Seeking works. I was very reluctant to reactivate my account and start a new search because of all the negative reports, especially about random banning. Here is my experience after 10 days of search.

The (absolute) number of attractive SB profiles is down, perhaps by a factor of two, compared to a few years ago. Nonetheless, there are enough of them to make the search - even a very selective search - viable. This is really the bottom line when it comes to Seeking. With all its faults, the numbers win the day.

What pushed me to do a search now was the upcoming "security" measure they will enforce. My profile is one of the oldest on the site, so I could get away with hidden-face pictures and very pointed text in my profile. I left the pictures alone but toned down the text significantly in order not to push my luck. All summarily approved.

I messaged far fewer profiles than my normal search because there aren't as many that I am interested in and because I consciously decided to do a more selective search, extended over time. The response rate to my initial message has been similar to my previous searches, close to 50%, but the quality of the profiles I am corresponding with is higher because of the selectivity.

As a result, my very first M&G was a hit and may very well become a sugar relationship (I only have one SR at a time). This success may be coloring my positive outlook, and of course things may fall through and I would be back here scolding Seeking :-), but the runner-up profile is also very promising and I would normally get two solid candidates after more than a dozen M&G's. Maybe it is just luck this time.

Anyway, I thought it was only fair to report this tangible experience on Seeking even if it goes against my previous, negative comments about the site because of its policies.