Category: Sparked

9 Dating Apps and Sites That Died

Posted on February 8, 2022

Howaboutwe logo new dec 13MASHABLE – Here are nine dating sites and apps that died. RIP.

  1. Sparked
    Facebook Dating launched in 2019, five years after founder Mark Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook was a better dating site than Tinder. Facebook Dating has thousands of active users, while Tinder has millions. Facebook tried again with Sparked, a video speed dating app that launched last year. Sparked shut down less than a year after its inception.
  2. Chappy
    UK reality star Ollie Locke launched gay dating app Chappy in 2018 with help from Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. Chappy shut down and folded into Bumble just two years later.
  3. Hater
    Hater made waves back in 2017. This app's niche was connecting people through things they despise. App founder Brandon Alper pitched Hater on Shark Tank in 2017 and received $200K from billionaire Mark Cuban, but the following year Hater wasn't making money.
  4. HowAboutWe
    HowAboutWe was an innovative dating app in that singles snagged dates by suggesting activities with each other. HowAboutWe's demise was due to a buyout. Match acquired HowAboutWe in 2014, and the site is no more.
  5. Spoonr
    First called Cuddlr, the app launched in 2014 to help people find platonic cuddle buddies. Cuddlr shut down in 2015 and rebranded as Spoonr months later. Spoonr closed in 2017 with a tweet: "It was fun while it lasted! SPOONR is now closed! Hugs."
  6. Siren
    Siren launched in 2015 by two women of color to "fight the swipe" of dating apps created by men. Instead of swiping, Siren posed daily questions for users to answer and seek potential matches based on whose responses they liked. Siren shuttered in 2017 with a blog post. Co-founders Susie Lee and Katrina Hess claimed that investors didn't complete their payments, and the app ran out of money.
  7. Missed Connections
    Oh, Craigslist Missed Connections. Gone too soon.
  8. Yahoo! Personals
    A site with the same fate as Craigslists' personals, Yahoo! Personals shuttered in 2010 when it merged with Match.
  9. GreatBoyfriends.com and GreatGirlfriends.com
    A two-for-one, GreatBoyfriends and GreatGirlfriends launched in 2002 by then-Elle Magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. GreatBoyfriends and Girlfriends died after wedding site The Knot acquired them in 2005.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

Meta Closes Video Speed-dating Service, Sparked

Posted on January 14, 2022

Sparked logoTECH CRUNCH – Meta (Facebook) is shutting down a video speed-dating service it tested out in 2021. Sparked daters cycle through short "video dates" during a preplanned event with locals in select markets, including Chicago. They also hosted several "global" date nights and events for LGBTQ, and certain demographics and age groups. Sparked users had 4-minute dates, with optional 10-minute dates, and contact info sharing. Sparked experimented with audio only dating. Facebook Dating, soon thereafter launched Audio Dates. Tuned, an app for couples, was made by the same team. The experimental app 'NPE Team' has offices in Lagos, Nigeria, and is staffing another in Asia. It's also planning to look externally for new ideas, and making seed investments.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

Mark Brooks: Perhaps it's time OPW started doing app reviews. What do you think? Watch this space for a review and critique of Tuned.

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Facebook Experiments With Video Speed Dating

Posted on April 13, 2021

Sparked logoPCMAG – Apr 13 – Facebook's new speed-dating app is called Sparked, and it allows two people to meet on a four-minute video date. If they like each other, a follow-up 10-minute second date can be scheduled. Signing up for Sparked requires a Facebook account, but currently there's a waiting list.

by Matthew Humphries
See full article at PCMag