I see we can now pay to upgrade, yes, I know, it isn't mandatory and I still keep the same things I had when I first signed up...this isn't about that. Moreso of the business choice and direction, I understand Mingle wanting to expand and offer more services, however I think it would have been better to ease into the move. Reasons why; one, we are not all that popular of a site for more than one reason, we don't have a big name such as Match or Eharmony and Mingle doesn't even hit the first page in a search of 'dating sites'; two, I think that energy and finances could have gone to making a better free site instead of a rather poor paysite, I mean really...the only thing I get out of paying is my profile to be one of the first searches to show up.

This is all debateable, and I really don't have the numbers as far as how well Mingle is doing financially at this point, I just don't see this process as helping the site. I like this site and want it to do well as I'm sure the admins do as well, however I think upgrading the free features that many already enjoy would have been a better method than adding in pay features.

perhaps they are easing into it - and perhaps soon we'll all have to pay

It is a free site but I wonder why there are not lots of women in my area . Fourteen pages in a radius of 100 miles is not a great number .

Thank you for the well-though out post. We spent a lot of time debating this move, as you might imagine. In the end, we came to the conclusion that now is a very good time for us to try this, if we were ever going to. We also concluded that we should still never get rid of the free version (as promised). It's what got us here.

I wouldn't think you would get rid of the free version, my only concern is that now with the pay version the free won't be getting any attention. A lot of good suggestions have been made and I would hate to see them all go to the pay version while those of us who have enjoyed the free Mingle get the shaft. I just don't see the pay version hitting off all that well, and all the work that went into releasing it could have gone to upgrading the free membership.

I will find it interesting to see how many scammers slip through the cracks now. So far, this site has been very good about keeping them away.

But, in my experience, pay sites are inundated by scam profiles.

So it was $25 for three months? Compared to Match, Eharmony or any other Pay site that is a steal. But you are not going to see me sighing up.

I just hope lotsa people pay up and upgrade. It's a great site, though I no longer visit so often. I've really enjoyed this site and am amazed it's remained such a "clean" site all this time. I love it and wish 'em the best.

That's the problem with upgrading...there isn't much incentive to do it, there isn't really much offered with the upgrade aside from your profile showing up everywhere. You're just paying for more publicity, there is nothing guaranteed in more publicity much less finding someone.

I can see why members would have such doubts. There is probably nothing we can say right now to assuage such fears about our commitment to the free version, though. I will still go ahead and say that we will dedicate enough time and energy to every part of the site (scammers included).

I agree with you Fear.. I'm very disappointed... I guess if the only thing the upgrade offers is your profile everywhere (which I have my doubts about that being possible with people in the same geographical area) then we don't have much to lose b/c they're not changing the forums and that's what most of us are here for....

So if I upgrade, because of the increased viability I'll get even more 19 year olds from California writing to tell me what a great profile I have (without looking at it) and asking me to look at their websites right?

Apparently. However, that's what the mail restrictions are for!

I have no problem with the upgrade. To quote Michael Corleone,'It's not personal Sonny,it's stictly buisness.'. If you want to upgrade,do it. If not,don't. It's pretty simple. be seeing you

When you advertise free site in my world it means all options are free once you start to ask for money on certain options (optional or not) it stops being a free site.

I hope that they will at least stop advertising it as a free site.

This is a very valid point. be seeing you

As I just posted in another thread, the "free" description is a fine line and we don't have a perfect answer. I would imagine that "free" will be a part of our advertising and search engine description, though.

As for the forums, we do have plans to improve them. I would not believe it until I saw it either, though.

And this is coming from one of the honchos...LMAO

Well...at least we know there are " plans " out there somewhere.

Sounds kinda like the " new " version of Windows that Microsoft always promises will run everything we already have. LOL

OK, I'm biased, admittedly, but re: this "free" designation:

I've been on this site for almost 3 years now. Never paid a penny for anything, ran into a lot of great people, had a lot of fun, a good place to vent, a good place to post snippets of my writings, etc.

I was on SinglesNet for 3 months back in early 2006. $24.95 a month. They bill themselves as a "free" site (I've seen them pop up in Google searches for "free dating site"), but the catch is, it's only "free" to sign up. You can create a profile and look at other profiles, you can even send a "wink," but you can't actually e-mail anybody there unless the person you want to e-mail is a paying member.

Paying members can e-mail anybody.

So, their "free" accounts are basically free to create a profile and then sit and wait and hope there's a decent paying member somewhere in the area, which there may or may not be.

It's different here. You can contact anybody, assuming you're not blocked by their e-mail filters, which is an individual thing, not site policy. There are forums here (none on SinglesNet). OK, so the upgrade allows for the upgraded users to have better placement in searches, etc., but the bottom line is that nobody is actually going to lose anything here.

It's like if you got a coupon for a free dinner at a local restaurant. Well, why not? But dessert is extra. OK, some people will want the dessert and will be OK with paying a couple bucks for that. Others won't. But everybody with the coupon gets the main meal for free regardless. Nobody loses out just because some people want the extra.

I just don't want you lot to turn into EA...used to be good, got too good, now just sucks. Don't do that to me Mingle...please...