Should Dating Sites Offer More Options for Hiding Your Photo?
Published on May 4, 2010
Recently I was talking with a woman who was looking for an online dating service but she had a strange requirement: she wanted a service where non-paying members would not be able to see her photo. As I told her, the only site I am aware of that hides photos from non-paying members is eHarmony.
Most Services Do Not Like Hiding Photos
Many dating services do not want to have photos hidden because these photos can convince other singles to sign up. If other people are like me, they don’t randomly sign up at a dating service. Instead, they try a few services and when they find one where they think see good potential with the singles there, they sign up for that service. When photos are hidden, people signing up will have to make their decision for some other reason.
This is why I believe eHarmony is able to hide photos from non-paying members where other services cannot: eHarmony is selling strong relationships that are personality based. This means that every match you receive is a potential great date whether you can see their photo or not. Because of this, the fact that the photos are hidden at this site is actually serves as further encouragement to sign up. In contrast, other sites rely in large part on physical attraction to encourage singles to sign up.
Many People Would Prefer More Hiding Options
Many singles are still embarrassed to be using online dating. Sometimes it is not even online dating itself that people dislike but the idea that they would be advertising that they are single. Some people feel like there is something wrong with openly looking for a relationship as if successful people find their relationships without an effort. Regardless of the reason, it is understandable that many people would prefer to not show their photo.
The thing is, many of these people do not want to hide their photo entirely. Instead, they want to make sure that the only people viewing them are those they could actually end up dating. That makes a lot of sense to me. Having an option on whether you wanted your photos to be public or only viewable to singles paying for the service is a great idea. Those people who are happy to have their photo visible to everyone would have to change nothing and those who would prefer to be more private could ensure only potential dates are able to see them.
My guess is that major services will not be changing this option any time soon. Physical attraction is one of the strongest motivators and online dating services know this. What do you think? Is the ability to hide your profile from non-paying members something that would be important to you?
Author: Brad
Brad initially struggled with online dating but over time became quite successful using it. He met his wife using online dating and has been giving advice and helping people improve their results since 2007. He has written a Free Online Dating Guide to help others find success with online dating. You can learn more about his personal experience using online dating and running this website here.
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