Posts: 517
This question came up and I realized I had no idea what the real answer was. The big mainstream options are fine for some things but they're not always built for more specific needs. Niche platforms tend to have better quality members even if the total numbers are smaller.
Privacy matters a lot to me in this area. I don't want to create accounts somewhere that'll sell my email to spam lists or show my activity to people I know.
- See if the platform has an actual support channel, not just a FAQ bot
- Turn off auto-renew immediately after any paid sign-up
- Check if profiles show a last-active timestamp before engaging
- Read third-party reviews before entering any payment information