Welcome to the dating app world @EarthMama ! It’s a jungle out there
Pretty much everything said here I’m all like ‘amen’! Tinder is more of less a hook-up app, but I have had some pretty great experiences and have two great new friends that I met through there! I used Bumble for a week but decided that one app was enough! I think that my gay friends have more choice, i.e. they know if they are going to hook up (grindr) or are a bit more serious (i.e. tinder or other sites). I have never tried to use okcupid or plenty of fish, e-harmony etc. Those sites strike me as something you would use when you know you definitely want a long-term relationship @peachy or are a bit older!
To ‘manage’ my matches I have a rule that I message first (unless they beat me to it) and that I will ALWAYS respond to messages (even if it is to shut a complete moron down). This makes me feel more in control of Tinder, and I just simply remind myself that if someone doesn’t want to talk it’s them and I have made the effort to meet new people / have new experiences.
I would agree @MintMilano it’s a buzz and we get addicted to the whole swiping / got a match!! VICE have a good article!
Interesting too all of the new terms that have come out (slow-fade, benching). Also super interesting how the Tinder algorithm works!!
I’ve just met someone pretty special on Tinder though, we’ve been dating just over a month, but it’s been the nicest and easiest thing ever (I’ll keep you posted 🙂 ) There are lots of awesome people out there using dating apps, just be patient, don’t take it too seriously and perhaps create some boundaries around how you want to make dating apps work for you!
Good luck <3