No Scrolling Required At New Dating Sites

NY TIMES - Apr 13 - Me So Far is one in a spate of recently founded dating services that combine the power of the Internet with retro dating, with singles parties so big they are organized through Web sites, and real-life matchmakers who use Klout scores to help match couples. Me So Far costs from $20 to $30 a person. Amanda Hofman, CEO of Urban Girl Squad, a women’s networking group, said her parties are a result of the members’ desire to date through old-fashioned friendly introductions. So every few months, about 200 men and women in their 20s and 30s wear name tags and pay $15 each to sip drinks and mingle. Another dating concept being tested is Tawkify, a dating site without online profiles. Instead, Tawkify applicants submit photos and answer 10 questions about themselves. If they are accepted, a team of matchmakers interview them over the phone then set them up on a telephone date the following Monday at 10 p.m. Matches are told almost nothing about each other before the call, which is automated through a service that the Tawkify founders refer to as “Mr. Brooks,” because it seemed like a fine name for a dating butler. The company is billing itself as the first to use Klout scores, a measure of one’s digital influence, as a matchmaking metric. The higher your score, the more likely you are to be matched with someone of similar status. Hitch.me is a new dating site for LinkedIn members. Unlike most online dating sites, where users spend hours scrolling through profiles of strangers, on Hitch.me they can swiftly find someone — even someone who is in their business or social circle — then get off the site and meet.

by Stephanie Rosenbloom
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Comments

[twitter.com/rosswilliams]

"Mr. Brooks" the butler?

Oooooh please let this site take off - if it makes it, I'm getting a butler outfit for Mark :)

[Mark Brooks]

This sounds similar to a site in China that is doing very well. Zhenai.com is China's #2 dating site, no less. Next to Jiayuan. Members get service by telephone. The price points are very good with Tawkify.com. I wonder if they can really make money at that level. Seems like a good deal, and a much needed service. Ultimately idaters want dates, not spending hours tappity tapping online.