Online Dating Adds Video, Goes Local

The latest Web dating services are adding video chats and location-based searches to help the lovelorn find their soul mates.

By Nicole Solis
Thu, February 12, 2009

PC World — Online Dating Adds Video, Goes Local The latest Web dating services are adding video chats and location-based searches to help the lovelorn find their soul mates. Nicole Solis Most traditional dating sites require a lot of work up front before you even get to meet the person (and even then, incompatibility horror stories sometimes result). Why not fast-forward to the fun part? Four new sites are helping online daters meet face-to-face more quickly, both online (through video speed dating) and in person (by matching users with nearby singles) so they can exchange real winks instead of the virtual kind.

A caveat: Though these sites have cool features, they may not have a huge user base--or a significant user base in your area. Since much of a site's value depends on the pool of people who participate in it, your results may vary.

(Just want to flirt? Try these sites.)

Video Speed Dating

WooMe

Designed to remove the stigma associated with matchmaking sites for young adults, WooMe creatyes a speed-dating venue for singles between 18 and 24 years old. Signing up takes seconds. After supplying minimal personal information (no last name required) and a photo, you can start your own chat session with other users or join an existing session. WooMe is about getting people talking, not about assembling detailed profiles.

Unlike most dating sites, which restrict member-to-member contact, WooMe makes communication between users pretty much a no-holds-barred affair. Before I had finished confirming my account, I received multiple friend requests, nudges, and even a flattering invitation to join the "hotties" chat session—all popping up in the middle of the screen.

Theoretically, chat sessions can focus on any topic, but in practice most seem geared toward younger users. Topics like "bored and nuthn to do," "nobody better lay a finger on my butterfinger," and "PaNTieS display" are fairly common, as are more explicit ones. The "CEO compensation limits" discussion I hosted attracted the two oldest men I chatted with—a 27-year-old and a 28-year-old.

Chats have set start times, and the fun, funky music accompanying the countdown wouldn't be out of place in a porn soundtrack (not that I would know...). Most discussions match two or three girls with the same number of guys. Once the chat starts, you have 60 to 90 seconds to talk to each person one-on-one through some combination of Webcam, audio, and IM; most of the speedthroughs I participated in included Webcam and IM, but no audio. To see some examples, check out the WooMe TV part of the site. After the discussion ends, you can contact one of the other participants by sending them a friend request (which allows you to message back and forth) or a nudge.

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