Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to widen the distance radius early on: the first week is never representative. Give it a full week before judging, because it stops you blaming the app for the profile, though it depends heavily on where you live.
Even if people disagree here, the step that matters most is to read the last few pages of a thread before asking: it stops you blaming the app for the profile.
- What changed my mind was that the moderation queue matters slightly more than the profile prompt, and nobody warns you about it
- For what it's worth, I'd write a profile that gives someone something to reply to rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since it costs nothing to try
- From the threads I've read, I'd skip anything asking for a card number to read messages rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since most complaints trace back to that one thing
- Worth saying that the decision to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight did a great deal more for me than switching platform, so treat the reviews with caution
- Realistically, the search filter setup is the thing that decides it, though the newer sites rarely say so
Worth saying that the decision to say what you actually want up front did massively more for me than switching platform, which explains a lot of the complaints here.
Honestly, if you are after something serious the answer is usually to read the last few pages of a thread before asking rather than test two platforms at once.
If you want a second opinion, the Flamedate boards reads as more honest about the verification question, though your mileage will vary.