Craigslist personals is a section on the Craigslist website founded by Craig Newmark and designed for the placement of messages to individuals and advertisement of a private nature. The platform had been around since 1995 as an email distribution list before the lessened stigma of internet dating resulted in an increase in the percentage of users decades after. Craigslist personals section is popular for providing opportunities for dates and facilitating sexual encounters. Considered useful for same-sex relationship seekers due to its open nature and difficulty in discovering more about each other (partners). In 2005, the site was considered as a chief facilitator of sexual encounters between most gay partners in its Francisco Craigslist's men seeking men section. This development further led to the Francisco Public Health Department officials into pressuring the site. This led the site in to create a link to San Francisco City Clinic and STD forums.
• Women seeking men.
• Men seeking men.
• Casual encounters.
• Erotic services.
• Rants and raves.
• Women seeking women. Etc.
The service was around for a while as many user identities remained hidden because of the site's safety and security settings.
Craigslist personals was formerly known as erotic services. Due to the misuse of the platform by users in promoting negative influences on the society through advertisements on the section, an outcry by stakeholders was projected against the website. Such outcries caused the issuance of a disclaimer in 2002 as to the category of users on some of its services.
In 2009, Craigslist closed its erotic services to be replaced by the adult services section; the decision was reached as a result of allegations of the United States' suggesting that the erotic service promoted prostitution and it was eventually closed in 2010 due to criticisms and complaints from the attorney general that the section's advertisements facilitated child sex trafficking and prostitution; a menace the site makes effort to fight earning the website an award from the FBI as working hand in hand with law enforcement agencies.
Why Craigslist Personals was shut down:
The passage of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) bill was put into law by the U.S Congress in April 2023, which forced Craigslist to cease offering its personals section on U.S. domains, clarifying that any tool or service can be misused. The company felt that taking such risks may jeopardize other services available on its platform. The law holds the site culpable as a tool which facilitates sex trafficking and prostitution as its personal ads section allows users to promote their activities with sex workers dominant in this category. To avoid contravening the law and being sued by victims from the use of the site options, the personals section was discontinued in March 2023 as a smart move to protect other services.
The removal of Craigslist personals attracted condemnation from users who saw the site as having a lot of positives; as it serves as a platform for users to build relationships and meet their life partners.
The exit of the popular dating/personals section of Craigslist has left a huge vacuum which millions of users have continued to seek for alternatives to fill. Luckily, some of these sites have sprung up to meet the yearnings of Craigslist personals' subscribers and new online community users seeking dating/personals sites. These alternative sites and replacements include;
Founded in March 2023, Double List recorded search statistics of over 550,000, and over 11 million monthly site visits with usage at no cost as members have access to list their personal advertisements and assess the listing of other members on the platform. Doublelist is a new online personal website that has come to stay with a variety of service options that place the site as a natural replacement for Craigslist personals; providing the members of the site an avenue to satisfy their sexual needs. Unlike some sites, it requires signing up before browsing through its listings; with a nice layout.
The verification process requires new users to verify their phone numbers and emails as an extra security check to meet the FOSTA SESTA law that led to the shutdown of the Craigslist personals; The site keeps track of what everyone posts and can ban sex traffickers from posting again. It also helps prevent fake posts. It provides the option for selection of city and section which include;
• Guys to Guy.
• Couple to Him.
• Couple to Her.
• Women to Women.
• Couples for Couples.
• Women to Guys.
• Straight for Gays.
• Gays for Straight.
• Live Chat, Sex education 101 and 201, etc.
The advantages include：
Safety Guarantee: this site's verification process through signing up helps collect information; once you sign up, a quick survey gathers information which helps you select a permanent username which you cannot change except for a change of phone for a new account. Half of the staff strength of over 140 staff are tasked with verifying and monitoring ads posted on the site; this prevents spam and fake posts.
Fast Response: the posting of ads attracts a fast rate of response from other users, it is quite responsive with data from the Chrome User Experience of users indicating the website's speed of 0.6 to 1 seconds.
Cannot search for ideal people by detailed criteria.
BeNaughty is one of the funniest and hottest sites for meeting singles, men, and women, who are looking for fun and passionate nights of sex, either through a quick relationship or just an accomplice fling. Your ideal future partner for a night of fire, flames, and passion is waiting for you on Benaughty.
Profiles of members you can choose and select, thanks to the filters of all the categories you will find on Benaughty, to find real encounters and real dates. Start with chat and private messages, and you can choose the ideal partner closer to your city if you want.
BeNaughty is the best method for eager people to find dating for fun. Here the sexual atmosphere is very spicy and you can find different people at any time of the day and night.
Passion blossoms and grows online in online dating sites, with a dash of fun and provocation. Start the seduction game by chatting with the most charming singles. Don't be intimidated, and try to be as explicit as possible with your messages to understand who you are dealing with, and don't waste time. Remember your goal: to have a spicy encounter with a willing partner as soon as possible.
• Trial at an inexpensive cost for 3 days
• Ease of site use
• Ease of deletion
• Data security
• HELP section
• There may be fake users who don't put real photos, so be careful with various profiles;
• The unsubscribe code from the site, which is free, arrives after 1 hour;
• You get several notifications right away as soon as you sign up, can't respond to all of them.
Now you can see for yourself the convenience of this site and start looking for hot singles.
Perhaps the biggest Craigslist personals replacement in 2023, Tinder is a search-mobile app that is location-based and allows users to swipe right or left, (like or dislike respectively) and also for them to chat if they “Match” and want to connect. Used more like a dating app, it displays information based on a short bio entered by users, and also from their Facebook photos. Users can connect also using a linked Instagram account.
Some of the pros of Tinder include a nice user interface as well as a nicely built app in all its technicality. Depending on your location also, you may not be required to pay for a premium package to enjoy unlimited swipes.
Like most online dating apps. Tinder can become a time sink, taking up your time and keeping you from actualizing other goals.
Happn is simply a location-based social search mobile app like most other apps in its category which allows its users to like or dislike other participants based on their personal preferences. It also allows users the opportunity to chat if both parties liked each other.
One major advantage of Happn applies within the speed of setup. You can register on Happn app in less than 4 minutes and be ready to mingle with individuals around you in no time at all.
Happn app doesn’t really hold its own in some locations. Depending on where you find yourself, you may be unable to find the sufficient number of individuals on the app. This may be attributed to an unevenly spread user demography around the world.
Grindr is the ideal representation of a modern LGBTQ lifestyle which continues to expand into newer platforms. From social issues to original content, Grindr continues to create innovative features in a bid to make a meaningful impact on the society at large.
Subtle stalking: Now while this may sound creepy to most, it is actually a very helpful tool within the gay community especially in areas where gay brethren suffer discrimination. Basically, you can check your app to see if the guy who just worked into the bar is gay before risking going across to talk to him. You can also see the things he likes, etc.
It can be a waste of time in all honesty. There will be times when you may have friends and family over and rather than savor the moment before you, you keep checking your phone every hour, much to the dismay of your friends and family.
Launched on January 19, 2004, OkCupid, is online dating, and social networking site that is based in the U.S. Often abbreviated as OKC, it supports a range of modes for communication including emails and instant messaging. The site has been updated to include a bevy of nontraditional gender options like pansexual, asexual, genderfluid, transsexual, and even sapiosexual. This has increased the inclusiveness of the website for more users. OkCupid also has the “OK trends blog” that users can follow.
While this might sound pretty obvious, OkCupid is going to get you laid. As straightforward as it sounds, it is true in its totality. Also, there is something for everyone.
In reality, there is no intimacy in these sexual encounters. For most people, it is just plain sex, no emotions whatsoever.
The hinge may be called the final corner, this is because it is an app which has been painstakingly designed for individuals who intend to get off dating apps.
True to the promises of the app, this app is ranked as one of the top three apps which leads relationships to full-blown marriages in the U.S, Canada, and Australia.
It costs $7 per month for full membership after a period of trial, hence when compared to other options in the same category, offering the same services, it can be quite expensive
Zoosk is an online dating service that is available in over 20 languages and is used by people in over 80 countries. After its launch in 2007, Zoosk grew quickly and now has over 27 million users. Zoosk has an Android and IOS app and also a desktop chat client. People who are looking for dates or friends have access to a very wide population to meet.
The Zoosk app itself is incredibly well designed and very user-friendly. This ensures a seamless user experience for users of all ages.
The major drawback associated with the Zoosk app is that you have to pay to send messages to other participants on the platform.
Created by three sisters, Coffee Meets Bagel was launched in April 2012 and has gone on to become a popular dating service. The unique feature of CMB is that each user has a limit to the profiles they can interact with each day. It also offers special ice-breaker information for searches. CMB also helps users identify potential matches by looking at their Facebook accounts.
One major advantage of this app is that it doesn’t allow users to search for other profiles, hence privacy is at its utmost best here.
On this app, you only have a limited number of connections each day. This basically means that you can only have as many dates as you would like.
MeetMe allows you to get in touch with individuals who are around your vicinity. Like other dating apps, you can set up meetings and hangouts with people who you may connect with. Prospective MeetMe users can register using Facebook or directly through the app.
MeetMe is completely free for regular users and has free games which users can play. These games tend to increase the popularity of the app.
The search function on Meetme app is quite limited for both free and paid users. Safe to say that the search function is null.
Badoo was founded in 2006 and is a website that is dating-focused. Due to its availability in 47 different languages, it is regarded as the most widely used dating service in the world. Badoo offers Android, IOS and Web apps that make its use easier. Badoo also has a service called the Premium model that allows users to access its core apps without a subscription.
The major advantage of the Badoo applies in its spam filtration techniques. This ensures reduced spam content on the site. A menace which affects most online dating sites.
Badoo can be a pricey alternative in comparison with other online dating apps currently in the market. It seems like a cheap alternative at first, up until you have to buy credits every month.
Bumble app like most other social and dating apps is a location-based application which facilitates communication between partners who may have indicated a certain level of interest in one another. In heterosexual matches, only female users can make the first contact with matched male users, while in same-sex matches both parties have equal opportunities to send a message first
The major advantage of Bumble app is that it allows women to initiate the first contact, hence there is no fear of overwhelming conversations.
If you are a dude, then hard luck trying to contact a lady you find attractive. Plus, she has only 24 hours to make the first move if you both have swiped right if she doesn’t then this lead is lost forever.