Great writeup Lee -- had not realized the site had achieved so much momentum.

Don't be fooled by Marcus's lies. He spends a lot of servers, and has a few people working with him. He does not run it from his apartment, he has servers at Peer1 which is a co-lo in Vancouver.

He also uses Akamai to serve up his static content, which in turn is like having 10,000 servers around the globe. This costs a pretty penny, and I bet he's coming close to his spending vs. ad revenue right about now.

well, Marcus may be making his money but from my experience and the reviews i have seen he isn't making some of his members happy.

unfortunately that is what you get when you have one guy who is running the show and doesn't take input from anyone else.

the treatment of members with different gender and orientation seemed to be enforced just based on his personal feelings about it.

ah well, you get what you pay for...

Plentyofish.com has been giving a "cannot find server" message for most of the afternoon today, 8/9/07

There's a reason for the business model, folks, and it's to provide redundent systems, back-ups, and automatic switching in case of an outage. this takes strategic planning, equipment, and staff.

But, of course, it's only an adult meeting site - can't imagine there is a dating emergency, but you never know! Sombody might actually try to sue for a disruption of service when their soul mate doesn't believe a lack of communication was due to the web site outage!

HAHAHAHAHAAH

I'm new to the Plenty of Fish site and really glad you mentioned this, as I thought they'd cut me off!

I was wondering just what I'd done to deserve it!

Really annoying, as I was finally getting round to making some dates after stalling for a month!

Legal suit pending.... only joking Marcus. Please don't eject me. Please.....

too many fake profiles. profiles disapearing for no reason. people joining just to use the forums. too many fat women and women with kids.

Yeah Im a professional educated woman, met a few guys that are nice, intelligent, attractive, educated...most of what I have heard from the guys is that the chicks are fat like the previous guy said...ha...fat and stupid I mean.

LOADS of Nascar oddities there....nevertheless I say for a free site I met a few nice people.
I wouldnt pay for a dating site for anything..too man fish off the net that is.

jus tried going on plenty of fish an is offline been offline for 3 hours now

I think that a lot of the men that use this site are expecting to find Barbie (and for Free no less). I used this site to see what was out there after I ended a long term abusive relationship. I found that most of the men could not spell or use correct grammer. They are all "into the outdoors" and have "athlectic body types" HA! ! All this site did for me was confirm that men really are out for one thing. And to think that I was helping some guy make millions, kills me

POF - I have been on it for 2 years, and its run by morons. Not to mention I find out that admin can go in and read your private emails whenever they like that you send through their server.
They go in and delete whatever they want, and it is such a high school attitude place. Facebook - and My Space is much better - and run by more intelligent people.
And I noticed the email I signed up with - the only place I ever used that email - is getting huge amounts of spam - so they sell your email to spam lists.
If you are worried about your information being shared, or about private matters being shared - stay away from POF.

I keep getting DSN error or page not available? It's been at least two weeks since I have been able to sign on.

If you are from the USA you already have two strikes against you. The moderators in the forums are bitter self serving canadians, and if you don't agree with their liberal ideas, you have now appeared on their "radar". This past week they had a wholesale profile deletions frienzy. I had quit posting on the forums for a while now because of these problems. I tried to log on and was denied, but sent to a forum section for help. This section has allowed the moderators to bash people and accused them of outright lying about the previous posts they had made. I had been entertaining the idea of cancelling my account anyway. This has only verified the feeling of CONCEIT younger canadians have for Americans, and I'm glad to be gone. To the owner:......you sir are the jerk, and once everyone sees you for what you are they will drop out too. You can only tell ppl that if they don't like it they can leave so many times before they will..free site or not.
Thanks to this site for letting me vent!

It all true :) Markus is a dink.... comments that don't fall in line with newage correctness are deleted... the moderators are a bunch of cowardly fascists..... all I can say is I am glad I didnt pay for it ......
I seriously have to wonder who the end user of some of this info is.... annoying to realize that private is public .... its probably the police using it

Whatever Markus! POF sucks, there are maybe a few quality people but I have been on and off for 2 years and have found nothing but MAJOR LOSERS! Someone even majorly scammed me and I brought it to Markus's attention numerous times, but alas that person is STILL on and stalking and scamming innocent women as we speak. I know this for a FACT. SO sad because there are so many truly searching for someone on there. I went to a POF party (1st and last) never met so many overweight, jobless, car-less, homeless people in my life. Couldn't believe my eyes, again yikes and double yikes. My profile is permanently deleted and will NEVER appear on there again. Good thing the site is free or else he wouldn't have anyone on it.

While the idea of a free dating service was a good one
the women you meet on POF only go for models if you are anything less than 5,10 (as some even post in their profiles) you are out of luck.

Worst yet I deleted my profile then later tried to make a new one and it seems I can't?!! when I sent and email to find out why no answer? so I assumed I have been blocked......I never said or did anything offensive or rude to anyone on the site! You would think someone would at least answer you when you email them?

GUYS LET ME SAVE YOU SOMETIME!!!!

FORGET PLENTY OF FISH

ALSO E-HARMONY or LAVALIFE or THE MANY FRIENDFINDERS THESE ARE SCAMS!!!!!

The only way you meet someone is get outside and mingle with people in the real world......thats all there is to it people.

YES you will get reject but F*UK them if they don't like you move on.....it's not like you every need to see them again......or yourself worth is measured by what some unknown person thinks of you.

THATS RIGHT!!!! REPEAT AFTER ME!!!!

F*UK THEM!!! WHO CARES IF THEY LIKE ME OR NOT!!! IT'S THEIR LOST IF THEY CAN'T SEE I'M A GOOD CATCH!!! NEXT!!!

This goes for you ladies also if a guy treats you like
SH*T and you TAKE IT you deserve it and more.
MOVE ON LADIES FIND A GOOD MAN!!!

I have met a few people that I went on to date, one for three months. Those were flukes. For the most part, the woman are either stuck up (and really cute) or are desperate (and really ugly or has issues). The worst part is that the system is undeniably screwed up to where it states a message is sent, but it never is. Ironically, it's usually the cute girls this is a problem with. Moderators REFUSE to even acknowledge the problem, and state it is message filters/restrictions (even though when this is the case, you can't message them at all - it blocks it). I've been banned and ignored because I refused to buy their BS. I finally deleted my profile for good.

In a nutshell-I cancelled my profile today. I really could not understand what some of these people were thinking. The messages they would leave for me were ridiculous. Some looked like convicts! The things they would enter on their profile would make me just shake my head. The pathetic little pea brain of some people. They are asking for a fit woman, but they are overweight! Huh?
I met a couple of guys that were okay.....but I do see why they are single and can not find a good woman. How can you consider yourself trying to find someone and you can't communicate? I met a guy from POF and he proceeded to tell me at lunch that he has a phobia..he doesn't like crowds. It freaks him out to go into a Gas Station..and at one point he didn't even want to leave his house. Do what!!! Check please.
I have met and became friends with a couple of guys that are pretty cool. But my personal search is over. I am done. My self worth is way too important. I know I deserve a great guy and I do believe there are some good ones out there. I just hope with my busy schedule, I will bump into him.
TI tried this method because of my work schedule. I travel quite a bit for work. I don't have time to get out on my own, especially in my home area. I meet guys all the time when I travel. That isn't reall realistic. But....I will have to find a way....because I will not resort to POF or any other internet sites AGAIN! But best of luck to the ones that do continue their search online.

Tell me!!!

deltaleonis75@aol.com

Reading through this blog has been a real eye opener. Am I ever naive and embarrassed. I never dreamt that these sites are filled with phony profiles. Are there a dinks who inflate their egos with wonderful descriptions of themselves, Yeah, I've met a few. But no more. Delete, Delete, Delete!!!
By the way, "Chuck the spam slayer" thx for your words of wisdom.

Wow, there are some angry people on POF. I guess if you don't like the site, then perhaps look elsewhere. Obviously you are not finding what your looing for, but really with some attitudes like yours, no wonder your still single.

I was a member of this site. Then they fixed it where I couldn't get on. So I went on as a differnet person. Within 15 minutes it put me off and I can't get back on.
If I ever run into the guy that started this site I will kick his ass as he is discriminating me from meeting ladies.

I just want to comment on putting a profile in several times and getting the Error '/' Server not working. Well all the time I thought it was my old computer, ta da...it's pof problem. So glad I found this blog.

I wrote several times to Markus and he never returned my email, now I know why.

And as far as the people on this site....forget it. I'll be better of with a Dog!!

And to think married men are on there looking for some thing extra...'my wife don't understand me'....I am an honest man, I will treat you like a queen!!! Honestly, what a bunch of creeps.

Nowadays, can't trust anyone...looks like I may be an old maid and get use to it!! Good Luck to All.

I’ve just deleted my POF profile after only being on it for three weeks. I sent out 29 emails and, though I did at least manage to get four replies that were positive, out of those 4, there was only one who I would really liked to have met outside of the online world. Unfortunately, after she asked me to complete an online Myers-Brigg assessment, which came up as a personality profile shared by 2% of the population, she informed me that she had met somebody through the site that she found intriguing and preferred only to deal with one guy at a time. Well, fair enough, I thought. So I emailed her telling her that she was somebody I would’ve like to have met offline, told her she had my contact information (I’d given her my phone # and email address) and said that if it didn’t work out, please feel free to contact me.

Then I thought about all the time I’d spent getting to that stage, and decided that, with my career interest (and believe me, unlike probably at least 3/4 of the population, I HAVE found my life’s calling and do enjoy what I do), my workout schedule at the gym and an activity completely unrelated to work that brings me joy and peace, I simply do not have the time to waste on this site.

Potential coffee dates with strangers online who I will probably never meet? What’s the point?

I also would like to add myself to the list of people that is also having no luck logging into POF after creating a profile.It is surprising how common this problem is and it surely must be something to consider for those of you that are able to use the site.When people send me mail through the site I have no way to read the contents and respond.I wish that I could delete my profile but that is not possible either.Likely if all the fake profiles and inaccessable ones suddenly disappered POF would become the worlds smallest free dating site.

Whoever said that POF is run by morons is right. It uses volunteer moderators, most of whom are feminazis.

Dare to post in their forums with anything that tells the truth about how shitty POF is... especially for guys. And you will find your posts deleted. Without warning or justification.

'Fair comment' and 'freedom of speech' are concepts that are alien to POFand its moderators.

Avoid it like the plague and it'll die of its own accord.
A more appropriate name for POF should be plentyofrottenfish.com.

Most of the women there are stuck-up skanks with a bad case of Princess Syndrome.

Dating and marriage is becoming a bad deal for men anymore, so why bother?

Woh, Mr. Markus is the top sample that I am impressed in my life. He has a master mind in marketing and managing his site by himself.
Again, Mark, if you read this note, I just want to say how smart you are.
Again, thank you for sharing his successful story.
Jenny.

Come on gimme break I'm just job.

i had an e-mail from a strange male, which said can i spunk in your face!!! i e-mailed him back and said what i thought of course!!!, he told me to go and kill myself that it would be better!!!, i was horrified and annoyed, but there is no where on here to report him!!! can anyone help!!!!

I'd like to add to the "deleted profile" problems of this website. I''ve been deleted and am getting that daft "enable cookies" message as well. My profile has gone from the obviously cheapskate system this Markus guy uses. I re-registered, got my confirmation e-mail and lo and behold, i'm still not there!! He's making millions out of this and offering the level of customer care you'd get from a woodlouse on heat!!

I've been deleted from plenty of fish so many times, I'm beginning to feel like I'm in a snuff film. When I was last deleted I had 120 people who had saved me as their favorites and I've never spoken to any of them. And forget about trying to find out why you get deleted, because you'd have more chances of getting answers from a toaster. It's a horrible site that only allows conformists people who list long walks on the beach as interests. I have no idea how I will survive now without the benefit of meeting guys who are 10 years older than they list on their profiles, and use photographs that are so misrepresentative that you're standing in front of them at a meeting place and don't even know it's them.

Yeah, I got booted off POS, er, POF too. Or at least i WILL be, after the moron who threatened to yank my profile reads this :-)

My crime? I had the unspeakable gall to write a couple of women to point out that their expectations were unreasonable!!

Is there a site where the advertisers can be made aware of how smelly this particular fish happens to be?
The only way to "creep out" the creeps running this site will be for the users to stop clicking on the advertisers sites.

The moderators on POF will delete anyone who's opinions run contrary to theirs. I had 5 friends join with me and we posted comments in the forum. Our initial plan was to see how far we'd get in a debate but we didn't get very far before we all got deleted and there was't an atom of us left, not even a hint that we ever existed and all our comments on the forums were gone as well. POF is so Orwellian that it's almost creepy.

Hello free date site people, I have been kicked of POF three different times.

Women report you there for no reason. It makes them feel important and powerful to get you kicked off. They look for any reason they
can find to report you and then watch for your e-mail
to them disappear. Then they laugh and feel powerful.

These women are fat, divorced, lonely, unhappy and
mad at the world and ready to take it out on a man
seriously searching for a wife.

If you join POF you will at some time be kicked off.

Like the people on here say, too many fat women and
too many women with children. If you want a fairly
decent looking woman there, you better be five foot
ten or they won't write you back or answer an instant message. It is a candy store for women.

Better to pay a few dollars a month and look at
decent looking women with no kids.

Fact is, only a free site would delete people without justification. As well, the governing of free speach on POF is Stalinistic. And yes, so many people I know have been kicked off the site, some for having a profile that doesn't conform to their ideas. It's not just men who get kicked off the site and the really the only way to stay on the site for any length of time is watch what you say and list long walks on the beach and candle lit dinners as one of your interest because POF seems to have an open door policy on those as 95% of the members have it listed in their profiles.
It's not just a bad site because of the high number of losers, it's a bad site because of the Orwellian and Stalinistic behavior of the modorators.

am passionate about life. I am sensitive, intuitive, perceptive besides being very loving and extremely generous... I enjoy adventure and I'm eager to try new things... Although many find me to be genuinely attractive I know I want a woman willing to give us the time to see past what I look like and venture beyond to see who I am....I have the opportunity to be materialistic and although I enjoy the finer things I find myself not needing but sometimes wanting specific things. I'm down to earth, yet sophisticated, honest, flexible, resourceful, organized , sexy, playful, athletic, adventurous and extremely compassionate....i am thankful to have the time and means to travel often.I also enjoy taking scenic road trips and trips to the beach.... an avid college football and basketball sports fan and follow my alma mater whenever possible......
interested in a wide range of topics; appreciate stimulating conversations, reading biographies, watching documentaries and select college football and basketball games, a well-made movie- especially foreign (British) dramas. I play in a weekly chess game and Texas Holdem - but not for money. I like the challenge of sticking to a set of rules- I find that poker skills are very similar to the skills used to invest.....