Thursday 24 February 2011

DateInAsia - First Impressions

So I signed up to DateInAsia yesterday. DateInAsia is a 100% free Asian dating site. There are many free Asian dating sites, but DateInAsia is by far the most popular. The site claims to have over one million members. How many are active members is not known however.

First impressions were quite favourable. As a security check when you sign up your email address is verified. You also have to supply a mobile phone number. The site then sends out a SMS message to your mobile phone so that the site can verify that you're not setting up a duplicate profile or anything. Does this prevent scammers from using the site? It's probably not hugely effective given that a SIM card is pretty cheap. A professional scammer won't be deterred either - they'll simply add the mobile phone to their expenses of running their business. One cheeky tactic of many scammers is to ask their male victims for money so they can buy a mobile phone. So effectively scam victim #1 is paying the scammer to set up their fake profile so that they can scam victim #2.

So far so good. But unfortunately my impressions of DateInAsia went downhill after that. The site is very basic. I mean VERY basic. There are minimal search facilities. And there is nothing like the My Matches feature of sites like Chinese Love Links. The search facility is stupendously basic. You can really only search on location and age. Want to find a Chinese lady who speaks Japanese and wears glasses? Don't bother with DateInAsia, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. But finding her on Chinese Love Links would be a piece of cake.

But for me the killer problem with DateInAsia has been the lack of interest in my profile. I've booked my trip to Asia. I'm not one of the majority of male members of the site who has no intention of ever actually visiting the ladies. I'm compiling my list of ladies to visit. Yet the only thing on the site is tumbleweed. By comparison I get 3-4 messages a day on Chinese Love Links. And on Filipina Cupid I had to hide my profile as I was swamped with admirers, and that was just on the free membership plan!

So DateInAsia is pretty much a waste of time unless you have time on your hands. A lot of time!

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Chinese Dating Site Wars and Funny Goings Ons...

So I started the Asian Dating Sites Guide back in August 2010. I'd had a terrible time with my Chinese lady, but that's another story altogether. What upset me just as much was that I really felt like I was being taken for a ride on the Chinese dating site I was using (Chnlove). I was paying a lot of money to send emails to and from ladies. I kept getting contacted by ladies way younger than I wanted to meet. Yes this happens on all dating sites but when you have to pay over $5 a time to email them it's obviously a trap to lure you into wasting your hard earned cash.

The Asian Dating Sites Guide is starting to get some interesting feedback from dating site members. Remember folks, it's us MEN who pay for online dating - most sites allow ladies to join free of charge. So it's us MEN who should be setting the agenda here.

So recently I got a really long comment on the site and decided to publish it here. It's an interesting read for anyone thinking of using an Asian dating site. Sadly I've heard this story time and time again.

Interestingly, within 24 hours of publishing the comment, somebody has lept to Chnlove's defence. Is it Chnlove defending their own site? I've no easy way of telling. The comment was posted from a network in the US. But the English looks Chinese-like. Other dating review sites have a long history of seeing positive and negative comments, so nothing would surprise me.

So here's the honest truth about Chnlove. I met a lady on the site. She was real. I visited her in China. She was great. Our relationship did not work out. No fault of Chnlove - it happens. But I spent hundreds of dollars on that site. I could have joined Chinese Love Links or Cherry Blossoms for around $150 for an annual membership. And for that I could have chatted to hundreds or even thousands of women. I could even have joined DateInAsia and chatted to Chinese girls for free. Sure there are scammers on these sites. But chat to enough ladies and you'll easily be able to sort them into different categories of lady. On Chinese Love Links I see the same types of lady time and time again. Likely scammer. Narcissist. Time waster. Girl looking for Mr 100%. Green card seeker. Blah blah blah.

To be fair, I was also impressed with Chnlove support. They were always quick to respond to my questions. The problem lies in China itself. The marriage agencies that Chnlove relies on to supply the lady profiles don't have a good reputation. There is abundant proof of blatant dishonest activity going on. Yet Chnlove appear to take no action against the agencies. The problem is that it's not really in their interests to do so. The more letters an agency sends through Chnlove, the more money that Chnlove make. Simple as that. So don't expect to see anything change anytime soon.

Anyway, if you don't like Chnlove, vote with your feet. Use one of the other Asian dating sites.

Tuesday 22 February 2011

How Good is Asiandating.com?

Asian Dating (sometimes known as Asian Euro) is a popular Asian dating website. The site has tens of thousands of Asian singles registered with it. The site is most popular with men seeking Asian mail order brides. But it's also a site worth using if you're a Western lady seeking an Asian husband.

AsianDating.com is generally a good dating site. The search facilites are excellent, and there are plenty of ladies to chat to. The site is technologically more advanced than its competitors such as Cherry Blossoms.

The best thing about AsianDating.com is that for a single membership fee you can chat to ladies from a range of different Asian countries. Not sure if you want an Asian wife from Thailand, China or the Philippines? No problem - you can chat to them all on AsianDating.com.

The best thing about AsianDating.com is also the worst thing. If you're specifically looking for a wife from a particular country then there won't be such a great selection of ladies on AsianDating.com as compared to a country specific dating site. So if you're looking for a Filipina wife you're better off on Filipino Heart or Filipina Kisses.

So if you're looking for an Asian bride then sign up for a free membership plan at AsianDating.com and see if you like the idea of finding an Asian wife.

Problems With Expensive Letter Writing Dating Sites

Here's an interesting submission to the Asian Dating Sites Guide. A guy has got some good evidence for suspicious activities going on in a popular Chinese mail order brides type of dating site.

These sorts of problems occur quite often with Russian dating sites as well. Typical problems are:

You have to pay for a translator, even when you're talking with a lady who speaks good English
If you're in a relationship with a lady, then she's rarely taken off the site. Meaning that other men are wasting their money writing to her, or you're wasting money on a lady who won't commit.
The lady isn't always aware of letters you're writing to her, so you're basically paying for the translator to send you back a standard response that takes 5 seconds to send.

So what's the solution? Sites like Russian Euro or Asian Euro allow you to chat to as many ladies as you like for one monthly or annual fee. I joined Chinese Cupid recently and it cost just $165 for the entire year. I've exchanged emails with at least 20 ladies. Many of them can write very good English.

It's a lot harder to communicate with ladies who don't know much English. But maybe you're better off hiring your own trusted translator to write you the occasional letter when it's important to get your facts right. And remember that without a translator you're forced to learn her language, and this is a great way to appreciate Russian or Asian culture. Trust me - a lady will think you're wonderful if you attempt to learn a language like Chinese, Thai or Russian!

Wednesday 16 February 2011

Are There Korean Dating Sites?

If you want to look for a Korean wife then there are two places to look:

Korean Cupid is a Korean dating site. You'll find plenty of Korean men and women on this site. There are plenty of Korean ladies who are interested in dating Western men. It may not be that easy to find a Korean wife though. There is no shortage of men in Korea, so Korean ladies have a lot of very eligible men to choose from! Korean ladies are reckoned to be the best Asian ladies to marry, so they have no shortage of suitors. Korean culture is also a lot different to Western culture. If you want to have some success dating a Korean girl then you'll need to understand her culture. Women are mysterious creatures at time, and so by wanting to date a Korean woman you're really making things hard for yourself.

Many countries like the USA, Canada, Japan and the UK have significant Korean communities, so it may be good to date a Korean from these communities. You might find Koreans in your local area by signing up to Asian singles sites that are more focussed on dating in your own country, rather than the international dating sites.

Finally check out Japanese Cupid - there are many Korean ladies in Japan. They can sometimes find it hard to find Japanese husbands since they're not considered fully Japanese.

How to Find Thai Mature Ladies

This is another question many Western men ask when they're interested in finding a Thai wife. Although there are many pretty young Thai girls on Thai dating sites, if you're an older man you're usually better off choosing a mature Thai lady closer to your own age.
The best Thai dating site is probably ThaiLoveLink. Sign up for full membership and you'll be swamped with interest from Thai ladies. This site tends to attract educated ladies who have a computer at home or in the office. There are some very good ladies on this site, particularly if you like more intelliegent "alpha female" type Asian ladies.
Many older Thai ladies don't have computer skills or English language knowledge however so they're unable to sign themselves up to dating sites. These ladies either ask a friend to put them on the site or they approach a Thai marriage agency. Mature ladies can be found on a site like Foreign Ladies or Thai Matches. These sites translate your letters into Thai so the lady can read your correspondence. Although convenient this can be an expensive way of conducting a relationship.

Many mature Thai ladies also prefer to sign up to a marriage agency like Anglo Thai Introductions or Thai Professional. These agencies offer a fixed fee introductions service, and they're worth considering if your finances are limited.

By the way, Thai ladies are lovely, but it's also worth considering mature Chinese women. Mature Chinese women are often incredibly hot! Trust me - I've been to China four times, and I've seen them with my own eyes!!!

Are Chinese Women Better than Thai Women?

Think of mail order brides and most people will think of Russia or Thailand. Thai brides are still pretty much the most popular Asian brides for foreign men. But on Asian dating sites such as Cherry Blossoms there are probably as many Chinese ladies as there are Thai women.

So in general, and this is what I've learned from using the various Asian dating sites...
  • Thai ladies are more likely to be scammers - most of them learn scamming techniques from working in Thailand's vast entertainment industry.
  • Chinese ladies on dating sites tend to be highly educated. It's not uncommon to see ladies with degrees, masters degrees and even an MBA or two. Mail order brides they are not! If you want an alpha female Asian wife, Chinese ladies are a better choice. Having said this, it's increasingly common to see young educated women on ThaiLoveLink and other sites.
  • Chinese ladies tend to be quite confident and aren't a good choice if you want a shy and submissive type of Asian wife.
  • China can be more difficult to visit than Thailand. You usually need a visa. Transport is complicated and frequently crowded. And the language and culture can be baffling.
  • Chinese people have very different beliefs about certain aspects of life, with childbirth being one particular can of worms. If you want lots of babies with your Asian wife then you might find it easier to marry a Thai or Filipina girl.
  • Chinese ladies can be exceptionally beautiful. I'm not going to get dragged into a "which ladies are the most beautiful" type of argument, but having been one of the few Western men to visit central China I have one word to say - WOW!
Ultimately the best thing to do is to sign up to an Asian dating site and see for yourself which ladies you think are best.

Monday 14 February 2011

Finding Love on Chinese LoveLinks

So I'm now into the second month of my Platinum membership of Chinese LoveLinks. I am starting to really like this site.

My head is spinning from speaking to so many girls on the site. One tip I have is to focus on a specific area of China. The country is so vast, and the people so diverse that you need to limit your options somewhat. Although China has opened up to the outside world, as a Westerner you'll still find it quite difficult to travel around the different cities. Buying train tickets is quite complex if you don't speak Chinese. What's often more frustrating is that China has such a vast population that trains and buses are frequently full, and finding tickets at certain times of the year can be very difficult indeed.

I am currently looking for Chinese ladies to visit in one of the largest cities in China. The city is one of the wealthier coastal cities. Few ladies I've spoke to are actually from this city, they are largely economic migrants.

It was announced today that China officially overtook Japan to become the world's 2nd largest economy. I am not surprised. People associate Asian ladies with poor mail order brides from farming communities. But the Chinese LoveLinks ladies I have spoken to have been overwhelmingly in the alpha female category. Most have office jobs that pay a decent wage. Some speak very good English. Sure, many of them have to share apartments with friends, but this city is expensive. It was much the same when I worked in London - an apartment of my own was way out of my price range.

I am still not entirely sure that I like the idea of an alpha female wife. Few men actively seek a lady who has greater earning potential than he does. But the reassurring thing about these top ladies is that they're usually marrying for the right reasons. They have good jobs. Often their families are wealthy. They don't need our money, or our Western passports.

So if you're intrigued by the possibility of finding a Chinese wife, then sign up for a free membership of Chinese LoveLinks and see if you like the idea of finding a Chinese wife of your own.

Mail Order Brides from the Philippines

When men decide to find a mail order bride they tend to automatically think of Thailand. But is Thailand the best place to find an Asian wife?
It's possible that many men are overlooking Philippines mail order brides? Filipinas have a number of advantages:
  • Being mostly god-fearing Christians, they tend to treat marriage more seriously than Thai or Chinese ladies.
  • There are many Filipinas that can speak and write good English. You'll find loads of them on dating sites like Filipino Cupid.
  • They often work overseas, so Filipinas are more used to leaving their families and living in distant lands.
  • Filipinas are a lot of fun, and tend to be less demanding than other Asian ladies such as Chinese women.
On the downside there are plenty of Filipina dating site scammers on many of the Asian dating websites. But never send anyone money and you yourself will be unlikely to end up the victim of such a scam. As you get more experienced at Filipina online dating you'll also learn how to recognise the scammers from the honest ladies.

So sign up to some Asian dating sites and see what you're missing.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Let's Login To Chnlove and See How Much This Chinese Dating Site Costs!

I've been looking for a Chinese wife for a while. I'm not totally convinced a Chinese wife for me, but that's another story. Fortunately because of my age I am in no hurry to get married. Which is just as well because if you rush into a marriage with any lady, you might end up making a big mistake.

Talking of big mistakes, my first one was to sign up to Chnlove. Man, this Chinese dating site is seriously expensive! Here's an article I've titled Chnlove Login: what to expect when you login to Chnlove. I've run a cost comparison of the two big Chinese dating sites: Chinese Love Links and Chnlove. There's no fake reviewing going on here like you'll see on many other Asian dating site guides, this article is based on my real and genuine membership experiences of each site.

Have you been ripped off by an Asian dating site? Many newbies are - it's how sites like Chnlove make their money. Comments or suggestions - add them below and help other guys avoid expensive Asian dating mistakes.

Thursday 3 February 2011

Russian Brides - An Alternative to Asian Brides?

So I've been doing a bit of sightseeing of Russian dating sites. So far I'm not impressed by what I've seen (well apart from the ladies in thongs, which is great!).

As far as Russian online dating goes, I'm particularly worried about sites such as City of Brides, Army of Brides and Hot Russian Brides. These sites are pretty expensive. What's more, if you do a little bit of digging you can find plenty of stories of men being ripped off or plagued by scammers met through these types of sites.

It's all horribly familiar to me. I used the Chnlove Asian dating website for a while. The site cost me a lot of money - around $400 in 6 months as it happens. I was never entirely sure whether the ladies I was writing to actually existed. To be fair I did meet a really great girl through the site. But if you do some reading about Chnlove then you get the familiar stories - fake ladies, scam ladies, in fact it's almost exactly the same as what you can read about with Russian ladies.

I'm now using Chinese Love Links. I'm impressed with this site. There are some lovely ladies on this site. Mail order brides these are not. The other day I found a Chinese woman on there with an MBA. How many MBA's are there on Plenty of Fish?

If you're looking for a Russian bride then cut out all the expensive rip off sites and try Russian Euro. The flat rate fee means you can't get ripped off by pay per minute video chat sites or have to pay $5 to read an email. All the Cupid Media sites tend to attract a much better class of lady as well. She's usually fairly well educated, and will have some sort of access to a computer. Sure there are scammers at work on these sites, but don't send money to anyone and you'll be OK. With time you'll get to spot the scammers anyway - I find that none of them are particularly imaginative and most of them copy each other's money making schemes.