Agency workaround (online)

[papi]

Tapeguys recently posted "In my multi country search for my princess I have dealt with many agencies. Of these agencies most were bad a few were OK but none were good."

William writes when discussing a particular operator "I have nothing positive to say about them." 

Wayne’s wife from Colombia reports "the decent girls are not in agencies." 

Dokota bought some agency addresses and says "well, i got the address and never received any responses."

So what is a gringo to do??? Go online!  Many guys are effective at it…almost make it a hobby.  They join multiple websites like amigos and match, webcam, IM and so forth. 

The pros
1. often less money (than agencies)
2. better quality women not necessarily seeking a foreign husband
3. avoid negative agency experiences and unsavory owners
4. it can be a lot of fun

The cons
1. you must speak some basic Spanish
2. it takes a great deal more effort and patience
3. No hand holding on arrival and with making trip plans, reservations

I think it was William that equated one particular operator to a cancer. Others have warned to avoid agencies altogether.  I am not in that camp and have my favorite agencies but have obviously voice my concerns.  To that end, not enough gets reported, strategies discussed and so forth on utilizing the online approach offering a workaround.  However, the Net is a viable tool in the search and it would be helpful if those in the know offered some insight:

1. what are your suggestions when writing a profile?
2. how do you approach someone online?
3. what sites do you like best? url's?
4. what tools if any do you use, i.e. webcams?
5. your experiences both good and bad?
6. sites to avoid?
7. tips and other pointers?

[papi]

Ok, I will get this thing started since nobody else wants to chip in.  Amigos is one of the most popular sites.  Sources tell me you will have a better response if you spend the extra money so the chicas can contact you as few have the money to spend on the memberships

[jediknight]

I joined amigos.com, signed up for their 1 year membership and met many women here and in colombia. I consider myself lucky in that I had a completely positive and successful experience because I met my wife on amigos. Prior to that, the women I met were great and I did not meet anyone that I felt was a card shark.

Some pointers which I think might help those that are considering this route are:
-take your time in writing a profile. Write about yourself, things you like, hobbies, music and what you are looking for in a woman. Write it in spanish.
-include at least 4 well taken pictures, headshots and full body. Don't take pictures in front of your mansion or Ferrari, a serious girl will think that you're trying to buy her with your possesions.
- I had a standard letter that I sent when someone wrote to me. I would just address it to that person so I could respond quickly. People get excited with quick responses. It was after the first response that I would personalize the letters depending on what they wrote.
-get yourself a webcam. You'll be surprised at how many girls have this and like to connect with IM.

The first person that wrote to me was from Cali. She was visiting Philly and wrote to me saying that she would be visiting NYC and that she wanted to meet me. She's a teacher, very nice and beautiful but she ended up going back to colombia because she didn't like the winter weather we were having at the time. Others that I had met were great email writers or great at IMing but when it came time to meeting face to face, there was little chemistry. My wife and I wrote, spoke, IM, webcamed for 7 months before meeting each other. What I love about her is her honesty and openess, she was exactly as she descibed herself. you should also be honest and let the girls know that you are writing to others.
JK

[michaelb]

Well, I met my wife on caliescali.com. It even has the best price, FREE. Down side? It is all in Spanish. Not a problem for ME, mind you......

[papi]

great info. I hope we get more. I think I looked at caliescali.com before but didn't realize they had profiles. think they take celebrities?? lol 

JK, on the webcam - I don't think that many chicas have them in their house but many go to the cafe. Some of my more crazy amigos get these chicas a little excited in those private booths if you know what i mean..hehe. But I don't believe those amigos are truly in it for the wife search

[papi]

JK, on the webcam - I don't think that many chicas have them in their house but many go to the cafe. Some of my more crazy amigos get these chicas a little excited in those private booths if you know what i mean..hehe. But I don't believe those amigos are truly in it for the wife search

Hal,
At this juncture, I hope that you are taking notes..lol

[markanthony7]

One comment I would like to make Papi from an owners perspective is that some of these guys are not agency savvy, you have to learn how to work with the agency owner to get a positive result, some guys I encounter in this vocation, you can see why they have little success in establishing a relationship or finding compatibility, they have major the personality and character issues but they project the blame on the owners and the young ladies and it doesn't matter if they are seeking for love and relationship in America or South America they just need to have enough introspective to see that they are their own worst enemy and impediment

[daytrader]

Good comment Mark....gee, accept personal responsibility for your OWN actions....a character trait largely missing from today's Britney Spears Pop Culture in America....

DayTrader

[papi]

One comment I would like to make Papi from an owners perspective is that some of these guys are not agency savvy, you have to learn how to work with the agency owner to get a positive result

Mark, no argument here…but not much the gringo or even the owner can do for that matter if the chicas are not available or no longer active when said gringo arrives in town.  More importantly, this thread was more about how to get around the problem in the first place .

[bundy_138]

I have never used any of the online dating sites.  I guess I was afraid I would meet some woman that turned out to be a guy or one of those "girly-boys" from the far east     I have only written to girls I met thru an agency website.  I only chose this option after numerous hours of online research.  I wanted a trustworthy agency and agency owner, updated website, pretty girls, and good prices.  So far, I only found one (www.calicharm.com). 

I also think that the woman that have ads online get TONS of letters from many men!  To much room for error if you ask me!

Bundy

[Nicks]

It doesnt matter if i was talking to a swedish, american, latin or other woman, i always follow my fathers advice..

Make her laugh, and she will laugh all the way to bed or chirch, depending on what you want.

Meaning, if you make her laugh/happy, then it doesnt always matter how much cash you got, the car you drive, the age you are, or your dick size (might help to get her lo laugh).

Now, when you are chatting, it gets harder to make them laugh, and even more if its a diffrent language, humor, is tough enough in your own language...my advice, dont take your self too serious, show that you can laugh at your self, and your short comings, that shows security, and maturity.

nick

[markanthony7]

Papi I feel we are on point with the theme of thread, I guess what I am trying to elude to is that some guys, have a lot of unrealistic expectations, when they utilize agency, they want a perfect women in everyway and when those expectations are not met, they have a tendency to project blame, I will elaborate more but I have to go to work , I will pick it up latter

[markanthony7]

Papi  maybe I did not pick up on the topic subject matter, are you talking about the actual availability of young ladies posted on the websites?

[Ray]

It doesnt matter if i was talking to a swedish, american, latin or other woman, i always follow my fathers advice..

Make her laugh, and she will laugh all the way to bed or chirch, depending on what you want.

Meaning, if you make her laugh/happy, then it doesnt always matter how much cash you got, the car you drive, the age you are, or your dick size (might help to get her lo laugh).

Now, when you are chatting, it gets harder to make them laugh, and even more if its a diffrent language, humor, is tough enough in your own language...my advice, dont take your self too serious, show that you can laugh at your self, and your short comings, that shows security, and maturity.

nick

Good advice Nicks! It works every time...well, almost every time. If she has no sense of humor then you should dump her anyway.

Now if you can find a nice ugly girl with a great snese of humor, you have 90% of a successful marriage.

Ray

[valleydude]

Papi,

I would think that you would be all over this scene. It is ripe pickin's for a guy like you. I say that in the sense that you won't hesitate to get on a plane, and 30 bucks a month is a lot cheaper than 30 bucks an intro. You have the money and time to travel, you like to cut costs, so it's a win/win for you.

I have been doing this online thing for years now.
It has pros and cons. I think you should give it a shot.
You have less than 100 bucks to lose and that includes a webcam.
Just make a profile, post some pictures and start writting.
Thats all there is to it. You already have your foot in the door, all you have to do is wait for the magic question: "Conoces Colombia?" that will set you apart from 99% of the competition. Of course depending on "Como sabes Colombia?"

The downside is if you really are chasing all the young hotties. Depending on how a guy looks, I think some guys would have even less of a chance with these little chickees online. They are there usually for curiosity, and there are plenty of young guys online that just want to play games too.

From the conversations that I have had, I think these girls really don't spend much time entertaining men that they think are too old or not attractive to them. Probably becasue at an agency they can get a free meal and a trip to the mall, but online they really have nothing to gain. It's their dime that they are spending at the internet cafe. (Unless of course they can talk you into a trip to Western Union.)

I would think there would be a lot more competition on a site like Amigos than an agency too. Anyone can fire off an email and be chatting within seconds. What does an agency get? A handful of guys a week? Where as on a website you have 1,000's of guys all firing off emails at the same time.

Depending on how a guy is, it is easy to detect if the person on the other end is real. I don't sweat it anymore, but in the past when I was in doubt, I would get her on the cam and cellphone at the same time.

All in all, I think someone could work the online sites like an agency but cheaper. If I had to; I could easily set up 10 dates tomorrow in Barranquilla for 30 bucks

V-Dude

[papi]

If I had to; I could easily set up 10 dates tomorrow in Barranquilla for 30 bucks

Vdude, what is holding you back???

[valleydude]

Right now, I am just doing a little self analysis.

[Kiltboy1]

V-Dude
Agree with your post 100%. I have had great success with the online dating sites. To me it is much better then the agency thing. Yes, the women do get bombarded by emails. Some tell me they get over 50 a day on like Amigos.com. I think first it is what you write in your profile and your level of Spanish has a lot to do with what gets there attention. There are "BUZZ WORDS" that i know they like and sets me apart from other no Spanish speaking guys. I have really met some beautiful and smart women online. My upcoming trip and my Novia from Ecuador i met online and was amazed she chose to write me back after i wrote her because she had a lot of men writing her.She told me that she liked the words i wrote her, they made her feel different because she said many men write really crude things and i have heard this before. I have always been a fan of online and like you said, less then 30 bucks a months for like 2 different sites. What it does take is time, time to talk with them almost every night, time to cam with them, Some guys do not have the time or the patience for that. Me, i love to learn about a woman by talking everyday instead of a few citas. I can ask really tough questions to see what response i get and she can too, so it is WIN/WIN. Anyway, i like the online thing BUT i hope i do not need to use it anymore because i think i have found the most incredible women  and am going to lay off the online scene and concentrate on this relationship only.

KB

TOO TIRED TONIGHT TO HANDLE MY OWN TRUTH !! HEHE

[Kiltboy1]

Correction

I meant in my post the trip i just returned from, not my upcoming one. Jet Lag .

KB

[utopiacowboy]

I agree with KB about the dating sites. The best thing is to write a profile that really lets them know who you are and what's important to you. Mine was all about my ranch, my kids and my animals. Although many Colombianas would not be interested in a vaquero, my wife loves spending time on her mother's finca with horses and cattle so my profile appealed to her a lot. She did receive hundreds of responses but mine stood out in a way that especially appealed to her. I am a big proponent of using sites like amigos.com. In a month you can get enough contacts that you can drop your membership. 

[valleydude]

You are right, you really have to take the time. Some of these girls just will not write in English (even when they know a little) so I can imagine that drops tons of guys off that list. There are some nights that I come home after work and I spend like 3 hours just answering emails from only 3-4 girls. I can remember in the beginning when I had to translate every word. It would take me all night just to understand and answer one email. God that was painful!

I think I really need to revamp my profile. Mine is kind of simple and basic, but written in Spanish. I know that a profile written in Spanish really drives home.
Once I changed it back to English and I probably got 1/2 the responses. At first I loved getting all the responses, but now it has slowly become kind of burdensome. Now I really need to tailor my profile. I would just like to get good solid responses.

Also, now I try to get as many pictures from them as possible. I used to hold back on asking for pictures because physical is only 1/2 the package. Now, I realised that 1/2 of them write because they like the picture, so I ask. There is nothing like discovering you like a girl then you aren't attracted to her. That sucks!

V-Dude

[Tapeguy]

Papi,

You left out my follow-up sentence.

I would rate Cali Charm as excellent; it is the best agency that I have ever conducted business with.

In fact they are light years ahead of any agency I have ever visited or even spoke to. Now no agency can control the ladies. I also agree that many men have unrealistic expectation's and blame the agency for their failure.

Tapeguy

[papi]

you hit the nail on the head regarding conducting biz (many agencies are a pain in the ass)...i am in agreement on CC. Right now though I am busy at the CES show and have fallen in love with the Vonage models...the stars of the show...lol. I also saw Joan Jett today - free concert at the show

[flipflop]

I was on U date Friendfinder and yahoo personals checking out women who lived in a 500 mile radius. I did a search on yahoo one day and this cute lil asian gals profile turns up. She told me in her first e mail she was from the Philippines. She had made the profile and pulled the 5 digit zip code out of thin air, this put her profile in a small town nearby which was within my search range.


I kept chatting with her and dating local women who were the typical american fare. At some point I said this girl is to sweet, im spending alot of money meeting other women why not look into my long distance pen pal. Thats when I learned about the whole immigration mess, agencies and this whole deal.

And yes her mail box was jammed packed but I was the only one with the nads to get on a plane.

I dont think I would have proceeded if she didnt speak english