My fast-track experiment will need to go on a break for a little while.
Why? Well, I've made some major changes in my look. I shaved what was left of my hair, and grew a goatee. I think it's a great change (and a lot of people agree, including the 9 that I consult with on these things), but it's going to create a different set of eHarmony results. So, I need to go back and see what my guided communication statistics look like after making these changes.
How does the data look right now?
Well, again, I've had no matches who've ever stated that they prefer fast-track communication.
When I went with guided communication, 22 percent went to open communication. (Keep in mind, there are a lot of people who don't open for valid reasons - dead profiles, profiles who were out of my age range, profiles who lived too far away for me to consider, etc.)
In fast-track communication, that percentage dropped to 11 percent.
Unfortunately, I haven't gathered enough data to say whether that's a real difference - but the trend is pretty clear.
So, what are my interim recommendations?
Fast-track isn't totally unusable. Some women will respond. But you will probably have fewer responses. It is a faster way to get a woman through the system.
Furthermore, I can imagine that some readers may like to use fast-track as a screen. Some men might prefer the personality of a woman who would be responsive to a fast-track request. So, this might be a decent "screening device" for some.
The bottom line? If the fast-track appeals to you, go ahead and use it. It isn't the "kiss of death" that it used to be. But you need to know that you will probably have fewer women responding to your communication requests.
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3 comments:
I myself have never used fast track, but might give it a shot, based on this post.
Any profiling on "fast trackers" that might be useful for me?
I don't have a LOT of experience, but the people who responded to the fast track seemed less agenda-oriented, and more into the idea of deciding whether the match was good by actually meeting. (Radical, I know.)
Your attraction game will have to be a little stronger on the meet-up though. You don't have as much suspense built up via guided communication.
I find your comments about fasttrack interesting, but I'm not sure that I agree.
First a couple of dominant points: I'm an assertive personality type and a confident risk taker in life. Even if the other party is shy, if she has no curiosity or adventure I'm not interested.
My thought is that using fasttrack allows you to target them personally and immediately with a thoughtful, poignant message. It allows you to expound upon your profile and talk about common ground sooner rather than later.
If you also like intellectually curious people, I don't believe those people can handle the idea of not at least accepting fasttrack to see what you wrote. If they read it and there is no synergy, they can close the match immediately thereafter.
I am of the opinion that the early communications are very childish and generic; they cause good people to lose interest and rely more on the photo and the basic profile. If you're not a 10 in the looks department and you're getting matches that are 10s, you better have a way to connect quickly and personally or you'll be closed quickly.
Just my hypothesis and I challenge others to give a different perspective.
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