Bots are the #1 issue — I focus on signals, not profiles.
For chat/video spaces, privacy and moderation are everything — assume anything online can be recorded and act accordingly.
If someone’s photos look too perfect and the chat is generic, I assume it’s automation and move on.
A few mainstream options people still use (varies by city):
- platform-specific chat
- Signal
- Telegram
- Reddit communities
If you’re testing smaller sites, I’d treat them like a trial run and watch for verification/moderation signals: datebie.online, souldate.site.