The formal part is probably key. I met four girls in person in my time on OKCupid (which was a pretty good rate since I lived two and a half hours away from the city where they lived), but all of the dates were pretty casual in nature, and there was no expectation of overt romantics. I went to a concert with one then back to her place, to a movie with another then back to her place, to the zoo with a third, and then to the zoo, dinner, and back to her place with the fourth, who in short order became my steady girlfriend.
Glad it worked for you. OKCupid is most popular in North America (Canada, USA) and near big cities (obviously where more people are). So there's a big logistical advantage for people there.
The profile was key for me. I made it as interesting as I could without getting overly wordy, threw in some humour, kept it honest and clean, and laid out pretty plainly what I was looking for and what a girl could expect from me. This led to an instant connection with the second girl, even though it didn't lead anywhere romantic in the end (we're still friends). The third girl messaged me first instead of the usual other way around, because she loved my profile. The fourth girl, who became my girlfriend, favourited my profile, which brought her to my attention.
It certainly sounds like you had a good profile some women found attractive. On the other hand, people have told me that a good photo makes a big difference to response rates though, so I think the photo is probably quite important for the initial messages.
I again have to emphasize that I am in no way a handsome hunk. I'm not muscular, my hair is starting to recede, my skin isn't perfect. I didn't expect any of the girls I talked to to be perfect either though. There are all sorts on dating sites, so it depends on what your expectations are. If you just want to date a stereotypically attractive girl, your chances are probably low. But if you want to connect with some people and maybe meet some nice girls, give it a shot, don't be disappointed when some of them ignore you, and you never know.
OK, so you don't need to be really good looking, but I think a reasonable photo is needed? Many people have said that OKCupid is mainly looks-based and a bit of meat market.
Of the four girls I met in the ten months, two are still friends and one is my very serious girlfriend of five months now. I don't know how that compares to the success rates of other dating methods, but if a person has trouble meeting new potential love interests in other ways, it's worth a shot. I recommend OKCupid because it's free and well-done, without any run-arounds or gimmicks, and everything is clean and well-presented. I tried plentyoffish as well but it was stupid.
Hey man, glad it worked for you. I've never had much luck in that department and the whole dating thing kinda passes me by.
Do you date?
- 13/01/2011 12:00:40 AM
1070 Views
I date my wife
- 13/01/2011 01:58:22 AM
696 Views
errr *NM*
- 13/01/2011 02:03:16 AM
284 Views
What's all this, then? *NM*
- 13/01/2011 04:25:31 AM
314 Views
*NM*
Re: Do you date?
- 13/01/2011 05:14:25 AM
763 Views
No. Never have.
- 13/01/2011 09:16:18 AM
742 Views
Dating websites
- 13/01/2011 02:46:41 PM
658 Views
Re: Dating websites
- 13/01/2011 08:57:16 PM
614 Views
Yes, on the subject of OKCupid...
- 14/01/2011 05:15:27 AM
843 Views
Re: Dating websites
- 14/01/2011 07:11:01 AM
636 Views
a long time ago, in a galaxy far away or maybe the same one as this one....
- 13/01/2011 03:36:38 PM
693 Views
Nope. Never have. I think there's much less of a tradition of doing that here.
- 13/01/2011 07:52:21 PM
624 Views
dating is interesting....
- 14/01/2011 07:16:23 AM
679 Views
Not since I began attending a university that is only ~30% women. 
- 14/01/2011 08:41:55 AM
660 Views
- 14/01/2011 08:41:55 AM
660 Views