and an add a friend feature. The site features some Google ads.
4ppl.com – This site has members from all over the world and promotes the fact that it is free yet does not have any advertisements on it. It seems to get a lot of traffic but also has a good amount of spam. It’s necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff here, since people can make up fake emails and still log in. Registering takes less than five minutes. Note that people can upload nude images, so this is not for the easily offended.
WebDate.com – This is another international site that does not appear to have any advertisements. The sponsors claim that it is the “#1 personals and dating site.” It accepts members in any country. You need to supply a valid email to set up an account.
TG Personals – This site is for people who are transgendered or cross dressers and are looking for partners who either share that lifestyle or are accepting of it. United States residents post most of the ads but anyone can join the site.

When Free Personals Aren't Absolutely Free

People looking for free personals need to look out for sites that seem free but really aren’t. For example, Match.com lets people browse ads for free, but they must pay if they want to actually respond to any of these ads. Many other sites offer free trials but require credit card information before that trial begins. Often the site management is counting on people to forget to cancel when their free membership expires.

Remember that meeting people in person is always free, so it’s good to let friends and family know you’re looking. It’s fine to still look on the web, but you should allow yourself as much help as possible in your quest to meet the right person.

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