First of all, let us make a clear distinction between "the real world swinger community" and "the online swinger community." While there is definitely a HUGE amount of overlap, they are not the same things. I know plenty of swinging couples who are always at events and parties, have tons of friends, yet aren't members of any swinger websites. Some just don't care to do the online thing for whatever reason. These successful 'offline swingers' are a rare breed, and they tend to spend a lot of time answering the question "Why don't you join _________.com already?" from their friends. At the same time, I know a lot of people who are very active online, but never seem to make the leap to meeting people in the real world.

So, if you want to meet people, but avoid joining a swinger site, you can always find where the parties and clubs in your area are (just look in our club and party listings), and go check them out... That's how swingers used to meet before Al Gore invented the internet.

However, now that we do have the capability to meet other swingers on the internet, it's my firm belief that not using the web to your full advantage is like cutting your grass with a pair of scissors when you have a perfectly good John Deer riding lawnmower in your garage. There's a good reason why the swinger population, number of swinger clubs and number of swinger events has exploded in the past ten years... The Internet!!!

Are there free places to meet other swingers online?... Sure, plenty. There are tons of free groups and message boards all over the internet for swingers. Even MySpace has a lot of swinger groups... Just Google "swinger groups" and you'll have weeks worth of pages to search through.

But... and this is a BIG BUT...

There is truth to the old adage: You get what you pay for. There are good reasons for joining a reputable paid membership site. These sites usually offer you a higher lever of privacy and security than a free site does. Members feel more comfortable posting photos of themselves if they know that not just anyone can wander in and see them. Many paid membership sites now also have some sort of member verification system, where they certify that they people in the photo are actually the owners of the profile. Free sites tend to be overrun by fakes, lookie-loos and creepy singles posing as couples. You might be saving yourself a few dollars a month, but you'll find that you're wasting a LOT of your time sorting through all the bullshit. That's just not worth it in my opinion.

Join a good, reputable online swinger site. It's worth it! I can't really tell you which one is best for you, because depending on where you live, some sites have more of an influence than others. The best thing to do is call up a few of the swinger clubs and parties in your area and ask them which websites tend to be the most popular among their guests. Get several different opinions. This should give you a good idea of which sites to try. Most people try one or two sites before they discover the one that is right for them. You can afford it! Most sites cost anywhere from $20-$30 for a one month membership. All you really need to do is spend $1 less per day than you usually do. Can't you fit that into your budget? The quality of the people you meet from a good website will be well worth it.