I've started to notice two trends in online dating sites. I'm giving them the broad labels of interactivity and browsing. Browsing sites are something like static web sites. You go in, run a search and view people's profiles. If there is someone you like you have a number of different ways to get in touch with them. Generally contact is held to a minimum until or unless both of you decide to get in touch.
Interactive sites are ones on which your activity is more public. For example, other people who are looking for your type (i.e. women if you are a straight male, etc.) can see if you are online when they are and they come across your profile. If so, they can wink at you or even start an instant message chat. Also, when you look at someone's profile, they can see that you have viewed them.
The two models offer different advantages. Browsing sites offer a lot of privacy. I would definitely recommend them for people who want that kind of thing. You can take your time, shop around and not contact anyone until you are ready. Interactive sites are a little more lifelike. Think about this. If you are out in public and you look at someone, they can tell. Having a record of who has viewed your profile, being able to see when people are online and contact them, these make dating sites more like being in a public space with people.
I'm not certain that either model is the best. So far, the browsing model has worked for me, but the interactive one was just coming into its own when I went off the market 18 months ago. Now I'm finding myself gravitating to the interactive model. Wanting to socialise a bit and get noticed in a variety of ways. Of course from a technical standpoint, there is a learning curve. I still don't know how to do a lot of this as I have just started to notice it. And there are no doubt tons of strategies for how to maximise your presence. As I find them, I will share them here.
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