Tried Craigs List...Wow!
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| Tue, 01-30-2007 - 10:39pm |
I just made an ad for myself on CL because I haven't been getting too many reponses on match or yahoo lately. They slowly keep comming, but I was starting to get bored with the types of people that have been contacting me so I thought I'd try something new. I never thought that I'd do CL, but you guys made it sound pretty good. I must admit that I am still a bit skeptical. I'm kinda afraid that I will get a whole bunch of wierdos and creeps since it is a free site. I'm in shock though... in the 5 mins that I posted my ad I recieved 3 emails already and they didn't seem that wierd or creepy at all! One was a lot older than I would like but he still sounded pretty normal. I just had to post this because I'm excited about what this new OL dating site will bring.
So can anyone give me any advice on how to use CL? I'm used to the more formated dating sites where I can see right away if they meet the criteria I'm looking for. I tired to list what I wanted in my ad but you know how that goes with guys that contact anyway. What have been your good and bad experiencs on CL?
Jen

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I'm glad you're getting responses, but don't get too excited yet, LOL! I've found that CL guys tend to be even flakier than guys on other sites, so many of them will probably fall by the wayside. That said, I've met most of the guys I've dated recently (including the 2 I'm currently seeing) on CL, so it can work ;-)!
If the guy doesn't give you the information about him that you ask for in your ad, then I just ask for whatever he didn't give me in my first email back to them, along with sending my pic (I don't feel comfortable posting a pic on CL and wouldn't recommend it--I've seen people do mean things with pics posted on CL). Some guys you won't hear back from if they don't like your pic but oh well. It's a lot of work though to keep all the guys and their information straight when you don't have a profile but I've found it to be worth it overall.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Sheri
Mean things with pics! Oh no, like what? I put mine up there... should I take them down? Btw...how do you reply to people that email you. Do you have to do it from an external e-mail address or can you do it through CL? Still learning... ;-)
Jen
Yeah...I'd definitely take them down if I were you and just send a pic with your initial response. Have you read the "rants and raves" section? I've seen people take (copy) pictures from the personals and then post mean things about the person's looks. Maybe they don't do that in other cities but they do it here in Seattle (and I'm pretty sure CGUN said she has seen similar things happen on CL in her area).
You reply from the email address you used to post the ad. So you should be using a completely anonymous yahoo or similar account, that you've made sure doesn't have your name anywhere on it (do you know how to do that?).
Sheri
Like Sheri, I ask for information about them and a picture in the first email. If they don't respond with that when I ask them, I won't send a pic and I say in a teasing manner "you know a lot about me from my ad, would you mind telling me something about yourself - age, what part of town you live in, what you like to do...?" If they demand a picture first, I tell them that I will be happy to send a picture but only if they send theirs with some info first. It's strange, but I guess in my area, there have been a lot of scams lately because I got SEVERAL replies saying something like "I'm not sending anything more than a picture until you prove you are real." kind of BS. I usually respond with "I don't really know how to PROVE I am real, but I am. Here's my pic and ask me anything you want and I'll answer honestly". If they don't give me info or a pic within the first couple emails, I stop communication.
As for the email addy, you had to provide one when you created the ad so that your responses go somewhere. You simply reply to that and it goes to their email address they used when signing up too. If your email addy is not completely anonymous (no real names or identifying info such as your address, phone number, etc.), forward the replies to one you create on Yahoo or MSN. It's really easy - in the profile part where it asks for your first and last name, just put generic info. Like the one I have, my first name is Vexer and my last name is Dallas (Dallas is a HUGE city so I am not concerned if they know my city). Then use that address to reply to them.
Good luck! CL is a kick but also has more than it's share of freaks, flakes and bizarros! I've had a couple regular posts (check back a month ago!) of weirdos I get from out there!
Hmmm.... I checked out that rants and raves section and didn't really see anything too horible, but I'll probably take my pics down anyway just to be safe. Oh.. and I do have a generic email that I signed up with from yahoo.
I'm getting overwhelmed by the response right now... it's crazy! How do you keep up?? I've counted 10 in the last hour. I've never gotten so many replys from match or yahoo. So many sound interesting and have nice pics too. I did get one perv though... lovely. Good thing my match account is expiring in 2 days. I don't think I could keep up with all of this.
Thanks for all the advice btw. This is kinda fun :) I'm not expecting too much from this, but I'm appreciating all the male attention right now.
Jen
Oh they'll weed themselves out pretty well. OK, here's my typical experience on CL:
I get 50 replies.
20 I am not interested in right off the bat.
Of the remaining 30, I reply to about 20-25 with varying degrees of info. I keep the remaining 5-10 on hold. I may get back to them, I may not.
Of those 20-25, I will get 10-15 second emails.
Of those 10-15, 5-6 go past 3 emails and get to good conversations and I offer my phone #.
Of those 5-6, 1-3 turn into in person meets.
Of those 2-3, I have never yet had a good connection of more than a couple dates.
This is pretty par for the course and I have posted maybe 4 ads in the last year? I'm a glutton for punishment I guess or I keep hoping that maybe "this" will be the good one when post the ad.
Yeah, that's what I meant when I asked if you knew how to make your account completely anonymous--you have to edit the "From" address so it doesn't show your real name. Go into Options, then General Preferences, then edit the "from name" to be something anonymous...that should work, but if not, yes, you'd need to forward each mail to your new account and then be sure to edit out the forwarding information in the email.
Sheri
Ive put an ad on CL 2X in a year. & yes, TONS of responses (i absolutey dont put a pic up on CL though).
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