FARMERS ONLY HOME PAGE |
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Farmers Only Home Page |
FARMERS ONLY |
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Farmers Only Logo |
About
Farmersonly.com is a dating website for members of the rural community, i.e. farmers, ranchers, nature lovers, and “city folk” who enjoy the pastoral life.
Farmers Only (FO) was founded in 2005 by Jerry Miller. Miller, who had previous experience in marketing and public relations, was inspired to create Farmers Only when a close friend was having difficulty finding suitable matches in her immediate dating circuit. Miller realized that there was no centralized dating website aimed at those who lived and breathed agriculture and livestock, so six months later, he launched his own dating site, Farmersonly.com.1
Aside from the main dating homepage, Farmers Only also features both an online store where users can purchase FO merchandise, and a blog which showcases the site's success stories (relationships which started on FO and eventually led to marriage).
Dating Homepage
PROFILE PAGE — ABOUT YOU |
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User Profile Page on Farmers Only |
Creating a Profile
Given that Farmers Only is a dating website, creating a user profile is the essential first step towards participation on FO. It is free to join FO and create a user account, although access to much of the site's features is limited. Further user access is granted once the user agrees to update to one of three premium subscriptions: the 1 month membership ($21.95/month), 3 months membership ($13.32/month), and 6 months membership ($10.99/month).2
In order to customize the user profile, users must click on the link “my profile” in the left hand navigation bar. This link opens up a drop-down menu which contains (among others, as discussed below under Navigation) a link to "edit profile." This link redirects to a customization page where users can specify their personal characteristics.
About You
On the customization page under the "About You" tab, users can create a quick description 5 to 30 characters long which is called the "headline" which would appear under their name on their profile. They can also create a longer a description of themselves underneath which does not have a character limit. Although FO encourages its users to write as much as they'd like, FO does attempt to safeguard their privacy by indicating above the description text box that "all personal information (email addresses, phone numbers, websites) will be removed upon review."
PROFILE PAGE — YOUR MATCH |
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User Profile Page on Farmers Only |
Underneath these text boxes, users can also specify their gender, religion, ethnicity, height, marital status, employment, education, parental status, and body type. Additionally, they can describe their drinking and smoking habits if they have any they'd like to mention.
Your Match
Once users have filled out the "About You" section, the next section on the customization page is entitled "Your Match." Users are encouraged to specify the characteristics that they are looking for in a partner, and they can also write a brief description of the match they are seeking. It is worth noting that there are fewer limiting characteristics under the "Your Match" section than the "About You" section. For example, the categories of religion, ethnicity, drinking frequency, marital status, employment, education, and parental status are not included as limiting factors in "Your Match." However, this limitation will not affect search results which are explained under Member Search. "Your Match" is merely a user's opportunity to briefly show their profile visitors what they are looking for in a person.
Photos
After "About You" and "Your Match" is a third tab entitled “Photos.” Here, users can set up their profile picture as well as upload additional photos to display on their profile. Users also have the option to upload photos via e-mail or Facebook transfer. There does not seem to be a limitation on the number of photos a user can upload.
Member Search
SIMPLE MEMBER SEARCH |
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Searching by gender, age, and location |
Simple Member Search
In order to search for potential matches, users can select the "Member Search" link in the left hand navigation bar to be redirected to a customization form. Here, users indicate their own gender as well as the gender, age, and location of the type of person they are looking for. Regarding location, users have the ability to set a maximum distance from a specific desired zip code (which is presumably that of their own). Users can choose between any, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, and 1000 miles of their desired zip code. Users also have the option to search by state or province rather than zip code range. By check-marking a small box, users can also specify whether they only want to see profiles which supply photos. Underneath this is a drop down menu which enables the user to categorize search results by "age," "newest members," and "most recently online."
SEARCH RESULTS |
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FO search results organized in a grid format |
Advanced Search
Below the mandatory defining factors is the advanced search. Though not required, users have the opportunity to narrow down the characteristics of their desired match as listed below.
Desired Relationships | Friendship*, Casual Dating, Long-term |
Body Type | Slim, Average, Athletic, A Few Extra Pounds, Pleasantly Plump, Big and Beautiful |
Ethnicity | Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American, Asia/Pacific, African American, Middle Eastern, Other Ethnicity |
Smoking | No, Social, Regular |
Marital Status Desired | Single, Married*, Separated, Divorced, Widowed |
Religion | Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Mennonite, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Mormon, Protestant/Anglican, Spiritual, Other |
Drinking | Yes frequently, Yes sometimes, Yes on special occasions, No |
Children | Proud parent, No, Someday, Undecided |
Education | Some High School, High School Grad, Some College, College Grad, Post-Graduate |
*It is significant to note that within the category "Desired Relationships," "friendship" is an option. This suggests that the site may have intended social uses other than simply finding the user a date. This also possibly explains why "married" is an option under the "Marital Status Desired" category. Hence, FO may also be used by couples, for example, looking for other married couples to befriend.
*The majority of users with visible profiles are looking for long-term relationships.
Underneath all of these options, the user can also search by member name, though it's debatable how useful this ability is. In order for this option to have any utility, the user must already know the username of the person they want to talk to.
After inputting all the desired limiting characteristics, the user is directed to the search results which are formatted in a grid pattern. The username, profile picture, age, location, headline, and first 100 characters of the user bio are included with every search result. The quantity of search results is entirely dependent on the number and combination of limiting characteristics which the user selected.
Browsing Profiles
Outside of the immediate option of the Member Search, FO users have a variety of ways to browse other profiles, as are categorized below:
FO EMAIL |
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Access to the user email is only granted with a premium subscription |
Contacting other Members
In order to email or chat with other members on FO, the user is required to upgrade to a premium subscription. There is no free method of direct communication on FO.
Within the FO email, the user has access to both an inbox and an outbox. The inbox is generated with messages that other members (who have a premium subscription) have sent to the user. The inbox also contains the members who the user has shown mutual interest in through the "Discovery" feature. The outbox contains the messages which the user has created or, once again, the members who have returned mutual interest through "Discover."
Every message in the inbox is accompanied by the username, a short message urging you to connect with others, and the date of contact. To the right of this is a check-mark button which when pressed turns a dark red, indicating that it can be deleted with the button above. Unless the user has upgraded to a premium subscription, the messages are not allowed to be viewed; they are covered by text urging the user to "upgrade to unlock this message" in large print. When this link is pressed, it redirects the user to the membership plan page.
Farmphone
This feature allows the user to send and receive FO emails through text messages without logging into their mobile account. The user must pay $4.95 a month. This feature is convenient for users who either do not have smart phones or who do not want to share their phone number on the internet.
The potential for abuse of this anonymous messaging feature is mitigated by the “block” and “pause" functions which are made readily available. Users can "block and unblock specific users easily" as well as "stop and resume the texting service" whenever desired.
Online Store
FO ONLINE STORE |
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FO merchandise is available for purchase |
Accessibility
It is worth nothing that access to the FO online store3 is not limited by affiliation with the FO dating website. Anyone (FO member, FO subscription holder, or neither) can purchase merchandise from the online store. Although the Farm Store can be reached by clicking the link "The FarmersOnly Store (NEW!)" found in the left hand navigation bar on the dating home page, the store can also be reached independently through https://store.farmersonly.com/.
Despite the store's open accessibility, it can be contested whether the store is updated routinely. For example, as of April 10, 2017, the following text can be found in bold, red, capital letters on the "shipping info" page: "Holiday shipping cut off date is Dec. 8th 2015. Any orders placed after this date are not guaranteed for Christmas Delivery."4
Merchandise
The online store's main page includes a search-bar and a top menu-bar with subsequent categories (FO Hats, FO Totes, Guys Shop, Gals Shop, FO Hoodies, Mugs, Posters, FO Blog).
Underneath the top menu-bar, the first ten items of every category are displayed in photo/description grid format. Within the category pages themselves, the user can search by individual items, although the site seems to have limited options at the moment. Every item has its own individual page where the user can read an in-depth description of the item. For clothing options, the user is able to select their desired size and color (if available). Users are then able to add their desired products to their "cart" where the items are stored to be purchased at a later time.
Official Blog
FO OFFICIAL BLOG |
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Farmers Only Home Page |
Success Stories & Advice
The official FO blog5 mainly includes “FO success stories” (relationships that started as a result of FO membership and ended either in marriage, proposal, or a long-term relationship) submitted by members of the site. Each submission usually includes 2-4 images of the happy FO couple.
The intentions behind the official blog no doubt stem from a goal to build the user network, encourage member participation, and raise morale.
Share Your Story
If a user has found a successful relationship through FO, they are encouraged to share their story on the official blog. By clicking on the Share Your Story6 tab at the top of the page, the user is directed to a contact form where they can supply their personal information (name, phone number, e-mail address, location, and relationship status) as well as their success story.
It is worth noting that each success story, upon submission through the Share Your Story tab, is not immediately published on the blog. The story must first be granted permission by an admin of FO.
Meet Jerry
This section chronicles the history of Farmers Only as it was first created by Jerry Miller in 2005. It also includes a profile image of Miller himself.7
Marketing
FO DATING HOME PAGE |
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FO users are reminded to subscribe |
Premium Subscription
There is a significant emphasis on purchasing the premium subscription in order to find partners on FO. The large banner at the top of the page and the “Upgrade Now!” button are a constant presence on every page of the dating site; subsequently, they always serve as a reminder to the FO users to buy a monthly subscription. On the home page itself, there is also a third button in the Account Settings menu box to "Upgrade and Subscribe Now"; in essence, there are three separate links on the home page to encourage the user to buy a premium subscription.
Besides the banner and accompanying button, the user cannot interact with other members much without upgrading (as is explained in the “Browsing Profiles” section of “Member Search” above), so this once again serves to reinforce user behavior, particularly that of buying the subscription.
Advertising
Farmers Only is oddly void of external ads, which means it must generate enough revenue through the premium subscriptions and the online store to operate without needing extra advertisement.
Functionality
FO PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION USER CONSTRAINT |
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The descriptions for the various subscriptions |
Constraints
Subscription
The dominant constraint on user capability centers on the implications of the premium subscription. FO users are not able to contact other members until they upgrade to the 1 month membership ($21.95/month), 3 months membership ($13.32/month), or 6 months membership ($10.99/month). Essentially, then, the free version of FO isn't very useful for finding a match.
Profile Description
Furthermore, while users might try to circumvent the subscription limitation by posting their personal contact info on their profile page, FO reminds the users on their profile editing page that "all personal information (email addresses, phone numbers, websites) will be removed upon review."
Mobile v. Desktop
Although Farmers Only lacks a mobile app, there is a pared down version of the website for mobile use. While all the main capabilities are still accessible (searching for members, checking the private user email, upgrading to a premium subscription, uploading photos, and editing user profile), some minor ones have been left out. For example, the terms and conditions, privacy policy, media inquiries, and customer support page are not accessible.
Navigation
FO NAVIGATION BAR |
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The Left Hand Navigation Bar |
The main features of farmersonly.com are listed down a sidebar on the left side of the screen on a desktop.
A. The FarmersOnly Store (NEW!) is the first feature listed in the sidebar. The store is a separate interface from the homepage of farmersonly.com. The user can buy merchandise from clothing items to framed posters. Through the store, the user can find the FarmersOnly blog.
B. The Home button is for navigating back to the home screen from any other feature within the website. It simply reroutes the user.
C. The Who’s Online? portal is a way to search specific geographic areas for potential matches. The user can select the preferred age range, distance in reference to miles, and whether or not the user wants profiles with photos or any profile. Below the specifications, the search results appear with the chosen username, age, hometown, and a quote from members’ profiles. From this page, if a user is a premium member, they can message others. If a user is a free member, they can flirt for free with prescreened messages.
D. Profile Visitors is where the user can find those who have visited their profile. If the user is a free member, this aspect of the website is blurred with a button that links to the premium subscription page. From this page, if the user is a premium subscriber, they can hide or block those they do not want to be on their profiles. It, also, has the amount of time that has passed since the person visited, username, age, and hometown.
E. The Discover portal links to a prearranged profile selection within the specifications and distance that the user chooses when they create their account. To “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” a match is the main focus of this page. The potential match’s picture, username, age, and hometown are displayed. For more information, the user can press a profile button to be directed to the profile of the match. Next to the profile button there is an option to message the person directly if they are a premium member. If not, the user will be directed to the premium subscription page.
F. Who Likes Me? has the entire page blurred for free members, which includes “Likes Me,” “I Like,” and “I’ve Disliked.” Through the “Likes Me,” premium members can “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” profiles of those they like or dislike. It gives the username, age, and hometown with each. Free members would not be able to rate or find those who have liked them through the Discover page. The “I Like” page is a catalog of profiles that a user has liked through the Discover page. The user can go back through and use the thumb rating system for those they do not want on that page. This page, also, gives the username, age, and hometown of the other members. The “I’ve Disliked” page is where a member can decide if a profile that they did not like using the thumbs up system. This would put the profile on to the “I Like” page. This page include the username, age, and hometown.
G. FarmPhone is a texting subscription. Through FarmPhone, a member of FarmersOnly can pay $4.95/month to receive messages via text. Users can, also, block and unblock other members. Farmersonly.com does not have an application available for smartphone users, therefore, members can pay for FarmPhone.
H. The Member Search portal can be used to search for a specific group that the user may not have put on their profile. They can change any aspect of their preferences, it will not change the user’s set details. It is very similar to the Who’s Online? feature, but detailed. The user can change the age, location, desired type of relationship, smoking and drinking preferences, body type, marital status, children, ethnicity, religion, and education level.
I. My Email gives the user the option to directly contact other members. To use this portal, a premium subscription is required. If the user is a free member, it blurs out the message. This is where the communication begins and new relationships can blossom.
J. My Favorites keeps the records of which profiles the user favorites. When the user visits any profile within FarmersOnly, there is the option to “favorite him” or “favorite her.” If the user is a premium member, they are able to view those they have favorited. If the user is a free member, they are able to favorite any member, but are unable to view them within the My Favorites page.
K. My Profile is a drop down menu when clicked. The options are View Profile, Edit Profile, Edit My Match, Edit My Photos, Edit My Location, and Show/Hide Profile.
K.1 View Profile directs the user to their own profile where they are able to edit the information and picture.
K.2 Edit Profile brings the user back to the screen in which they filled out when they first joined FarmersOnly to edit any aspect of who they are.
K.3 Edit My Match is within the same page as Edit Profile. It is where the user can adapt any characteristic they are looking for in the perfect match.
K.4 Edit My Photos is where the user can upload more photos to their profile and change the main photo if they would like.
K.5 Edit My Location is if the user has moved, they can change the zip/post code for closer possible matches.
K.6 Show/Hide Profile is where a user can make their profile invisible or visible again. The user would be hidden from the search results in their area. While invisible, the user cannot discover new matches.
L. The Account Settings section controls the user's chosen username, the password, and privacy settings. Through this portal, the user controls the most important aspects of their account, as well.
L.4 The Email Preferences lets the user choose the notifications they would like to receive, if they would like a summary of activity, offers for FarmersOnly products, and surverys regarding FarmersOnly.
L.5, L.6 The two controls of Upgrade Membership and Manage Subscription are for users who would want to become a premium member. The Manage Subscription option for a free member simply shows the status whether or not their are certain privileges that come with the subscription.
L.7 Manage Blocklist takes the user to a list of those that they have chosen to block from viewing their profile and contacting them. In the case where a user changes their mind or makes a mistake about who they have blocked, they can update the list via this portal.
L.8 The Remove Profile portal takes the user to a screen where they can choose to remove their profile from the website. FarmersOnly asks why a user would leave the dating website and lists pre-written options: Got married/ engaged to someone on FarmersOnly, found someone on FarmersOnly, found someone elsewhere, not enough local members, the people on the site are not for me, or the features of the site are not for me. This gives the chance for the administrators to catalog and change aspects of the website to interest people in their future.
M. Frequently Asked Questions portal directs the user to interactive questions. If the user finds a question similar to one listed, by clicking the question, the website directs them to further down on the page that has the respective answer.
N. If a user does not find a question and answer pertaining to the subject that they need, the next portal is Contact Support. The user is redirected to a page with the instructions to choose the closest relating issue: Login issues, I need to change/fix something on my account…, Hows does the website work?, Photo issues, Reporting other users, Cancellations, Share your success story!, Biling questions, Suggestions, and Can't find an answer to your question? Each one if these takes the user through different levels until they either recommend sending a message to their help center or the question is answered.
Inefficiencies
FARMERS ONLY HOME PAGE |
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The redundancies of the links can be overwhelming for users |
Redundancies
Without looking at the layout of the online store or the official blog, the navigation of the FO dating home page can be confusing for its users given the redundancies of its links/buttons. All the links within the body of the page can be found elsewhere on the page (namely the left hand navigation bar, the top menu bar, and the bottom menu bar). Additionally, there are two bottom menu bars where one really should have sufficed. Ultimately, these redundancies create give an overwhelming impression to its users without actually enhancing navigation.
Unnatural placement of pages
The dating home page is the site’s center. The online store and the official blog are secondary branches to FO, and users can find links to these pages within the parent site (farmersonly.com). Although FO encourages user participation in the store and the blog as well, these branches are not all equally accessible.
When users access farmersonly.com, they are immediately brought to the dating home page. As a result, this site generates the majority of user traffic, which makes sense since the online dating is the central feature of the site (rather than the blog or the store). Subsequently, it would make most sense to include a link back to the dating home page on every branch of the site; however, this is not so. Once you enter the online store, there is a link to the blog but not the dating home page. And once you enter the blog, there is a link to the dating home page, but not the online store.
The blog has no immediate presence on the home page. The only link to the blog is found at the very bottom of the site, written as "Success Stories" in small font. Users can more easily find a link to the blog on the online store since it appears in the top menu bar. In fact, given that there is little to no advertising regarding the blog, users would probably never know that the blog exists at all if they never visited the store.
Privacy Policy
The privacy policy statement covers personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information.
Visitors do not have any personally identifiable information automatically collected on them, but members are required to supply e-mail address and billing information. IP address, internet service provider, and device information are collected.
They are able to see what site the user has redirected from when coming to their site, and they see what site the user goes to when the user leaves. This site does not allow "do not track" settings. Although they will not sell personal information, they may sell non-identifiable usage data to third parties.
Users may not post links to other websites, and they may not make references to third parties without permission.