Broke1, that's a harsh response. It's a new era where people meet in different ways. If you think about it, it's no more random than meeting people in a bar, except that you probably end up with more variety.
Turboter, I have a few buddies who posted on Match.com. I'm not sure what there rates are (50 for 3 months rings a bell), but I'm pretty sure that they are the biggest. I think if people write to you its free to read the responses, but I'm not sure. As far as totally free, I think that all of those are really small, though if your town has a Craig's List, everything on those boards is free.
And for dealing with meatheads like Broke1, my friend rationalized his use of it the best I've ever heard. He said "I want to get a girlfriend that I actually like, and I'd be cheating myself if I didn't use every opportunity to find her" He started hitting on every girl he found attractive, posted an internet profile, and got himself out to more parties and social events. Now he's been dating a girl for over 6 months. Of course, we don't see him anymore, but... And as far as losers go, he's a part-time personal trainer while he finishes up his MBA at NYU business school, and in August starts work for one of the biggest investment banks in the world.
Good luck.