I'll selectively initiate on OK Cupid (I'm a single mom). My advice is this: send out about five two sentence hellos each week. Expect to hear back from one or two. Exchange a couple of quick emails. If they seem nice and you are interested, then offer to meet for coffee. Don't waste a lot of time on long emails or phone calls, texting, etc. You'll know pretty quickly when you meet them if they are who they have represented themselves to be. If you like them after spending an hour with them, go out on a real date. You'll probably get around 25 emails a week from guys interested in meeting you. You'll probably only be interested in one or two. Reply back to those ones.
And last, pay attention to the questions on OK Cupid. Guys are pretty honest about what they are looking for (just getting laid vs. a relationship). You can find out a lot about someone by seeing how they answer those questions. Eliminate the ones that are not compatible. Don't waste your time