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PlentyOfFish To Sell Memberships For Serious Members
Markus Frind, CEO of PlentyOfFish.com, announced on his blog yesterday that in the next few days he will be adding a paid membership feature to POF. The upgrade gets you virtually nothing except a gold seal stating you are serious about finding someone. The upgrade will be available in 3, 6, or 12 month increments.
From the blog:
- On paid dating sites most buys are impulse and in the signup process. Paid sites monetize on Impulse, plentyoffish is going to monetize on user intent. I believe we will have far more members that are serious than paid sites. Its one thing to be tricked into paying (paid sites), its another to go out of your way and pay for something.
- There will be no additional features and functionality for users, this upgrade will be strictly to signal intent to the community.
- There will be no changes to existing users or new users. The site will continue to work as it always has, except some members can now choose to stand out more.
I have a couple of thoughts about this. First, unless more fish join the pond, there’s nothing there to pay for. In the world of online dating sites, it seems to me that there are really no members worth knowing. Now, before you berate me, I realize that is a huge generalization. I also realize I live in MapDot, Kansas. However, doing a search in my area brings up a long list of nothing.
Secondly, I for one am not all about paying out good money for a gold seal on my profile. If it doesn’t give me added benefits, I really see no reason to shell out the extra cash. At this time, there is no mention of what the upgrade will cost. Still I’m going to have to have a better reason than a gold seal to shell out the extra cash.
Now, I know there are a lot of spammers and fake profiles out there, but those are everywhere–pay and free sites alike. Will adding a gold seal to your profile really make that much difference? Is it worth the money for people browsing your profile to see a sign that you are serious about dating? Your thoughts?
To upgrade your POF membership click here.
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Honey March 10th, 2009, 3:19 pm
Yeah, I have not used POF (I was a Match girl) but I would definitely not pay for this if it was available for free. You can tell how serious someone is by the quality of their profile and e-mails.
christina March 10th, 2009, 6:09 pm
This harks back to the issues I’ve had with online dating. I think it can work as a means of meeting people without having to go out, but it makes running game easier, and I hate to say it — especially on free online dating sites. It doesn’t take much effort to write a profile and many talk a good game, but when it comes to meeting up, they vanish.
I don’t think the quality of a person is reflected in a paid site, but the quality of communication certainly is. I mean, why are so many of these adult dating websites free, but you’d have to shell out for a matchmaker? If there’s no difference or added features between a free and a paid member, I don’t see the reason to offer a paid option in the first place. Perhaps POF is trying to raise the bar on the quality of the candidates they have, but I doubt that’ll happen.
lisaq March 11th, 2009, 6:17 am
I completely agree Honey. Seriousness can be conveyed in many different ways. A little gold seal only means you’ve opened your wallet and produced a credit card number. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yep Christina. It’s all about the quality of communication. I personally don’t think this POF ploy will help them raise the bar at all.
Gina March 26th, 2009, 2:30 pm
I think the idea is pretty good, but I would not personally choose to pay unless I was getting a benefit and what benefit would that be? I mean, most people on the site are probably choosing not to pay so that right there narrows it down to the same people I would be able to choose from in the first place… I feel, if you are going to pay, might as well go on a paid site. I honestly feel if you are not in the right place in your life, regardless whether it’s in “real life” or “online” you are not going to attract the right person into your life. It’s more about where you are truthfully at and really ready to receive, no matter where you are.
brenda dennison youngers March 29th, 2009, 12:11 pm
Hi, just found your blog and wanted to let you know I’m from Haysville, KS and I met my now husband through PlentyofFish.com. I was grateful at the time I didn’t have to pay to get to know someone. I had used another site that claims to find people who match you in “harmony”. The men I got put with were horrible and actually a few creepy. I found my husband when I wrote what I really wanted. Many guys responded without me posting a picture and the trick I use is to go more then 3 emails between us and then usually guys stop emailing because they may want to get to know you quickly. I didn’t want a guy who simply wanted to meet right away without speaking with me. Personally, I like to ask weird questions (not your normal “what to you do etc.) and then watch their personalities come out in the emails with their answers. I think there are men to find in your areas, you just have to be absolutely certain of what you want and say it in detail. We’ve been married over 3 years now and it’s great. I don’t think you should have to pay to speak back and forth with someone.
thank you.
brenda dennison youngers´s last blog post..And I Used to be the Skinny Girl
lisaq March 31st, 2009, 7:26 am
So glad you found us Brenda! It’s great to hear from someone close to home! I’m so glad to hear your story and am even happier to hear that you found what you were looking for on POF. You’ve done what everyone who’s dating online should do…be upfront and honest about what you want. Hopefully others learn something from you.
Steven April 2nd, 2009, 7:29 pm
Well said, finally a good report on this stuff