My Plenty of Fish experience

I used a plethora of dating apps during my single life, however, Plenty of Fish (POF) is the app I used most. Aside from it being free, there were loads of local guys I could potentially get to know. With a reported 90 million users on Plenty of Fish (source: The Sun) the search was certainly on! Here’s a list of all the dating apps I’ve tried:

• Plenty of Fish
• Tinder
• Match
• eHarmony
• Elite Singles
• Guardian Soulmates

First dates with Plenty of Fish

I’m not ashamed to say it – I had handfuls of first dates with men I’d met on Plenty of Fish. Knowing instantly with some that there’d be no 2nd date. I could normally tell within 30 seconds or so whether the date was going to go well or not. I always felt a little nervous before a first date particularly at the start of my journey as a singleton. But after meeting a few men, dating became familiar and easier. And I quickly started to learn what I did/didn’t want in a partner. I always opted for a busy bar (or similar) for a first date. Not only for a drop of Dutch courage, but because there were other people around, creating a ready-made atmosphere. My mum liked to know I was safe, so I’d always tell her the who, where and when of my dating adventures. Just to put her at ease. I don’t think she was entirely comfortable with her daughter meeting up with random strangers. I can understand why – can you ever be entirely sure who you’re meeting? Safety first people! Some men made it clear from the outset that they were in it for sex and sex only. Something casual – a brief encounter. And were quite blunt about it. Intentional one-night-stands weren’t really my style. Adopt the Third Date Rule at least! With most men, however, they were genuinely wanting to meet their forever partner. Someone who completes them.

What happens at the end of your first Plenty of Fish date? 

Do you arrange a 2nd date? Share a kiss? Go home with your date? I’ll leave that for you to decide for yourself. I could talk until I’m blue in the face about my dating experience but I don’t want to cram it all into one blog – there will more to come from me on this!

What I looked for in a person

Once you’ve decided to try online dating, you need to be clear (ish) about what you’re looking for in a partner, or, for want of a better word, fling. I wasn’t sure what I wanted in terms of longevity but could confidently say that IF I met someone I clicked with I’d be up for more dates to see where things led. Here are the top things that were on my hit list:

• Ambitious and driven Being a business owner, I’ve always found drive and ambition really great traits to have. People tend to be more interesting and creative, in my opinion. It’s always good to know that people will work hard for what they want.
• Talkative I’m a talker! Which is kind of essential being a dating profile photographer.  It was really important to me when dating that guys could hold a conversation. And an interesting one.
• Nice face And no. I don’t mean jaw-droppingly gorgeous – I’m not shallow! By nice face, I wanted someone that looked approachable and had a twinkle in their eyes or a quirky expression. Someone who’s face lit up when they laughed or spoke about something they loved.
• Tall I’ve always been attracted to tall men. Most of the men I dated were over 6 feet tall. My partner, is 6’2”. I like that I can rest my head on his chest and reach on my tiptoes to give him a kiss – it’s cute, right?

You’ll find that as you date more men, your criteria changes. You learn new things about yourself and discover things that you like in other people. Don’t be afraid to date someone who isn’t what you’d normally go for. Variety is the spice of life and all!

What I liked/disliked about Plenty of Fish

I met most of my dates through POF had more 2nd and 3rd dates through than with any other app. Here’s what I liked/disliked about the app. Likes:

• POF is free but there’s an option to upgrade if you wish.
• Single’s get one line beside their profile picture to entice people to read more.

• There were more guys within 10-miles than on any other app – I didn’t want to travel far!
• You know when people are online so you can strike up a live conversation.
• You get a quick glance at people’s vital statistics.

Dislikes:

• I’m not a huge fan of the POF branding or dated layout of the app and website.

• I’d bump into people in the street that I’d been on dates with. But I guess you get this with any app if you keep it as local as I did!