Why are we dating online?

Unfortunately, the stigma attached to online dating remains pretty pertinent, particular amongst those who have not experienced online dating first hand. However, it has been around for a good while now and is an increasingly popular way to date.

So WHY is there still a stigma?

I believe  it’s because people are not offered enough genuine information about what online dating is actually like. I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble but tying your shoelaces together and instantly falling  in love is probably never going to happen.

I saw a documentary called “Wink, meet, delete” a while back. It was a real eye opener, incredibly insightful and above all honest. It included real online dating members talking about their real experiences. Unfortunately, this only appeared on Scottish TV and was on iPlayer for a limited time only. This documentary inspired me to do some of my own research about what our members had to say about their own experiences

Starting with a broad question…

I was actually really surprised by the range of answers. Every single person had a slightly different reason, incredibly personal to them.  The most popular answer was to do with the convenience of dating online and I suppose having small children or working unsociable hours could also fit into this. It is interesting how many members were dating online simply because it’s a new and different way to date. One member told us that;

“Online dating was an area of the dating world I knew very little about and thought that perhaps this might be the ideal way of branching out to others who were tired of the same old routine of the typical bar scene …The world is your oyster as it were. This avenue has given me lots of opportunities to meet various people from all walks of life perhaps those from backgrounds I would not ordinary have come in contact with otherwise. Must be a plus I think.”

So, why did they choose PlentyMoreFish.com?

Again, members were given free reign over their answers. It makes it harder for me to analyse but it ensures that our members are not trying to “fit” what they think to the choices we give. I looked for key words and phrases to come up with the following chart:

The most common reason members chose PlentyMoreFish.com was due to its easy to use layout. Many members spoke about how easy it was to navigate around the site, its simplicity and non-pushy style. This is great for us as it’s exactly the kind of vibe we want to give...hurrah! 🙂

To summarise…

There is definitely still a stigma out there suggesting that online dating is a somewhat “desperate” dating route. We have found some really interesting information about our members…and in fact not one person mentioned (in this confidential study) that they were dating online because they were desperate. In fact, many members just saw it as a modern way to “do dating”. We know this may not account for how ALL online daters feel but it gives us a feel for who our members are. I also think it is great that our members see something different about PlentyMoreFish, mainly to do with the ease of use and non-pushy style… which fits perfectly with how we would like to be perceived.

I believe that if more information like this is available for people to see,  the so called stigma will become less and less and people will start understanding the real reason behind dating online… that it’s just another dating route.

Interesting stuff! Thanks to our members for their invaluable feedback 🙂

Happy Fishin’!