My online dating experience started on a [somewhat drunken] whim. Tired of being single and pursuing a line of study that seemed to only draw Girls and Gays, a girlfriend and I decided to make profiles. Originally, our plan had been Match.com but at the lovely young age of 22 (still in undergrad) it seemed a bit unreasonable to drop that kind of cash (the kind of cash and undergrad doesn’t have) just to meet men. After a brief period of research, OkCupid beat out Plenty of Fish, and profiles were made. OkCupid was a great kick starter that launched me back into the world of dating (with hilarious stories to boot) and for over a year I was more than content to maintain my profile and continue to delve into the seemingly endless pool of men.
I’ve always been open and talkative about my online dating experience. For whatever reason, sharing my horror stories and successes seemed like a completely normal thing to do. The more I talked about it, the more the people around me talked about it too, suggesting different sites or asking my opinions about different platforms. So I got curious. I first strayed away from OkCupid when I signed up for Coffee Meets Bagel, which proved to be nearly instant gratification when my second match turned into a relationship on fastforward. But the thing about going in fastforward is that it’s probably not sustainable, so when that relationship crashed and burned in an email breakup, I looked around for more opportunities. If my pockets were deeper, I’m sure you’d find me (without knowing it’s me ;)!) on platforms like Howaboutwe, Match, Christian Mingle and eHarmony. But I’m broke as a joke and thus, my most recent e-dating love affair has been with the ever-popular Tinder, here’s why I’m switching my allegiance from OKC to that Tinder-y flame:
1. I’ve written before about how I think Tinder best simulates an authentic experience of meeting a stranger (you look at a million faces, he looks at a million faces, you see each other, if you both give it the nod, a conversation can commence.)
2. I’ve found myself exceedingly more excited about recent Tinder dates than I have about OkCupid dates and I think what I enjoy is the mystery. I don’t read a whole profile about the guy (or his 150 answered Q&As) before I meet him. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of drama?
3. While there’s no real rush, it seems like if things are going to go offline, they happen more quickly on Tinder. You only have to talk a little bit before getting together.
4. While it’s a little shallow, you pick your matches based of first impression of physical appearance and while pictures can occasionally be deceiving, you’re usually pretty confident that your matches are cute (maybe not as cute as Channing Tatum, but, you know, everybody’s gotta find their Channing)
5. Most importantly, in my book, since the app is already conveniently on your mobile device, there’s minimal pressure to exchange phone numbers before you actually to meet the person and hash out their level of sanity.
6. Plus, well, you see some funny ones out there and you just can’t help but laugh and write a blog post about it (see my most recent post)
The moral of the story, give Tinder a try! (Especially if you’re a cute guy in the Chicagoland area *wink* *wink*)
Diary of a Serial Dater 
I’ve never heard of Tinder, however a quick search is does appear to be avail here in the UK although a lot of talk about it just being for sex hook ups. Oh well, I might as well try it, I haven’t caught a fish yet so nothing to lose!
Like any dating platform, it is what you make of it. Looking for a hookup? Put a tagline like “lookin for some fun ;)” Looking for a date? well, just keep the winky face out of your tagline!
Some people use it for hookups here, too. Just be upfront in what you’re looking for.