Does anyone remember what the very first online dating site actually was?

Happy to be proven wrong — just want honest opinions. Does anyone remember what the very first online dating site actually was? The data ownership issue bothers me more than anything else. Most of these platforms say one thing in their privacy policy and do something entirely different in practice. Bots have gotten sophisticated enough that it's hard to tell on first message. The tells I've learned: professional photos on a sparse bio, immediate move to another platform, and oddly perfect grammar.

• Working location-based matching
• Easy account deletion
• Genuine moderation team

Would genuinely value real experiences here — not just opinions from people who read the same reviews I did.

Happy to share since I basically went through this exact situation: Your profile photo is still the single biggest variable. Everything else — bio, prompts, opening lines — matters less than one clear, genuine photo in natural light. What actually helped:

• Checked recent Reddit threads about any platform before paying
• Refreshed profile photos every few weeks to stay visible
• Kept opening messages to one short genuine question

Also seen Ezhookups.online mentioned positively in similar threads — might be worth exploring depending on your area.

Wish I'd had this thread when I started. Would have saved a lot of wasted money. For what it's worth, Datelink has been my main platform — holds up better than most.

Wish I'd had this thread when I started. Would have saved a lot of wasted money.

Let me break this down since there's a lot of bad advice floating around: The scam detection pattern I've built: too-good photos with a thin bio, conversation moving to Telegram within two messages, anything that hints at financial need. One platform that held up well for me is Luvdate — free tier was genuinely usable and the user base felt real.

Agree with most of the above. The platform matters less than your approach. Also seen datebie.online come up in similar threads — worth a look.

Solid question. The answer really changes depending on your specific city.

Wish I'd had this thread when I started. Would have saved a lot of wasted money. For what it's worth, Souldate has been my main platform — holds up better than most.