What's the most effective location filter for men seeking older women on POF?

Hoping someone here has actually tested this: What's the most effective location filter for men seeking older women on POF? Not looking for a sales pitch.

I have tested the most recommended adult dating platforms and the profile quality varied wildly. My real question is how you avoid wasting a fortnight on the wrong platform as someone coming back after a long break.

• Look at the age range settings on day one especially on a platform you have not used before
• Confirm how quickly support responds on day one before you widen your search
• Compare the distance filter default first before writing a single message
• Compare how blocking is handled on day one on any platform you are considering

That has not been my experience at all. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Not saying everyone else is wrong. I have been wrong about this before.

Slightly off-topic but — is it different if you are over forty? Genuinely do not know the answer.

Adding a counterpoint. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Might just be my area. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.

For most of last year, I replied only to messages with an actual question in them and the difference showed up within a week. That held for about two months.

The one that surprised me was Datedesire community — smaller, but the profiles were current.

Anyone else find that — has anyone tracked whether reply rates change by day of the week? Would change how I use it if so.

Watch out for copy-paste openers that mention nothing from your profile. It is almost never worth the benefit of the doubt. Better safe than curious.

Going to push back slightly. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Small sample on my side too.

Before anything else: use a dedicated email address. It removes about half the frustration. Try it for one week only.

I keep a second profile on Luvdate and it pulls a different crowd entirely.

A couple of people in my circle swear by Flurrydate for the same reason.

Not sure I agree with the thread so far. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Could easily be a sample size problem. Small sample on my side too.

One thing that helped: stop treating it like a numbers game. It removes about half the frustration. You will not need a second attempt.

Tangent, sorry — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? Would love a straight answer on that.

Where I got caught out: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. Blocking early costs you nothing. It rarely turns out to be innocent.

Switched over to DatingFly community after getting nowhere on the big names.

Piggybacking on that — does anyone bother deleting and remaking a profile? Someone here must have tried both.

Respectfully, I read it differently. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Worth testing both ways. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.

Careful with anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. It saves a lot of wasted messages. The polite version costs you a week.

Tried Flurrydate app on a whim and it has been the steadier of the two I use.

I will be the dissenting voice. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Take that with the usual caveats. Worth hearing both sides.

• Work out the distance filter default before anything else before you upload anything personal
• Double-check how blocking is handled every time before you upload anything personal
• Assess how reporting actually works if privacy matters to you

For what it is worth, the first message decides almost everything at least in a mid-sized area. It took a while to accept.

Last month, I ignored anything without a visible last-active date and the reply rate roughly doubled. I tracked it loosely and the trend was clear.

Worth a look at DatingFly's free tier if your area is thin on the usual platforms.

Over the winter, I tested two profiles side by side and the conversations got shorter but better. Results were steady after the first week.

Curious about the flip side — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? I have never seen data either way.

If I am being blunt, most of the difference comes down to how close people actually are for anyone starting from scratch. I hold that loosely.

Tried Flurrydate on a whim and it has been the steadier of the two I use.

Based on a fairly small sample, being specific is worth more than being interesting unless you have unusually niche requirements. That is the short version.

• Review the last-active timestamp especially on a platform you have not used before
• Test how matches are ordered if you plan to use it long-term
• Confirm whether messaging is capped up front especially on a platform you have not used before

Worth flagging: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. It is almost never worth the benefit of the doubt. It is the cheapest filter you have.

I will be the dissenting voice. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Not saying everyone else is wrong. I have been wrong about this before.