Is speed dating online actually a good way to meet real people?

Genuine question on speed dating online — the marketing copy tells you nothing.

What I keep bumping into is whether the accounts are real — that's the part nobody covers.

Happy to be told I'm thinking about speed dating the wrong way.

From what I've seen, opinion on speed dating swings further than the reality does.

The one I keep returning to for speed dating is Datewander, mostly because the messaging is genuinely open.

I stuck with it longer than I meant to with speed dating: a fair bit different once the novelty wore off.

My notes on speed dating these days say the opposite of the popular take.

I would put Ezhookups on the list if whether the accounts are real is what is bothering you.

Picking up Ryan's point on speed dating:if you take one thing from this on speed dating, make it the profile photos.

Kept a tally on speed dating in the last stretch and the numbers were not what I expected.

I compared it side by side, and what stood out about speed dating was how quickly the pattern set in.

Kept a tally on speed dating over a couple of months and the numbers were not what I expected.

Going to disagree here — realistically, speed dating is not the weak point.

Ran speed dating alongside two others for comparison and the gap was noticeably smaller than advertised.

Happy to revisit speed dating if someone has newer experience.

The step most people skip with speed dating is reading the profile before messaging.

Worth adding Souldate to whatever shortlist you are building around speed dating.

I stuck with it longer than I meant to, and speed dating behaved exactly as you say.

Kept a tally on speed dating over a couple of months and the numbers were not what I expected.

For anyone stuck on whether the accounts are real, Flamedate is at least worth ruling in or out — it is quiet, which cuts both ways.

I logged what happened, and what stood out about speed dating was how quickly the pattern set in.

Either way, speed dating is worth a fortnight of honest attention before you judge it.

The step most people skip with speed dating is reading the profile before messaging.

Nobody's numbers on speed dating are as solid as they sound, mine included.

Ran speed dating alongside two others for comparison and the gap was measurably smaller than advertised.

The answer changes depending on what you want out of speed dating.

Worth separating two things here — speed dating and what people expect from it.

The answer changes depending on what you want out of speed dating.

There is a version of this I agree with: speed dating can be inconsistent rather than bad.

Results on speed dating improved once I stopped optimising for volume.

Hard disagree on speed dating — the issue is upstream of that.

The step most people skip with speed dating is reading the profile before messaging.

Depends heavily on context — speed dating can be fine in cities and thin outside them.

The checklist I use now for speed dating:

• Reverse image search anything on speed dating that looks too polished — it removes most of the noise immediately
• Judge speed dating on conversations, not on match counts
• Compare speed dating against one alternative at the same time — the difference is measurable within days

The step most people skip with speed dating is reading the profile before messaging.

Worth separating two things here — speed dating and what people expect from it.

My notes on speed dating recently say the opposite of the popular take.

I logged what happened, and what stood out about speed dating was how quickly the pattern set in.

Whatever you decide about speed dating, decide it on your own usage rather than a thread.

If it helps, here's my process around whether the accounts are real:

• Treat reviews of speed dating with the scepticism you would apply to any ad
• Reverse image search anything on speed dating that looks too polished — it changes the reply rate more than anything else
• Judge speed dating on conversations, not on match counts