Okcupid Out Of Storage
On average, each user on OkCupid has 250 questions answered in 3 parts.Figure out who qualifies for their search, typically a very complicated query across a few million users. On average, tens of thousands of people qualify, and we need to figure out who they are without hitting the DB. The BBB website has only around 20 customer reviews of OkCupid with an overall rating of 1 star out of 5 stars. Complaints about the service vary, but all seem to involve the OkCupid A-List service. You’ll find former customers unsatisfied because their account auto-renewed without their consent.
If you struggle with online dating or have ever wondered how to use OkCupid or other dating apps/sites to your best advantage, new research from OkCupid gives women a massive insight. And it's all about the messaging.
For some reason, women are still really hesitant to send the first message on online dating. It's a probably just a big old sexist hangup that won't seem to die. Despite only 17 percent of women still thinking the men should pay on a first date (a tradition I wish would just disappear), we're less progressive when it comes to online correspondence.
In fact, according to the latest report from OkCupid's The Deep End, men send 3.5 times more first messages than women. That's of those who identify as straight. With the gay and lesbian community it's way more even (obviously, it has to be) and even among those who identify as bisexual. But straight ladies are still just waiting to be approached online.
Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal. I mean, if men are sending all those messages then straight women are getting approached anyway, right? Well, sort of. But it turns out women who message first are not only more likely to get replies, they're more likely to get hotter dudes — seriously.
I know that seems like a bit of a leap, but it's true — science says so. SCIENCE. Take a look at the stats and see for yourself:
1. No Matter How Many Messages They Receive, Or How Hot They Are, Women Still Don't Message
Interestingly, OkCupid wanted to see if women who didn't receive many messages were more likely to message— nope. They also looked at their attractiveness rating (yup, the profiles are rated) to see if that affected it— nope again. According to the report: 'Women rarely reach out, no matter their circumstances.' Weird.
2. People Message Above Their Hotness Level
Really. Like a lot. They analyzed the type of people that users send messages to and found that 'men are reaching out to women 17 percentile points more attractive, and women contact men who are 10 percentile points more attractive.'
So what does that mean? If you're waiting around to be messaged, you're going to be messaged by people who are less attractive than you are, and way less attractive than the people you would be messaging.
3. And Messages Women Send End Up In First Dates WAY More Frequently
But here's the great news: if you do send messages to those uber-attractive people, you're way more likely to end up on a date with them than with some random dude that messages you. When women send the first message they end up with dates 30 percent of the time, compared to 12 percent of the time when guys message first (again, talking about straight people here). Plus, you don't have to wade through some of the weird, weird messages you get on OKCupid looking for the good ones — you make the good ones.
So basically, you've got nothing to lose. If you choose to send a message you're more likely to end up with a date and it'll be with a more attractive prospect. Why wait? As the report says:
If you’re a woman on OkCupid, you’re at an incredible advantage. You should message men you find attractive — not just because they’re easy on the eye, but because you’re more likely to have something to talk about. You’ll increase your quantity of quality. As for men, it’s worth noting that they’ll probably enjoy getting more messages.
The odds are in your favor. What’s the worst that could happen? You message a cute guy and don’t get an answer. What’s the best? That’s between you and your date.
Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our new podcast, I Want It That Way, which delves into the difficult and downright dirty parts of a relationship, and find more on our Soundcloud page.
Images: Pexels; OKCupid
Dating website OkCupid has urged lonely hearts to stop using the Firefox browser following the controversial appointment of Brendan Eich as Mozilla's new CEO.
Eich, a Mozilla co-founder and the creator of the JavaScript programming language, reportedly donated $1,000 to a campaign in support of Proposition 8, a 2008 California ballot measure that made same-sex marriage illegal under the state constitution.
Although the measure was passed in a general election, it was ultimately struck down as unconstitutional by a federal district court.
The revelation of Eich's support for the measure has prompted several prominent web developers to call for a boycott of the Firefox browser until such time as Eich steps down as Mozilla's chief executive.
On Monday, OkCupid joined the protest by posting an open letter to its homepage that only appears when the site is visited with a web browser declaring itself to be Mozilla Firefox. In the note, the dating site urges its users to switch to a different web browser:
If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked so hard to bring about would be illegal. Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it's professionally important to the entire company. OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure.
Firefox users can click a link at the bottom of the letter to continue on to the main OKCupid site. But the letter also includes links where users can download alternative web browsers, including Chrome, Opera, and IE – the latter of which OkCupid amusingly calls 'Internet Exploder.'
OkCupid's harshly worded statement describes supporters of Proposition 8 as its 'enemies'
Last week, Eich blogged that he was working with 'LGBT individuals and allies' to craft inclusive policies at Mozilla and said that Firefox users should expect to see 'exemplary behavior from me toward everyone in our community, no matter who they are.'
Okcupid Out Of Storage Solutions
And on Saturday, Mozilla posted an official statement of its policies regarding same-sex relationships, in which it cited its own Community Participation Guidelines, which welcome participants regardless of their sexual orientation.
But such affirmations apparently weren't enough for OKCupid, which wrote that even though Eich's monetary contribution in support of Proposition 8 happened six years ago, his 'boilerplate statements in the time since make it seem like he has the same views now as he did then.'
When asked for comment on the matter, a Mozilla spokesperson told The Reg, 'Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts.' ®
