Desperately seeking authenticity? Maybe it's time to ditch self-conscious, niche dating sites for the shrouded cloak of Craigslist. People there are anything but afraid to ask for what they want: "Looking for a fun woman to experiment with who likes Gossip Girl!" "Relationship in exchange for financial help." "Let's get married this year!"
But while Craigslist can seem sleazy, desperate, and even dangerous, writer Katherine Sharpe at n + 1 points out that at least users are being honest, unlike the folks with their primped pictures and rehearsed lines on Match. After all, how many people, she asks, can be "laid-back" and "not take themselves too seriously"? (Perhaps as many people who claim the The Da Vinci Code as their favorite book?)
Craigslist is the only dating site (that I know of) that hasn't morphed into a social-networking site, and so it's the only one to remain truly anonymous. It's honest and open — open all night! — and specific. So if you're looking for a fellow Gossip Girl fan who's uptight, hates long walks on the beach, and reads Kafka — Craigslist is your best bet.
Torrini
PPQ
theOutnet
Ummm...don't think so. Not any time soon.
1I agree, I wrote a story about Craigslist dating for the newspaper I work for and the people I interviewed were totally honest. One woman admitted she was pursuing an extramarital affair.
2Yeah, people tell the truth about what they want on Craigslist, but they don't often tell the truth about who they are. They have fake names, no pictures or fake pictures, and I think it's no different from finding someone in a random online chat room. The whole reason dating websites came up was to get away from the anonymity, and allow you to actually see and learn about someone before contacting them.
3I would never use any online dating site and Craigslist would be high on the "dangerous and sleazy site" list (along with Myspace). I do not have an ounce of trust in the people listed; too much risk involved with online dating. I am already overly cautious and distrusting of random people I meet in day-to-day life, I am not about to put myself on one of those sites (which,IMO, is a breeding zone for rapists and overall, creepy a** psychos.)
4I still find it seedy. There is something i can't trust about it.
5Three of my girlfriends met their current boyfriends on Craigslist and I gotta say, they're all really great guys and everyone seems happy! The happiest I've ever seen them in fact.
6Just because someone on a dating website is upfront about what they want sexually doesn't mean they are honest or have integrity.
I think that fact is ignored...people are no less creepy or dangerous because they are "honest" about what they want.
Craigslist killer, anyone?
7There are Creep-Os everywhere. There is no one place that you can trust that everyone's been "screened." Even in real life you take a chance getting to know someone. Online it's difficult because honest people are trying to protect their identity (ie, falsename) and dishonest people are using everyone's identity or misleading others. Did anyone else just hear on the news about the guy who hired someone to rape his wife on Craigslist? Talk about SICK. If you can't trust your husband, who can you trust???
8No more dangerous or sleazy than meeting someone in a bar. Or a coffee shop. Or at work...
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