I haven't really been a member for all that long, a month, so I'm certainly no expert on match.com's practices yet. What I can tell you is this: Like about 75% of the people on here stated - you do get winks from "fake" profiles. Especially when you are first starting out.

You'll probably get a wink from some amazing sounding person shortly after you've joined and before you have actually posted a photo. When you check out the profile, it'll say there is no matching profile. They've obviously got a subroutine in their programming that sends new users "winks" from non-existing profiles.

That is very dishonest, and most likely illegal. If they continue with it and enough people contact the Better Business Bureau, match.com will probably hit the skids like Napster did when they got in trouble.

Another bit of advice: Read every profile with "blurred glasses". In other words, don't believe everything you see in someone's profile. Doing things like noticing if they claim to be very religious but one of their turn-ons is erotica. And you shouldn't believe that most of the women out there are into camping. I know a CRNP who told me she has a profile on there. I checked it out. She put on there that she likes camping, her REAL idea of roughing it is having to drink domestic wine.

Be totally honest about what you're looking for, and be totally honest about yourself in your profile. Also, don't believe that just because you're being totally honest, everyone else is too.

If, on the first date, you notice big discrepancies,
1. Bring them up in the conversation.
2. Let them know that you don't appreciate it then let them know it's not working out and politely excuse yourself from the situation.

To everyone that's genuinely looking: good luck. Dating sites can work, but don't let them work you over.