Online Dating

Dating apps are all about the swipes. In fact, the process can almost feel game-like, with users swiping left and right as quickly as possible, and it seems there’s an endless supply of potential matches.

So what happens when a new dating app forces you to slow down? It seems counter-intuitive in the current online dating market, but one company wants to try and take it slow.

Appetence is a new app that launched in May for iOS, and focuses on the art of conversation before all information about a match can be revealed.

When you download the app, you are asked a series of questions about preferences relating to music, food, TV, books, movies, and even pets. The app then shows you profiles that are compatible – sort of.

Though a dating app may seem like the closest thing tech-obsessed Millennials have to a matchmaker, the ancient art of playing cupid isn’t dead yet.

Wingman, a new mobile matchmaking app, recently conducted its first Wingman Assisted Romance Survey. The study reveals that most Millennials (90%), whether they’re single or in a relationship, say they would enjoy acting as matchmaker for their friends. And what’s more, they’re confident about their skills. Almost 70% said they thought they’d be better at picking matches for their friends than their friends would be at picking their own dates.

“A large majority of the people we spoke to at length felt that they knew their friends well enough to pick people they should meet and many felt they absolutely knew them better than their friends know themselves,” said Wingman founder Tina Wilson. “Millennials tend to be confident and that confidence clearly extends to the widespread belief we found that many millennials are convinced they can be great matchmakers for their friends." 

I wasn't expecting it this weekend but eHarmony let us know that they are having a free communication event for singles in the United States starting Friday, July 14^th to the end of Monday, July 17,^th 2017.

No coupon code or credit card is required for this promotion. This means new and existing members will be able to communicate for free with their matches. All you need to do is create a free membership on eHarmony.com and fill in your profile information. Once that is done you will receive your first set of matches which you then can review and contact the ones you want via the eHarmony Mail Message center. You should also expand your profile and answer the personality questionnaire as this is where the real magic of eHarmony happens. This 30 minute or so long questionnaire allows the eHarmony matchmaking algorithm to match members together that have the best chance of creating a long-term and happy relationship. eHarmony has spent years researching and fine tuning the algorithm to produce these results.

To find out more about this online dating service, please read our eHarmony app and website review.

Match is one of the oldest names in the online dating industry, but its strongest asset is a much younger name in the biz: Tinder.

As the stigma around online dating fades, the industry is experiencing rapid growth, particularly in the Millennial segment. Pew Research estimates that use of online dating sites among young adults (ages 18-24) nearly tripled from 2013 to 2016, rising from 10 percent to 27 percent, and opening a major opportunity for Match Group to expand its market share.

Match owns Tinder, the leading dating app for Millennial singles. By placing the majority of its focus on growing Tinder, Match Group hopes to secure its position as the digital match-maker of future generations.

How Match Stories Works

One of the oldest players in the online dating industry is betting on the next big thing since swiping. Match plans to launch a new video feature for its dating app this summer.

Match is still a brand name, and it retains a large database of users (though its demographic skews a little older – the company captures a large portion of daters thirty-five and older, many of them divorced and getting back into dating). But Match is looking to broaden its horizons, and the dating game along with it, by focusing on video for product development, according to a report by Mashable.

The video feature, dubbed Match Stories, varies a bit from the old-school video dating services and other video dating apps that haven’t quite taken off. Instead of stilted introductions from users who aren't used to being in front of a camera, Match Stories allows its customers to be a bit more creative. They can incorporate video and images into a 60-second “story,” and use the voiceover tool to explain to potential dates what they are seeing.

Modern romance looks more than a little different from love stories of the past. Instead of meeting at religious services or social dances, today’s singles swipe and click their way to dates. Many have embraced it as the new normal, and there’s no shortage of dating services eager for their business.

But other singles are clinging steadfastly to an old-fashioned approach. They’d rather meet in-person or through friends, and remain skeptical of dating apps and websites. For the naysayers, there are services like My Friend’s Friend.

My Friend’s Friend is helping singles in Perth, Australia, find love with a Facebook friend request. Curious daters add My Friend’s Friend as a friend on the social network, then receive a message from a woman who goes by Lucy Date (though the name is fake, she’s a real matchmaker who has spent years playing Cupid for friends and clients).