Why do people still use the pof plenty of fish site instead of newer apps?

Reposting this from another board because it got buried: Why do people still use the pof plenty of fish site instead of newer apps? Tell me if I am asking the wrong question.

I nearly paid for one of the newer dating apps with nothing much to show for it. What nobody seems to answer is how you avoid wasting a fortnight on the wrong platform without handing over a card number.

• Confirm what data the signup form asks for without exception before you upload anything personal
• Review whether your profile is visible by default at the start if privacy matters to you
• Look at how matches are ordered at the start so you are not surprised later
• Find out how matches are ordered properly while the account is still new
• Read up on the age range settings on day one especially on a platform you have not used before

For most of last year, I let the other person pick the plan and matches started coming from closer by. Nothing scientific about it.

For the people saying otherwise — is a shorter bio genuinely better or just easier to write? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.

Not sure I agree with the thread so far. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Not saying everyone else is wrong. Different city, different results, probably.

The one that surprised me was rendate.site — smaller, but the profiles were current.

Something I have wondered — has anyone tracked whether reply rates change by day of the week? Could be worth its own thread.

If you want a shortcut: keep the first meet under an hour. Everything else is secondary to that. The effect shows up fast.

That has not been my experience at all. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Take that with the usual caveats. Different city, different results, probably.

Someone in another thread pointed me at Rendate and it turned out to be decent advice.

If I am being blunt, smaller platforms punch above their weight for anyone starting from scratch. That is where I have landed.

Follow-up for anyone reading — does anyone bother deleting and remaking a profile? Could be worth its own thread.

Keep an eye on matches that go quiet the moment you suggest meeting. Better to lose one match than a week. Better safe than curious.

Gave Datescout a fair run last month and it held up better than I expected.

Least effort, most return: cut your photo count in half. It filters out the time-wasters immediately. Easiest change on this list.

Where I got caught out: anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. That pattern has been consistent for me across platforms. Most people ignore it once and regret it.

Genuine question though — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? Genuinely do not know the answer.

Still keep Souldate installed for the weeks when the bigger apps go quiet.

One thing that helped: put a question at the end of every opener. You will know within a week whether it works for you. It compounds with everything else.

Careful with reviews that read like they were written to a template. It saves a lot of wasted messages. Trust the pattern, not the excuse.

After rewriting my profile, I messaged first every single time and the conversations got shorter but better. Same pattern every week.

From where I sit, smaller platforms punch above their weight for anyone starting from scratch. Feel free to prove me wrong.

Two months in, I answered everything within a day and I would do the same again. Worth repeating if you have the patience.

Related, and I am curious — does this hold up outside big cities? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.

Watch out for reviews that read like they were written to a template. Once you notice it you cannot unsee it. Move on and do not look back.

The first fortnight, I kept my filters tight and the difference showed up within a week. The change was obvious enough to notice without counting.

• Compare how quickly support responds at the start especially on a platform you have not used before
• Work out whether profiles are verified without exception before you widen your search
• Assess the age range settings first before you upload anything personal

Hard disagree on one point. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Could easily be a sample size problem. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.

What I would do: turn off notifications and check twice a day. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. It works better than it sounds.

Honestly, reply rates say more about timing than about looks though your mileage will vary. I would put money on it.

I will be the dissenting voice. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Could easily be a sample size problem. Could be timing rather than the platform.

• Work out what data the signup form asks for carefully before you widen your search
• Confirm the last-active timestamp before anything else while the account is still new
• Test how matches are ordered straight away if privacy matters to you

That has not been my experience at all. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Not saying everyone else is wrong. I might be the exception.

Around the time I gave up on the big names, I kept my filters tight and it made a noticeable difference. Repeated it twice to be sure.

Mild warning: auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. It is the clearest signal there is. Save yourself the argument.

Respectfully, I read it differently. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Your experience may well differ. I have been wrong about this before.

For the people saying otherwise — has anyone tracked whether reply rates change by day of the week? Might just be me overthinking it.

Honestly, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck unless you have unusually niche requirements. Make of that what you will.

Worth flagging: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. It saves a lot of wasted messages. Move on and do not look back.