VOX - Feb 9 - Great Expectations, which existed into the '90s, was the original dating technology, and a national dating franchise. Members recorded a 3-minute conversation with questions like, "Do you work hard? What makes you angry? What are you looking for in a man/woman?" This was "video dating". People loved the richness of the medium. In the past 12 months modern dating apps have stumbled on that same thesis all over again. The earliest video-dating service was a year earlier than GE. A New York-based company called Videomate launched with the ad: "Now, you can see and hear your date on closed-circuit TV before you date. It's fun! It's riskless! It's new!" For $60, members received a 90-day membership. By 1986, GE customers were paying $625 for a six-month plan to $3,790 for a multi-year subscription. By the early 1990s, GE had 49 franchises and was earning $65m a year.
by Michael Waters
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