Are you trying to find the right person, just want to date lots of people, or are you purely looking for physical gratification? Your answer to this question should correlate with which dating platform you choose. Of course, nothing prevents you from mixing and matching to address myriad needs.
Scenario 1: qualitative approach
Do you no longer need to “play the field?” Would prefer to date fewer people whom have a greater chance of being the right one? The best way to meet great people of similar interests, backgrounds, and values is introductions from your circle of friends and friends of friends where the odds are actually in your favor (factoid: 63% of married couples met through a network of friends, per a recent study.)
The best platform if this describes you is Sparkbliss.com.
Sparkbliss enables romantic introductions by your private network of friends. It may sound corny and old-fashioned, but through this approach you will consistently meet people worth dating that have long-term implications.
Scenario 2: quantitative approach
Do you need to “sow your wild oats?” Are you in a period of your life when you want to have lots of different dating experiences? The best platforms to date lots of people are those sites which have the largest databases. These sites require you to surrender control of your personal information such that your profile can be easily searched (factoid: 24% of online daters lie about themselves to some degree, per a recent report.)
If this describes you, Match.com would work well.
Their application is tantamount to a “numbers game” where hope is your only strategy. Odds are very low you will meet the right person, but you can definitely go on lots of dates.
Scenario 3: carnal approach
Are you simply looking for physical gratification versus relationship? There are many platforms that facilitate this urge. They operate much like conventional online dating sites, but cater to specific carnal pleasures. These sites also require you to surrender control of your personal information such that your profile can be easily searched. As always, if you publish risqué photos and racy content it can be detrimental to your reputation and career and potentially be used against you in a legal proceeding such as a divorce.
If this describes you, AdultFriendFinder.com would work well.
Their application boasts be “as naughty as you wanna be…” Odds are miniscule you will meet your soul mate, but you can meet interesting characters.
Related Question: do you value your privacy when you date?
Does it bother you to have strangers look at your personal information and foster concern that your sensitive dating profile and photos are published on the public internet? If certain information you have posted on an online dating or social networking site were searched and found would it affect your reputation and career, for example?
The majority of online dating sites require members to create a searchable public profile. By doing so, members effectively surrender control of their personal information. Personal information on the public internet can be quite embarrassing or even career jeopardizing: a lawyer avoids online dating because his colleagues will ridicule him if they find him on a dating site; a teacher is reluctant because students and parents can easily search and find information which could compromise her authority. What you post on the public internet can come back to haunt you later.
Sparkbliss has pioneered “private online dating” which employs privacy best practices to mitigate privacy concerns. It works like this: each member decides who can view his/her bio and thus makes romantic introductions on their behalf; members have complete control over whom they invite into their network.
Related Comment: algorithm approach
There are many sites now that claim they have devised an algorithm to scientifically play matchmaker. The bottom-line is they are still constrained by their active database which often sets you up with your “ex” for obvious reasons.
Net/net: “chemistry is an enigma and no mathematical equation will ever solve it.”