Category: Outlets – Forbes

The Meet Group Powers Boom in Safe Social Media Speed Dating Sessions

Posted on May 12, 2020

Themetgroup logoFORBES – May 11 – The Meet Group provides interactive live video solutions for its apps – MeetMe, LOVOO, Skout, Tagged and Growlr, and also Match Group's Plenty of Fish. Across that spectrum, The Meet Group works to ensure safety and security for its social media connections. Recently, the live meet-up sections of MeetMe, Skout and Plenty of Fish introduced NextDate speed dating sessions with built-in The Meet Group Technology. Running now through May 30, those sites will host Speed Dating Social Hours at 10PM and 11PM ET, every Thursday and Saturday. The Meet Group will reward those who find their match on NextDate. The first 25 couples to match will receive 8K ($50) credits redeemable on the MeetMe, Skout, and Plenty of Fish dating apps to buy and send gifts to members who are live-streaming on the apps or playing NextDate on any of the social media platforms.

by John Scott Lewinski
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UrSafe to Make Dating Secure After COVID-19

Posted on April 22, 2020

Ursafe logo useFORBES – The increase in online dating is obvious as singles obey isolation and quarantine rules. This means people are more exposed to a variety of scams and threats. The personal security app UrSafe tracks the user, offering hands-free activation by voice recognition while synchronizing with emergency services via 911 if a problem arises. The service’s FollowMe and Check-In features let friends and family follow loved ones in real-time to ensure everyone gets from A to B safely.

by John Scott Lewinski
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Gamer Dating App Kippo Kicking up Usage During COVID-19

Posted on April 18, 2020

Kippo logoFORBES – Apr 17 – Kippo is a dating app dedicated to online players. Kippo moves away from the world of formal profiles and left/right swiping. Instead, users are invited to play with or against each other before eventually exchanging information if they wish. The Coronavirus lockdown and general social distancing account for a big boost in usage for Kippo. The app's reps state that online gaming jumped 75% in general since the start of pandemic quarantine procedures. The vast majority of Kippo users are millennials or Generation Z. Regardless of such demographics, overall Kippo usage increased by 275% during the previous 30 days. That activity accounts for a 50% revenue growth over that period amidst ~25K active users.

by John Scott Lewinski
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COVID-19 Quarantine Sees a Blur of Activity for Dating App Blindlee

Posted on April 15, 2020

Blindlee iconFORBES – Apr 14 – Blindlee sets up users on blind dates thanks to three minute blurred video calls. Blindlee is the idea of two 20-something entrepreneurs, Sacha Nasan and Glenn Keller. They've seen an increase in app usage, even with people who don't necessarily want to find romance. Their data shows 22% of Blindlee users make calls to find friends for moral support during social distancing. "Comparing to February, we saw a 57% increase in March signups due to the outbreak," Nasan says. "This figure is now at 126%. Blurred video calls are up nearly three times and the average number of matches per user has increased by 180%. Users can only match after the call." Blindlee is popular in the U.K., but the app is gaining steam in America, too.

by John Scott Lewinski
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COVID-19 Drives Up Use Of Schedule-Based Dating App Flutter

Posted on April 8, 2020

Flutter logoFORBES – Apr 8 – Dating app Flutter is seeing a surge in usage since the emergence of the Coronavirus. Usable for only six hours on a Sunday, Flutter wants its users to schedule, prepare and focus on their online dating. The app works at limited set times, with matches and messages disappearing at midnight. If two would-be daters don't act within the app's six-hour window to establish real contact outside Flutter, the connection is gone. "With the quarantine, we have seen a 23% increase in weekly users, a 53% increase in weekly matches and a 78% increase in weekly messages," says the app co-founder and COO Teddy Jungreis.

by John Scott Lewinski
See full article at Forbes

Coronavirus Is Changing Online Dating – Permanently

Posted on April 6, 2020

Mobile dating21FORBES – Apr 5 – The coronavirus lockdown is changing how we date, likely shifting our habits permanently. Dating apps are pushing users to meet for virtual dates, rolling out new video-based features. "While we are socially distant, we definitely aren't disconnected," says Tinder CEO Elie Seidman, who reports daily messaging activity among the app's American users has risen by 10% to 15% across the country. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd hopes people will use Bumble's in-app video chat feature. With more people at home, Bumble saw use of this function spike 93% between March 13 and March 27. The average call was ~30 minutes long. "We're hearing more and more about virtual coffee dates, dinner dates and movie dates," says OkCupid CEO Ariel Charytan. "We recently heard from a new OkCupid couple in Brooklyn who set up a candlelit dinner over video chat for their first date earlier this week." "For now, dating apps have little opportunity to turn this new user behavior into additional revenue streams. Estimates on revenue and profit are going to come down. No one really knows by how much," says Evercore analyst Benjamin Black. Spending on dating is "something you can pull back on. You're not gonna die without it. It's not a consumer staple." So far the apps' goal of maintaining their audiences seems to be working. The number of weekly active users across Tinder, Bumble and five more of the largest dating apps was largely unchanged from February into mid-March, according to App Annie.

by Adam Brown
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Tinder Most Used Dating App Now

Posted on March 30, 2020

Tinder on screenFORBES – Mar 29 – The 2020 SKYN Condoms Sex & Intimacy Survey was not designed to examine the current or post-COVID-19 world. Its data gathering and results just happened to take place while the global pandemic was getting its boots on and heading out from Wuhan. According to Skyn, 39% of respondents used Tinder over its rivals to find love. Generation Z folks said they were more likely than Millennials to use Tinder (48% to 36%). #2 was Match.com (33%) and #3 Bumble (19%).

by John Scott Lewinski
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Online Dating Gets Political With Match.com’s New Profiles

Posted on March 12, 2020

Matchcom picFORBES – Mar 9 – Match users setting up their dating profiles can now choose from one of nine "political view" options. They can pick anything from "apolitical" or "independent" to "moderate" or "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" – with the standard polarized camps of "progressive" or "conservative" also standing ready.

by John Scott Lewinski
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Tinder Is Launching a Concierge Service for $20

Posted on March 5, 2020

Tinder concierge serviceFORBES – Mar 4 – Tinder has released an ad on the app touting the new service, showing a stretch limo pulling up outside an ornate building. Details about Tinder Concierge are pretty minimal.

by Abram Brown
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Dating Apps Need to Offer Something More Than Swiping

Posted on January 24, 2020

Dating apps picFORBES – Jan 23 – ~25M people use dating apps, and the online dating sector will be worth $12B by the end of 2020. Worldwide, however, dating app downloads for the 15 most-popular apps decreased to 247M in 2018, from 256M in 2017. The swiping format that once felt fresh and exciting has proved fruitless for many. esearch suggests that compulsive swiping makes people feel lonelier. "People are looking for deeper connections, a deeper way of getting to know someone beyond a photo level," says Adam Cohen-Aslatei, the founder and CEO of S'More. S'More bills itself as a "relationship app", and directs users to interact with each others' profiles before sending messages or even seeing pictures. Apps that target a certain age bracket, ethnicity or religious community, also have a chance to do well. Other companies are trying to bridge the gap between online and real life connections. Last year Feeld, an app aimed at non-monogamous singles and couples, launched the Feeld Social – events with interactive talks and performances.

by Franki Cookney
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