CatholicMatch Personalized Messages Now Free To Read

We know being single can be difficult when you desire to meet that special person, fall in love and get married. We also understand the unique challenges of meeting someone online. Each day CatholicMatch looks for ways to help more single Catholics, like yourself, meet someone that could become their future spouse.

That is why CatholicMatch.com has made a significant change to it's communication feature in hopes that it will lead to more quality meetings and thus more real relationships and marriages. Non-subscribing users (free members), can now read all of their personalized messages 10 days after they are received. You will be notified via the email address attached to your account when messages are ‘unlocked’ and can be read.

Why let users read for free?

Unfortunately some companies in the online dating space have used deceptive practices in regards to communication. While CatholicMatch has never employed such practices, they realize that some users may be skeptical based on experiences from other sites and group them with others in the industry. By allowing messages to be read for free, CatholicMatch hopes that members will see that they are receiving messages from real Catholics interested in meeting other single Catholics like you. Even if you don’t get a message from someone you are interested in, it is the hope that these authentic messages will give you the confidence and broaden your reach to the people who are genuinely interested in you. CatholicMatch realizes that everyone has different motivations and timing for when he or she feels ready to purchase a full CatholicMatch.com subscription. But by then you will know that when you subscribe, your messages will be read by all users and they will in turn want to subscribe so they can read your messages immediately and correspond regularly.

Currently CatholicMatch is providing this feature as a a three month test but may expand the program length and/or features if user experience is positive and there is a overall benefit to the site.

What does this mean for current paid subscribers?

Since you know every member will have the opportunity to read your message regardless of subscription status you will want to compose quality messages that can peak their interest. Because we are human beings and not robots we can’t always predict what will catch someone's interest. It is up to you to send a message that will get her attention just like in the real word when you introduce yourself to someone that catches your eye. Free members are sometimes skeptical that they are receiving messages from real people who are actually interested in them. Therefore no matter how short your message make sure you personalize it for that specific person. Not only does copy and paste messages trigger the CatholicMatch spam filters but the people receiving them pick up on it as well. If you send standard introductions like “I really liked your profile would you be interested in chatting.” It can give them the impression you are saying that to everyone. Tell them why you like their profile or mention something you both have in common.

What paid subscribers should NOT do

The majority of members use CatholicMatch the way it was intended but there is always a small minority that try to get around the system and ruin things for everyone. Sending contact information (email address or Facebook, phone number etc.) the first time you initiate communication not only is against the CatholicMatch terms of use and will trigger our warning filters but often can scare off the member you want to meet. A very common tactic of a so called “scammer” or “fake account” intended to deceive will often include contact information in the very first message. Put your best foot forward and show a genuine interest in the person. Then leave the rest up to them and God. CatholicMatch has many successful couple stories where one or both people were skeptical before subscribing and responding. Don’t give the person you want to meet a reason to be skeptical. Your first message should be written as if you were introducing yourself in person.

Additionally, CatholicMatch is a business and like any business they have to pay their employees, health care, marketing costs, etc. It would not be possible to operate the site without revenue. CatholicMatch prides itself on providing the best and largest community for single Catholics at a great value. Providing a great service comes at a price. When some people try to cheat the system it not only hurts the business but it costs the honest members as well. While some people think everything on the Internet should be free or anything related to religion should be free, the reality is that is just not possible.

Message Interface Improvements

Although there were many technical improvements to the CatholicMatch.com messaging system here are a few of the more visible interface changes.

1. Emotigrams no longer have a character limit. Which means you can still send quick short messages with your emotigram but if you find yourself with more to say, you can just keep on typing. The reason why emotigrams are so popular is that they are casual and fun. They allow you to spice up a quick message or can act as a friendly or flirty intro to a longer message.
2. When sending or replying the default view is the emotigram interface. You can quickly change to the plain message interface by clicking on the ‘message’ link in the top right corner of the interface.
3. They improved the inbox view for both web and interface. There is now an (X) on each message in order to delete regardless if it has been opened or not. CatholicMatch also added a swipe feature to delete messages on your mobile device.

If you have any questions about any of the new features you can visit the help section where you can ask questions in the community help room, search FAQ’s or submit a help ticket.