plenty of fish search results

catoutthebag

I rejoined the site after a few years off and see that the search settings are inconsistent or inaccurate.

That is, I don t believe they display all users that meet your requirement.

Why? No idea.

I saw a user online that met my criteria but did not show up?

Why?

My profile is set to seeking a relationship.

I searched a set age and 67 profiles showed. I repeated this with another age but same criteria. ...Guess how many profiles? 67.

Pof is one of the biggest free dating sites.

Why does it not show all profiles?

After a quick online search, others have noticed the same thing? Have you?

I guess it's annoying because of the people you could be missing out on.

Anyone experience the same?

Flyonthewall

You can hide your profile, plus it may also hide profiles of those who have been inactive for a certain length of time.

Search engines can also be a bit glitchy and being a free site perhaps they haven't got the money or don't feel it's worth it to improve it.

DUTR

Flyonthewall wrote: »

You can hide your profile, plus it may also hide profiles of those who have been inactive for a certain length of time.

Search engines can also be a bit glitchy and being a free site perhaps they haven't got the money or don't feel it's worth it to improve it.

I don't think it is just that, although I suspect having a subscription increases the search results that are local, the meet me feature shows around 5 locally then springs to profiles miles away.

Flyonthewall

If you're searching a set age then there's only going to be so many within close range, even in the big cities. Then if you have any other criteria as well it'll be even less.

Upgrading/subscribing doesn't increase the results I don't think. If a user has hidden their profile it's hidden from everyone.

If the user is inactive and it hides it it would be just as pointless showing it to those who have upgraded as it is to free users.

catoutthebag

Flyonthewall wrote: »

If you're searching a set age then there's only going to be so many within close range, even in the big cities. Then if you have any other criteria as well it'll be even less.

Upgrading/subscribing doesn't increase the results I don't think. If a user has hidden their profile it's hidden from everyone.

If the user is inactive and it hides it it would be just as pointless showing it to those who have upgraded as it is to free users.

It's not that. Do you think it's a coincidence that the same number showed up in 2 searches? Or that the same faces are always on display?

Nothing to do with upgraded membership either.

Why does it happen? To keep you on the site so that you click on the ads or pay.

This is more than a glitch.

Same happened on match. ..I was searching an age range and only getting a finite number of results (as admitted by their customer service). I got round this con by just searching a specific age each time. Takes more time but I get to see all subscribed members. The same trick didn't work with pof.

Oh and out of that 67....half had been active only within 30 days.

Now I remember why I didn't bother with pof much the first time.

System

Weirdly now you mention it, i have noticed it. Mainly with the bf. I dd a lot of searching but he never came up in any results (cos if he had i'd have been the one who messaged him first!)

Flyonthewall

catoutthebag wrote: »

It's not that. Do you think it's a coincidence that the same number showed up in 2 searches? Or that the same faces are always on display?

Nothing to do with upgraded membership either.

Why does it happen? To keep you on the site so that you click on the ads or pay.

This is more than a glitch.

Same happened on match. ..I was searching an age range and only getting a finite number of results (as admitted by their customer service). I got round this con by just searching a specific age each time. Takes more time but I get to see all subscribed members. The same trick didn't work with pof.

Oh and out of that 67....half had been active only within 30 days.

Now I remember why I didn't bother with pof much the first time.

Upgraded membership doesn't change anything within the results other than it says you stand out in searches.

It's not going to keep you on the site though. You're more likely to leave thinking there's a lack of results/no one new.

Have you ever coded a search engine? It's complicated. A lot of search engines are pretty useless and it's just because of the coding. It could be improved, but it's whether they know how to improve it, care to improve it or wish to pay to improve it if they can't do it themselves.

It could be a mix of glitches and useless coding or simply not enough matches so it sets to a default search setting which therefore brings up the same profiles.

catoutthebag

I know re upgraded memberships - though I never specifically mentioned that and this problem doesn't specifically involve that.

I'm going with your coding answer. ..if pof haven't done this deliberately. .

Pof is all about searches or matches. Surely coding should be the basis of that?

They must have a few quid in the bank now or do they want everyone to be single

Flyonthewall

It would be stupid of them to have done it deliberately. As I said before, lack of results and new people is more likely to make you leave. They want people to stay.

Yeah I imagine they do lol. We have no idea of their original budget or who coded it though. They may have had very little money or the person coding it may have coded it to the best of their ability. Good enough for a site that's free.

Since then, they have become one of the biggest free sites. So perhaps a waste of money/time if loads of people are happily joining and using the site. Plus downtime and possible glitches with a new search would be a risk.

fozziebeartoo

I only met my husband because I changed my settings from "friendship" to "relationship".....

And up he popped!!

:T

SailorSam

I don't know how accurate their searches are though. I'll put in my Liverpool post code and a search area of 10mls. It comes up with a list including Nth Wales; Manchester; Crewe.
.......... All those women and nobody wants me ....