Thought some of you might find this interesting.
As you may know, Craigslist used to have personal ads--that went away around five years ago due to laws about legal liability. There wasn't just one "personals" section--there were several. There was "strictly platonic," "men seeking women" or "women seeking men" for traditional dating, and "casual encounters" for something sexual with no strings attached. You could write your own ads, so it was a great opportunity for experimentation, only limited by your imagination and writing abilities.
I tried a variety of approaches in all of these categories, both posting and answering ads. It could be something as simple as "it's Friday night and I'm not doing anything, let's meet for a drink," or something with more long-term potential (I did end up in a year-long committed relationship as a result of an ad). I wasn't (and still aren't) looking to meet up for "instant sex" but I was open to something more than "strictly platonic." I responded to ads from women who just wanted some kissing, or a back rub. One woman advertised for "naked cuddling" and chose me. She was very personable and we ended up having a nice time. No, we didn't have sex, by my choice.
No one ever catfished me or failed to show up after agreeing to meet. There would typically be an initial contact, then maybe a few back-and-forth emails (with pictures), and then we'd meet. I ended up not meeting most of the women who contacted me--there were a lot of flakes and window shoppers--so it required patience. I ended up probably meeting 10% to 20% of the women who answered my ads. Similarly, most of the ads I answered didn't result in a response (not surprising, considering the avalanche of mail that women get online). If it was something casual, I would invite the woman to come by my place and we would meet outside, walk for a bit, and chat (I live in a nice neighborhood with police and 24-hour security close by). If there was a mutual connection, I'd invite them inside for a drink and more chat. If not, we'd part way respectfully, no harm done. Sometimes, there'd be some affection if we were both interested. Sometimes not. I never pushed for anything unwelcome--that's just not my style.
I can honestly say that that these experiences were overwhelmingly positive. Nothing "bad" ever happened. Some connections were stronger than others, but I think most of the women I met felt like it was a good use of their time. I always tried to make it clear that if someone was my guest, their comfort and enjoyment was my top priority, and nothing would happen that they didn't want to happen. My guests seemed to appreciate that.
There were a number of women that I developed friendships with. Over a span of maybe four or five years, I met dozens of women. No one ever suggested that they should be paid for their company, and no one ever asked for money.
So that's Craigslist. What about Cuddle Comfort? I've been on this site a year and half. I've contacted numerous women with no response. Women almost never contact me--when they do, 99% of the time they're "pros" and I'm not looking for paid cuddling. I've met a grand total of two women--neither resulted in cuddles. So my success rate on this site has essentially been zero.
I'm the same person, with similar photos (I'm a little older now than when I was on Craigslist), same personality, same everything. I've bent over backwards in my profile to be reassuring. So why I did do fairly well on Craigslist, but zippo on Cuddle Comfort?
Your thoughts ... ?