What Are Alternatives For Men Now That Craigslist Personals Are Gone?
Craigslist Personals Are Gone, Now What?
Where are you supposed to meet women now that Craigslist personals are gone? It’s easy; you can meet women on dating sites. Sure, Craigslist allowed certain anonymity but those days are gone.
Have you ever used Craigslist personals? Maybe you’ve never posted an ad or responded to a post, but I can assure you someone in your circle has at some point; a family member, a friend, an ex-girlfriend, a co-worker, etc.
Craigslist was the dirty little secret of internet dating. Millions of people used it, but nobody would ever admit to it. But now that it’s gone, what options does a man have to meet women online?
Craigslist shut it’s personal section down on , out of response to H.R.1865 – Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017. The bill holds websites responsible for �unlawful behaviors� and would allow victims of sex trafficking to sue websites that facilitate their abuse.
This bill prompted Craigslist to shut down its personals two days after the bill was passed. “Any tool or service can be misused,” Craigslist says in a statement that appears when users click on its personals link. “We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline.”
What Are Alternatives For Men Now That Craigslist Personals Are Gone?
Clearly, the bill wasn’t directed at Craigslist, but the unintended consequence is Craigslist shut down their personals to protect themselves legally leaving millions of men like you who used it for dating out in the cold.
Still, some people continue to post personals in the “Missed Connections” section or the “Activities” section. It’s a long-shot this will work, and besides, other members or Craigslist itself will flag the post for removal.
OK, now that Craigslist Personals is gone, what can you use? Hookup app and dating apps! Of course, it depends on what you’re looking for.
There’s no mainstream site like Craigslist where you can be completely anonymous, so dating apps are your best option. Plenty of women are seeking FWB’s, hookups, casual romances, etc.
Some women are looking for sexual relationships, so don’t be swayed. If you’re looking for just sex, there’s are several options. Here are hookup related apps that I have looked at for this blog:
There are other hookup apps. All you have to do is search online. However, the ones that have the most women are in the list above.
- OkCupid
- Tinder
- CoffeeMeetsBagle
- POF
- Match
- Eharmony
Some are somewhat free such as POF and OkCupid, where you can message women, but they charge for more premium services. Match and Eharmony are sites where you have to pay to contact females.
Craigslist personals are gone, but you can still find casual relationships for free on dating sites. It takes a little more effort. You have to read profiles as women who are looking for a casual relationship will share it on their profile.
Here’s an example of a woman on Tinder who is visiting the San Diego area. Her Tinder profile shares she is looking to “play” which is an invitation for a hookup.
Another way to find women who are looking for something “less than serious” is to read their profile completely. Even something as simple as this hint on a woman’s profile on POF shows she isn’t looking for commitment:
With Craigslist you didn’t have to load photos, but that doesn’t work on dating sites. You’re going to find it very hard to meet women if you don’t load a picture. So you can’t be completely anonymous anymore.
- If your profile description is blank or super short you are 9 times more likely to get “unread deleted”.
- Profiles with no picture get 10 times less emails.
You could join a dating site and try meeting women without uploading a photo, but you’re going to be hard-pressed to meet anyone. It’s a red flag if you’re on a dating site without a photo.
Now that Craigslist personals are gone you’re going to have to join a dating site to meet women. If you want to succeed on any dating site, you’ll have to load photos and write about yourself. Don’t half-ass it. Be honest about what you want. Women are looking for long-term relationships and casual ones as well.
Put some effort in, and you can find what you want. Now that Craigslist personals are gone the only choice is a dating site. Which dating site is up to you. There are plenty to choose.
My advice is to check the ones that pique your interest. They will all allow you to sign up for free and even search the females. Before paying, search for women who are actually “online” or been online the last day or so. You need to gauge how many women are active on the site before spending your money.