At First Sight

Dating apps are fast becoming the rage among young singles, especially location-based apps like Tinder, typically used for the purpose of hooking up. But a new service called Twine aims to do things a little differently.

Instead of scrolling through photos to see who's "hot or not", like Tinder, Twine pulls information from your Facebook profiles and matches you with other members nearby based on mutual interests. Oh, and they also blur out photos so that you can start chatting and flirting first, and then decide if you want to reveal your pics to each other later.

While this might sound like a waste of time to daters looking to meet someone quickly, many women tend to shy away from location-based dating apps, which doesn't help the odds if you're a man. Females (more than males) get barraged with invitations from potential dates, and because of the overload of guys virtually approaching them, they are less likely to engage. However, with Twine, everyone has to work a little harder, which makes it that much more engaging, and potentially that much more appealing to female users.

Another great aspect of Twine's strategy is that it aims to cut down on spam and fake profiles. One way it does this is through gender restrictions. Men and women using the service must be represented in equal numbers, so if there are currently more men signed up than women, new members will be put on a waiting list until more women join. Also, users aren't allowed to upload their own photos, they are instead pulled directly from your Facebook profile, so you can't post a picture of someone else.

Other dating apps have launched recently that are also focused on delivering more quality matches. One such app is At First Sight, which provides short video profiles of members to scroll through. With this app, you're getting a feel for what the person is like, how he sounds, what gestures he uses - rather than just a static photo - which helps when making a decision about whether or not you want to meet someone. (It also helps filter those fake profiles.) When I downloaded it however, it was a little clumsy to use. The videos are presented in a chain, and you can keep scrolling down until you find someone who interests you, which means you might stop and start several different video profiles. I do like that each person chooses a question to answer, rather than just a free-flowing format.

Regardless of your preferences, dating apps are here to stay, and might well be the most popular way to meet singles in the future. Even traditional online dating sites are developing their own apps. Either way, isn't it good to have more opportunities to meet people, no matter how you do it?

One thing is certain when it comes to meeting potential dates: we've never had more options than we do right now. Between online dating, mobile dating apps, and video dating, it's easy to communicate with someone new.

And while online dating remains the most popular way to meet, more and more people are gravitating towards their phones for help in dating, so new apps are coming out all the time, each with a different spin.

Chris Harrison, the popular host of the TV show The Bachelor thinks video dating provides a great alternative to going on dozens of coffee dates just to see what someone is like. He recently released a video dating app called At Fist Sight that centers around video profiles. He claims that his app allows daters a deeper look at each other, one that can't be captured through static pictures, emails, or even a traditional online dating profile.

He discovered the power of video while working for the hit reality show, seeing firsthand how casting decisions are made based on the sense you get from each contestant through their video profiles. He reasoned that if he provided this kind of power to other daters out there, they would be able to make more informed choices.

At First Sight is similar to online dating in that it matches people according to an algorithm, based on mutual interests and compatible personalities. And if you're interested specifically in the still-single reality stars from the TV show, Harrison told the L.A. Times there might be Bachelor or Bachelorette contestants becoming members in the near future. He also doesn't rule out casting for future shows based on who signs up for the service.

But At First Sight isn't the only video-friendly dating app. Date.FM bills itself to be the first dating app to include video chat. If you're interested in someone, you can also start chatting (virtually) face-to-face immediately. With Flikdate, you can video chat for up to 90 seconds with people around the world, moving on to the next with a flick of your screen.

At First Sight is available on both Android and iOS devices. While the app doesn't yet have the capability of video chatting, you could still access members via Skype or Google hangout. There are also instant messaging and social features as part of the app.

Right now, At First Sight is free and in the beta stage so if you want to check it out, I encourage you to do so. They are still in the process of building a user base, so it may eventually come with a price tag.