PlentyofFish is a free online dating website that is quite popular in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The name stems from the old adage about there being “plenty of fish in the sea.”

PlentyofFish’s protocol for finding potential mates centers around their Plenty of Fish Relationship Chemistry Predictor. This predictor measures five personality dimensions that they deem mandatory for building romantic relationships.

The five measurements are: Self-Confidence, Family Orientation, Self-Control, Social Dependency/Openness, and Easygoingness. The results of these factors are generated from statistical data based upon thousands of couples who have taken their test. The statistical model picks matches based on what Plenty of Fish believes you will be most confidently able to date and marry.

The Self-Confidence factor is measures how comfortable with themselves an individual is. The Family Orientation factor determines whether the person wants a family or not. The Self-Control dimension measures how much control over their lives and others they possess. The Social Dependency/Openness factor measures how open the person is, while the easygoingness factor measures how relaxed the person is.

Plenty of Fish currently has eleven million registered users in the world and is the number one ranked dating site in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it is the 82nd ranked website overall.

Immediately upon signing up and taking the Plenty of Fish measurement test, you are given a list of 30 singles that Plenty of Fish believes you would date.

While the Plenty of Fish website is free to use and to find suitable mates, it is advertising supported, meaning that advertisements routinely appear on the screen.

Searching the database of compatible potential mates is easy. Just click “Search” from the top of the screen, fill in the fields it requests, and bingo, within seconds you have a list of people in your area all looking for a mate. In order to talk to anyone, you have to register with the service (which is free). This is a good and easy way to see who is on the site before you register yourself.

Once you have found someone you would like to talk to, click the “Contact [username] Now!” link under their profile picture, and hopefully soon, they will message you back with an encouraging response.

Making the decision to meet someone face-to-face is a big decision and should not be treated lightly. Make sure both of you are comfortable meeting somewhere. For a first date, it’s often acceptable for each member to arrive separately, as this keeps both people’s lives separate as well, until the two decide to be more open with each other.