What Are Alternatives For Men Now That Craigslist Personals Are Gone?

Craigslist Personals Are Gone, Now What?

Where are you supposed to meet women now that Craigslist personals are gone? It's easy; you can meet women on dating sites. Sure, Craigslist allowed certain anonymity but those days are gone.

Have you ever used Craigslist personals? Maybe you've never posted an ad or responded to a post, but I can assure you someone in your circle has at some point; a family member, a friend, an ex-girlfriend, a co-worker, etc.

Craigslist was the dirty little secret of internet dating. Millions of people used it, but nobody would ever admit to it. But now that it’s gone, what options does a man have to meet women online?

Why Craigslist Shut Down The Personals Section

Craigslist shut it's personal section down on March 23, 2018, out of response to H.R.1865 - Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017. The bill holds websites responsible for “unlawful behaviors” and would allow victims of sex trafficking to sue websites that facilitate their abuse.

This bill prompted Craigslist to shut down its personals two days after the bill was passed. "Any tool or service can be misused," Craigslist says in a statement that appears when users click on its personals link. "We can't take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline."

Clearly, the bill wasn't directed at Craigslist, but the unintended consequence is Craigslist shut down their personals to protect themselves legally leaving millions of men like you who used it for dating out in the cold.

Still, some people continue to post personals in the "Missed Connections" section or the "Activities" section. It's a long-shot this will work, and besides, other members or Craigslist itself will flag the post for removal.

Alternatives To Craigslist Personals

OK, now that Craigslist Personals is gone, what can you use? Hookup app and dating apps! Of course, it depends on what you're looking for.

There's no mainstream site like Craigslist where you can be completely anonymous, so dating apps are your best option. Plenty of women are seeking FWB's, hookups, casual romances, etc.

Some women are looking for sexual relationships, so don't be swayed. If you're looking for just sex, there's are several options. Here are hookup related apps that I have looked at for this blog:

There are other hookup apps. All you have to do is search online. However, the ones that have the most women are in the list above.

If you're seeking a relationship there are several to choose from;

Some are somewhat free such as POF and OkCupid, where you can message women, but they charge for more premium services. Match.com and Eharmony are sites where you have to pay to contact females.

How To Find Casual Relationships Online

Craigslist personals are gone, but you can still find casual relationships for free on dating sites. It takes a little more effort. You have to read profiles as women who are looking for a casual relationship will share it on their profile.

Here's an example of a woman on Tinder who is visiting the San Diego area. Her Tinder profile shares she is looking to "play" which is an invitation for a hookup.

How to find a casual relationship on Tinder

Although some women may not say they want to hookup directly on their profile like above, you can "read between the lines" and look for clues or specific words. Examples include "I'm just looking for fun," "I'm here for a good time," or this example on Tinder where this woman shares she's looking to"party."

Another way to find women who are looking for something "less than serious" is to read their profile completely. Even something as simple as this hint on a woman's profile on POF shows she isn't looking for commitment:

The Days Of Anonymity Are Gone

With Craigslist you didn't have to load photos, but that doesn't work on dating sites. You're going to find it very hard to meet women if you don’t load a picture. So you can't be completely anonymous anymore.

When you write a message to a woman on POF, the site gives you there two friendly reminders:

If your profile description is blank or super short you are 9 times more likely to get "unread deleted".
Profiles with no picture get 10 times less emails.

You could join a dating site and try meeting women without uploading a photo, but you're going to be hard-pressed to meet anyone. It's a red flag if you're on a dating site without a photo.

Final Thoughts

Now that Craigslist personals are gone you're going to have to join a dating site to meet women. If you want to succeed on any dating site, you'll have to load photos and write about yourself. Don't half-ass it. Be honest about what you want. Women are looking for long-term relationships and casual ones as well.

Put some effort in, and you can find what you want. Now that Craigslist personals are gone the only choice is a dating site. Which dating site is up to you. There are plenty to choose.

I've covered a few dating sites which you can read here:

My advice is to check the ones that pique your interest. They will all allow you to sign up for free and even search the females. Before paying, search for women who are actually "online" or been online the last day or so. You need to gauge how many women are active on the site before spending your money.