THE AGE – Australian entrepreneurs are reviving in-person dating events and developing new tech solutions. Despite 3M Australians using dating apps, user dissatisfaction has prompted local startups to offer alternatives. Humpday, founded by Charlotte Vieira and Kara Zervides, combines app-based matching with weekly in-person events. CitySwoon hosts ~600 speed dating events annually, boasting a high mutual match rate. Spoony, launching in July, connects individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses for social connections. Red Flags, an upcoming app, aims to foster deeper connections and support relationships beyond initial matches.
Category: CitySwoon
CitySwoon on How They Reinvented Speed Dating During COVID
CANBERRA TIMES – Feb 13 – CitySwoon was already reinventing speed dating long before COVID came and upended everything. It was evident the dating world was going digital, long before COVID. This is why CitySwoon decided to look into taking its speed dating service online even before the pandemic and the company was well on its way to launching a custom platform when COVID hit. Unlike a Zoom, the platform allows for both group chat – so that the speed dating hosts can chat to everyone at once – and private calls so participants can still have that one-on-one experience. After each date, participants rate their date out of five.
IDEA Launches Social Safety Badge for Dating Apps
BUSINESSWIRE – Dec 9 – IDEA (The Internet Dating Excellence Association) is launching the Social Safety Badge and Guidelines for high quality dating apps. "The goal of this badge is to help users identify dating, matchmaking and social apps that are distinguished in their commitment to a safe and exceptional experience for users," said IDEA President Mark Brooks.
The guidelines cover:
- Respect For Others
- Respect For The Rights Of Others
- Respect For Minors
- Respect For The Community
- Respect For Larger Community
The following dating apps are in the initial launch group and have signed on to the badge, stating that they will adhere to the guidelines:
- CitySwoon
- GlobalMuslimMatch
- Happn
- Jaumo
- LunchClick
- MeetMe
- muzmatch
- Namoro
- Once
- Say Allo
- Skout
- Tagged
- Vouch
IDEA was formed in 2007 as the Internet Dating Executive Alliance and changed to the Internet Dating Excellence Association in 2018. The group is made up of 700+ dating industry executives and dating company leaders and innovators from around the world.
CitySwoon – Australian Hybrid Online/Speed Dating Company
FINANCIAL REVIEW – Dec 27 – Louise O'Connor and husband Brett Couston are combining the power of computers to crunch data with old-school face-to-face meetings. Their company, CitySwoon, is a hybrid online and speed-dating business. Until last September the company was hosting four speed-dating events a month; now it hosts 20 events a month in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth. Before the event, participants are asked a number of questions. The participants on the platform are matched based on their answers and have 10-to-15-minute "dates" with six to eight people.
CitySwoon Is Coming To Canberra
CANBERRATIMES – Nov 13 – Husband and wife team Brett Couston and Louise O'Connor launched the events, which are a hybrid between online matching and face-to-face speed dating, and they're coming to Canberra for the first time this month. Participants create a profile online, then buy tickets to the events they want to go to. They're then matched with the people going to the same event that the system determines they're most compatible with. The night is run similar to a speed dating event and everyone is sent a photo of each of their scheduled dates via sms. The next day, participants return to the website and can choose to communicate further with dates if they wish.
CitySwoon – Modern-Day Speed Dating
SA WEEKEND – Mar 17 – CitySwoon, a new dating service, uses the relatively old speed-dating concept. At the speed dating events, the guys and girls have about 15 minutes together before they move onto the next person. People know their time is up when the event host sends each guy and a girl a text message with the name and photo of their next date and so the cycle starts again. But here's where the concept claims to be different. Each couple is matched using an algorithm, a computer program that does the maths and puts people together based on their likes and dislikes. After the event, people are asked to rate their dates by filling out questions on whether they found the person attractive, whether they were funny and if they are interested in seeing that person again or not. Based on those answers, the algorithm continues to work out the kind of girl and guy each individual person is attracted to.
by Karina Stokes
See full article at The Advertiser
New Guinness World Record Set For The Biggest Dating Event By CitySwoon.com In Sydney
World’s Biggest Blind Date To Take Place In February
TNT MAGAZINE – Dec 13 – The world's biggest blind date is set to be held in Sydney on February 21, 2014. The event is hosted by Aussie dating site CitySwoon. The eight-year record for the 'Biggest Blind Date' was recently beaten in Chicago with 654 people on 327 blind dates.