Iam new here. (and new to internet chat rooms, & internet in general)..
I wonder if others have signed up only to this site, or are some/all of you on other dating sites as well? There are so many of them, how would you pick?

In my short time here, I have found this chat/forum area, which I have found helpful and indeed, a small community, and some of you have been here for quite some time, going by the date information..and I've heard reference that some are here in the chat/forum area even after they have found their significant other (is this true?)
Have you found there is a 'core' group? lifers per se ? ergo the community.
I enjoy reading the other topics, and try to refrain from blurting our opinions..

I always come back to this site simply because I have made friends here and all.....plus the convo is good. There are success stories here but I always multitask......variety being the spice of life and all that ya know.

Wait a minute!! you mean there is other dating sites !!..besides this one .. dammit people how come I never get these memos

Good questions, When first started on the Internet way back in 07, I was on like 3 of them. I dwindled that down and actually I have always been more interested in the forums. I started out on POF as the first one and I found dates galore. Forum use was quite a learning experience.

When I wandered into Mingle I found a great group of friends and some great dates. I was also on another site that was free as well I didn't stick around long due to the high volume of negativity.

I have met and fell in love with a fellow mingler, And I am here because of this site's forums, the great friendships that are here. Reminds me of what the site I think was originally called Just Say Hi. I know that was the name when I joined. There are actually quite a few like me out here.

Do I think there is a "core group" maybe and yet there is always some leaving and some coming.So yes there is some of us old timers out here and yet this site has always been welcoming to new comers IMO..

You have to do what you feel is in your comfort zone. Only you can make that choice. I think I would check each site out carefully. And I have always believed not to put all my eggs in one basket. When I was looking I didn't just look on line.


I wish you well in your search

do you know what they actually expect you to do on dating sites that do not have an active forum??????

This is only one I'm on. I'm new since July.
Good for me so far.

I love your username. It cracks me up every time I see it! Wish I thought of that!

Not to mention the emails I get here usually consist of.......

"Hi. I am looking for man for marriage....you look like you have big penis....make baby with me.....send money but don't worry.....nobody named Bob will show up and rob you at the address I bugged you 50 times a day to give me"

Thank goodness I sent that chick Monopoly money.

I'm part of a few for the forums

Monopoly money!!

I tried to use that at the grocery store.

This is the only one
I did try others but felt they were to cold and we're more focused on sex to much.
I wanted to meet new friends that were normal.

Normal?????????

Oh there are others. Left here for awhile. Am glad I'm back and chatting with old friends and making new ones.

Forums are the best way to get to know some one.

Yes

To a degree
I couldn't leave I would miss you Goofball


I have tried

My experience is to use multiple sites causes more problems than it's usually worth. Many people are on several sites so you are reading the same "poster's" saying the same things. Occasionally you will find people trying various personas on different sites And some people who use multiple sites just go to other sites to gossip which I find really boring. I like Mingle because you can transition your interests as your dating needs transition.

I am on another dating site and have had several dates. I have had no dates from Mingle.

I first began online dating sites in January 2011. I created a profile here in 2010 because Mingle at that time had a Widow/Widower forum. I didn't use this site for dating at the time. when I became single again a year ago, and went in search of dating sites I happened on this one and saw that my profile was still here. I didn't know to actually de-activate.
I am on 2 other sites right now, but only one of them has forums like Mingle. I have found that the other site is...how do I put this...well, frankly they are quite mean, nasty and all around hateful, IMO. I enjoy these forums and of course the peeps I have online-met here.

I have not physically met anyone from here yet, but that is ok....time, time, time.....

I have said it before and Annie said it earlier on this thread too.....in here, we are surrounded by "normal".

I had no idea that was even possible.


Why do you have to pick?
That implies your choice is limited, like you pick one so you can't use another one anymore.

You can sign up to most internet dating sites (free ones at least) without really committing to it, without putting much information in the profile, no picture, and then just troll profiles to see what kind of people are there.

IME you can sign up a profile, do an advanced or casual search of profiles, and really figure out if you're interested in anybody, or want to try, within 20 minutes.

Although, it would probably behoove you to look up reviews and common complaints about a site before you give them any information or try to sign up.
Best thing to do is use a disposable anonymous free to join email.
Anymore the only free mail service I can find, within a 10 second search, that doesn't require your phone number or personal information is mail.com.
Gmail and yahoo went to requiring your phone number to get an email address, they text you a confirmation number.

Some dating sites are extremely disreputable.
Sometimes signing up for one dating site automatically signs you up for others and then you start just getting inundated with spam.



Why?
The only thing you really have to worry about is attacking other people individually.
No matter what you say, no matter your opinion, someone is going to find flaw with it.
Great and worst thing about the internet is your ability to self edit, if you care to.

At the moment im just on this site, but I have been offered a big reduction on a paid site because my profile/pics have created a lot of interest, so for dating I will move there and just use this site like I have been doing for friends and the forums.

Ive had dates, relationships and a few WTF was I thinking on this site.

I enjoy the variety of friendships Ive made thus far. Some closer than others.

Ive considered another site for impromptu coffee dates and the like.. Only time will tell...

Until I do "get lucky," I can't claim to actually KNOW anything about dating, but it seems simple and logical enough to me, that dating sites are a bit like old-days dating venues like clubs and such.

It makes sense to visit in as many places as you like to actually be, and to give yourself the opportunity to get to know other people in as many of those places as is convenient and appropriate.

When I first realized I needed to start looking for a mate again, I started out by joining POF, simply because I heard it talked about positively on a radio show I liked at the time. From there, I joined every other site which claimed to allow free membership, in the same way that one might try shopping at each store in one's area, in order to see what was there.

Several sites proved to be run by liars, so I exited them quickly (Match and Eharmony), others were incredibly annoying due to their incessant efforts to push me to pay for more services (Zoosk). So now I'm back down to three, really, and one of those is only really for forums entertainment.