I proceeded to investigate other online personal sites and found a variety of payment schemes. Some were totally free, others were no charge to ladies only or free after the first email and many sites require payment for everything except posting a profile. As time went on, I posted my profile at several sites to see what would happen. For sites that advertised free service, I initiated contact with people just to see if the service was indeed at no charge.
Most sites protect information about their members, i.e. name, email, home address so privacy is ensured. You are asked to provide a nickname and email is forwarded to a mail server at the site. Many sites do not allow visitors so you must join and set up a profile in order to browse. This is intended to increase business and to block senders of inappropriate messages.
In this article and in my next article, I will share with you the features of the online personal sites I encountered. There are many out there so I do apologize if I miss a few.
In the beginning, Kiss.com allowed a non-paying (Trial) member to send an email reply to a paying member who initiated contact. It allowed you to see all profiles, regardless of age or location. This has all changed now that it partnered (or was taken over) with Udate. Both of these sites now operate in the same manner.
Setting up a profile is free of charge. You have to choose what age range is allowed to see your profile so you can eliminate viewers according to age. You must specify your location and are automatically restricted to your province or state. So, if you are looking for someone who does not live in your location or if you do not fit into that person's age range preference, you will not be able to see his/her profile. In addition, you are asked many questions about your preference and lifestyles. For people who meet your criteria, they will appear on a Match list. This does eliminate a lot of time spent looking for people who are not your type or in your location. It also protects you from being bothered by people who you'll never choose to meet.
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