New approach, or old tricks in a new package?

[polo593]

I posted in a previous thread about this group of sites;
http://www.datingandmatchmakinginc.com

These guys have numerous sub-sites, and claim a new approach, with on staff psychologists and full compatibility tests, etc...

Anyone familiar with them or have used their services?

[groovlstk]

Absolute hogwash.

First off, any site that claims to have psychologists on staff to cull their herd makes such a claim to appeal to guys who are overly paranoid about scammers, woefully lacking in confidence, or bereft of the most basic social ability to get to know a woman.

Also, ask a Russian person to define psychology and you'll find vast differences in how it's perceived in the West.

[Sculpto]

Looks to me like same scam in new clothes.  Agencies are agencies, period!  Their goal is to make as much money as possible.  having a staff psychologist is smart.. now an unemployed psychologist can make a living too.. great marketing plan.. nice looking website.. but.. BUYER BEWARE!

[polo593]

Absolute hogwash.

First off, any site that claims to have psychologists on staff to cull their herd makes such a claim to appeal to guys who are overly paranoid about scammers, woefully lacking in confidence, or bereft of the most basic social ability to get to know a woman.

Also, ask a Russian person to define psychology and you'll find vast differences in how it's perceived in the West.

I hope as this thread is read more, it will inspire more useful comments...

Yes, most agencies are scams, yet, in the company I work for, I know of 3 women who met their husbands on Lavalife and similar sites in the USA, and they all used psychological & compatibility testing, and all are happily married.

My point was not wether such testing is useful or not, because studies prove it does have value, my question is IF these sites I mentioned could be the "Lavalife" of Ukraine or if they are using this new approach as another way of making money.

One thing that is severely lacking in the FSU dating industry IS the lack of matchmaking professionals & relationship experts...

[Sculpto]

Polo..

I think at this point anyone who has been in this for a while will find absolutely no use for agencies.  Dating sites in general, eharmony, match, and all the others have been pretty much forgotten by most people because they are the same crap also.  They are only good at one thing, well two.. marketing and taking money!

making an automated site with mating technology will not help.  Finding real professional who are only interested in finding legitimate matches for people, on both sides of the ocean, is the ONLY way I can see a business making a stable future in the MOB industry, and that will take a lot of time to build up a truly reliable reputation.  It seems to me too many people saw easy money and got greedy.  But, no matter how good yoru technology if a site is using local private affiliates forget it.. it is just the same scam with a new face. 

Quality over quantity is the answer.  But, to make money with that concept.. I don't know if it is even possible.

[groovlstk]

Yes, most agencies are scams, yet, in the company I work for, I know of 3 women who met their husbands on Lavalife and similar sites in the USA, and they all used psychological & compatibility testing, and all are happily married.

Since when does Lavalife use psychological testing? Do you mean that you have to complete a questionnaire when you sign up so that their software can provide a canned list of potentially compatible people who also love baseball and long walks on the beach? That's not psychological testing.

My point was not wether such testing is useful or not, because studies prove it does have value, my question is IF these sites I mentioned could be the "Lavalife" of Ukraine or if they are using this new approach as another way of making money.

Where are these "studies" that prove psychological testing has value?

Bottom line is that if you're willing to let any agency tell you which girl(s) you're compatible with, you're going to get raped every which way to Sunday.

[I/O]

Looks like a sucker set up to me. I suspect their will be a good many guys getting sucked and not in the way they hoped at the outset.

I/O

[Chicagoguy]

An outfit like E-Harmony matches people on over 100 "matches" yet almost all the long time happily married couples I know probably wouldn't have ever met this way.

They are different but still find great happines in these differences. I am not saying these matched philosophies will not work but they are just another attempt to make it easier. Sometimes what attracts us to another is hard to quantify. Do we really know ourselves ? Are the women being completely honest ? Do some people puff their resume.

After some time I just went to the free sites and started with just my own profile. Letting them write first. And I believe this weeds out some of the lesser ones.

But again this is only my opinion and others may disagree. In a way it is all bit of a crapshoot and a game. Still, it can be an exciting one with a great prize. I am older than most so the women I wrote and went to see were fine, upstanding older ladies. More serious. No frogs but no sure thing winners either. Until finally I hit a home run.

So I wouldn't put all of ones eggs in one basket. I have been doing this for over 5 years but never at a frantic pace. Maybe I wasted too much time. But other ones were becoming available in the interim.

The people who take the time here on this site will be ahead of the game because there is a great deal of good advice here and some instructive real life stories.