The new YesPage is a free Craigslist-like site where you can meet people for casual encounters, but how does it work? Is it safe? We tried the new website and here’s what we found…
How Does YesPage work?
YesPage is similar in design to Craigslist and BackPage. It uses a “post an ad” format: just fill in your post title and body text boxes with whatever information you want to share about the services or items you’re looking for. Then write a description of what you need or offer (you can also upload pictures).
People nearby are notified when they visit YesBackPage that there is something new to see on their local listings page; they will be able to browse through all posts from around the area. The more people who view them, the higher up your post appears in the list. It’s sort of like a Twitter feed for ads.
It works pretty much as advertised. I was able to find real women in my area offering a variety of “services.” There were even some men posting ads, too! Some were seeking casual relationships while others offered full-blown escorts. All of which I’m sure would have been very easy to arrange if I had wanted to do so.
More Women Than Men
I did notice that most of the people advertising seemed to be female, though there were plenty of male members as well. But why is this? Could it be because YesPage caters primarily to men looking for women? Or maybe this is just the way it is on any online dating site? Either way, the fact that there were more women than men posting on this site was disconcerting…but not a deal breaker by any means.
The Escort Profiles
There are other things that stood out to me as odd. One thing was that almost everyone I checked out posted using only their first name, last initial, or both. This made it difficult to tell if you were communicating with the same person multiple times. Also, many of these profiles didn’t include photos, which, again, seemed weird. There was one profile in particular that caught my eye. She was a mid-forties woman who was clearly very attractive, but her photo looked like a mug shot. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t have a picture attached to her ad until later. I was browsing through some of the older postings and discovered that this same user had been posting on YesPage since at least February. So either she was using different names, or this was really happening!
So, yes, there are prostitutes on YesPage. And YesPage is definitely a great place to find them. You’ll just have to decide for yourself if you want to get involved. But if you do, just remember: don’t spend money you can’t afford to lose.
Does YesBackpage Really Work?
As I said earlier, I was surprised to find that YesPage was actually fairly active. After using the site for a few days, I started receiving messages from women interested in meeting me. I replied to a few, but none of them led anywhere. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a middle aged man trying to meet someone in his area.
For the most part, the quality of the women in my area was far below what I’d expect on a legitimate dating site like Match.com or eHarmony. I mean, I’m not ugly – just average looking, maybe a little overweight. But every woman I encountered on this site was either completely unappealing physically, or desperately desperate. They all seemed to be looking for a way out of their marriages, or simply out of life in general. Some were even soliciting sex for money.
Is YesPage Safe?
Well, YesPage is certainly safer than Craigslist. There’s no doubt about that. No one is going to steal your identity on YesPage unless you give them access to it. And it’s unlikely that you’ll run into any violent predators here. On the flip side, you should exercise caution regardless of where you’re meeting women. That’s always good advice.
The Bottom Line
YesPage is free to use, so anyone can join and post on the website. However, unlike Craigslist, YesPage doesn’t allow you to contact members directly. You must request a private message from an individual before exchanging any details. If you choose to do so, you may send a personal email to a person without revealing your actual address. It’s a nice feature, but a bit overkill for casual encounters.
YesPage has its own unique features, but it’s still basically a clone of Craigslist. Anyone can create an account and browse the listings. There are no limitations based on location or gender. Just be aware that you could potentially run into some unsavory characters.
