SuperYenta

Feeling pinched? Real Simple decodes the cost of online dating

Clients know that SuperYenta loves online dating sites. They keep you limber, “in the market,” and helps hone that list of yours.

Real Simple Magazine recently published a side by side comparison of the costs of online dating sites. Excluding jdate (my favorite), here’s how plentyoffish, match, true, and eharmony stack up………

No excuses! Get out there and create your (in some cases FREE) profile! Then call your SuperYenta to edit it.

 

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/cost-comparison-internet-dating-sites-00000000028239/index.html

 

 

Cost Comparison: Internet Dating Sites

Millions of potential mates are just a click away on Internet dating sites. Here are 4 of the most popular, by the numbers.

 

PlentyofFish.com

Price: Free.
Users per month*: 2.75 million.
Registration time: 12.5 minutes.
Pros: Costs nothing; easy to use; has a huge pool of people to flirt and connect with; boasts 120,000 marriages a year.
Cons: Distorted or fuzzy images; unattractive website.

 

Match.com

Price: $30 per month.
Users per month*: 2.75 million.
Registration time: 15 minutes.
Pros: Simple to navigate; finds matches based on keyword descriptions; provides apps for smartphones.
Cons: Poor screening techniques.

 

True.com

Price: $50 a month.
Users per month*: 2.5 million people.
Registration time: 10 minutes.
Pros: Safer than some sites, since members must submit to a background check; has a fun, flirty environment.
Cons: Tacky advertisements.

 

EHarmony.com

Price: $60 a month.
Users per month*: 1.75 million.
Registration time: 25 minutes.
Pros: They do the matching for you, based on a detailed questionnaire; an advice section with expert and member tips.
Cons: Generic profiles; more expensive than other sites.

*The numbers for users per month are based on research by ComScore.

SuperYenta Question of the Day: To Text or Not to Text?

 

Hey this free advice thing is catching on!

Here’s another letter from a hopeful. As the Reverend says, “Keep hope….ALIVE!”

Love,

SY

***

 

Dear SuperYenta,

 

What is the proper way to follow-up with a gent after a nice date?  Should a lady reach out to him (either by phone or email) and thank him or should she wait to hear from him?

 

Signed

LVS2TXT

 

Dear Loves,

 

If you have a nice time on a date you most certainly should follow up to say thank you. The part that requires critical thinking is how and how you communicate. For starters, it is not okay to text a thank you, no matter how many times you may have texted your date in the past. Texting is so common and easy to misinterpret that its irrelevant – if you really had a good time and you really want to see the guy again, doesn’t he merit a response that shows him you mean it when you say you want to see him again? Email is a better option, and calling is even better. The more important point is when.

 

Please do not text a date for a thank you as you are speeding away from the date in a cab. No matter how fun and exciting your date was, texting is the lowest class way to communicate. Feh!

Wait until the next morning and compose a nice, short thank you that stays on point and brings up one element from your conversation of the night before. Such as, “Subject: Thank you.  Body: Hi <date>, I really enjoyed our coffee yesterday and hope we get together again soon. Good luck with your work trip to LA. Best, <your name>”

 

If you call on the phone and get voicemail, your message can be as simple as the one I wrote above. If he picks up the phone, you can say, “I just want to say thank you for yesterday, which was really fun.” Let him do the rest of the talking. Then hang up and move on. If he wants to see you again and he’s a mensch, he should indicate that during this call. If he doesn’t indicate, you have my permission to move on immediately.

 

Good luck,

 

SuperYenta

New Feature! SuperYenta Q & A

Hi lovelies,

 

Spring has sprung! There’s pollen in the air and the SuperYenta has been super busy. Take the snatches of sun as a hint: get out there and meet people. To celebrate, here’s a new feature that will appear on these pages from time to time: SuperYenta Q & A, in which real single people write in questions that I answer online.

 

So go on with your bad selves – get out there and roll around in the mud!

 

SuperYenta

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Dear SuperYenta,

 

I would like to try internet dating, but my work is sensitive (I'm a professor) and I am not comfortable putting my personal information and photo out into the ether. It could be problematic for my clients/students. What do you suggest? 

 

Signed, 

Occupational Hazard

 

 

Dear OH,

 

Your SuperYenta is a huge fan of Internet dating, especially in the Jewish community. Jdate has become so de rigueur that even when two people meet in person and not online, they often ask, “What’s your Jdate profile name?” To that point, it would be good for your dating career to have an online profile.

 

I can think of two solutions to your question. Each one corresponds to a relative security level you need to feel comfortable about your identity.

1. Security level: medium risk.

Begin with a modified profile. Keep your essay answers to a minimum and cite the reason: “I’d love to say more but I need to keep my answers brief because I’m an educator.” Add one flattering photo of how you look in the classroom on a good day. Say a prayer to the classroom gods that your students aren’t searching for mates who are your age and hit the “submit” button.

2. Security level: no risk.

Go old school. Just because the rest of the modern universe is using the Internet for dating, doesn’t mean you have to. Your options include everything from working with a matchmaker, such as myself, or using old fashioned foot to the pavement methods, such as marketing. A great way to market your availability is by talking to people. And by people I mean everyone you come into contact with, from your Starbucks barista to your coworkers at school.  You can tell each person just what you wrote to me: “I’m ready to meet someone but I can’t use online dating because of my job. Do you know anyone who is (insert your list of immutable attributes) for me?” You’ll be surprised at how many responses you get when you put your message out there.

 

So go for it! And don’t let your occupation slow you down.

 

Love,

SuperYenta