Can You Use Plenty of Fish on a PC?

Yes. POF's help center says you can use Plenty of Fish in a web browser at POF.com on a desktop or laptop computer. You do not need to download a program for it. If what you actually want is the phone app, you can also start that install from a PC.

Open a browser, go to POF.com, and log in. That is the whole setup.

POF says the web version has the same kind of account tools as the app. You can message people, block someone with the Block This Person option, and reach your Settings under My Profile. The website is also where one specific job lives. Unblocking someone is possible only from the Plenty of Fish website on a desktop computer, so a man who blocks from the app and regrets it will end up on POF.com anyway.

When a man searches for a PC download, he is usually looking for something to install. For Plenty of Fish the answer in POF's help center is the browser. The website is the desktop version.

That is good news in one way. There is nothing to maintain, nothing to update, and nothing taking up space. Close the tab and it is gone from your computer.

You can also use a PC to put the app on your phone. POF's help center covers both phone types.

For Android, you need the same Google account on the PC and the phone. The Google Play Store on the PC then shows an Install option that lists your connected devices. You choose the phone, and the app installs onto it.

For an iPhone, apps have to be installed from the App Store. From a PC, that means using iTunes with your iPhone connected.

Both routes end with the app on your phone. They are a convenience, not a requirement, since you can always search for the app on the phone itself.

A dating account holds your photos, your conversations and your phone number. If you log in on a computer that is not yours, such as a work machine, a friend's laptop or a library desk, log out when you finish. Close the browser tab as well.

On your own computer, a bookmark for POF.com saves a few seconds each time, which is enough to make a daily check easier.

The phone is where most men do their swiping, but the keyboard has two real advantages.

The first is writing. A first message to a woman you actually like deserves a minute of thought, and typing it on a full keyboard makes that easier than thumbing it out on a bus. The messages that work pick one real detail from her page, say something about it, and end on a question she can answer in a line. That takes a few seconds on any device, but a keyboard makes it less tiring when you are writing several in a row.

The second is seeing her photos properly. On a large screen you can look at all of a woman's pictures and read everything she wrote before you decide, which is how a dating coach says to choose. He found that an app which watches a man say yes to nearly everyone concludes he has no standards and shows him fewer of the women he wants. A bigger screen makes it easier to be honest about who you would really ask out.

The cost of the computer is that you check it less often.

Men who do well on these apps do not sit down for long sessions. They look a few times a day, answer quickly, and keep conversations moving toward a plan. A woman who messaged you at lunch and hears back the next evening has already moved on to the next man.

If you use a computer, set a habit around it, such as ten minutes after dinner, and keep the phone for quick replies in between. If you do not set one, you will log in once a week and find half your conversations have gone cold.

Whichever device you use, the point is the same. A conversation on any screen should end in a specific drink on a specific evening.

Once a woman has replied warmly a few times, stop typing and suggest it. Pick a place near you and a day that works, and ask. The computer, the phone and the app are only ways of getting two people to the same table.