OPW INTERVIEW - Dec 6 - Waplog sees 7-9 million visits a month on its website and is in the top 100 social apps on both Android and iPhone in various countries around the world. Waplog has been around since 2008! It started out as a social network and moved into dating. Here's our first interview with the CEO Volkan Yazicioglu. - Mark Brooks
What inspired you to create Waplog?
The idea of Waplog came to us in 2008. At the time Facebook was very popular but it was not heavily used on mobile devices. We wanted to be a social network site too but for mobile users. Later, as our users were excited about meeting new people, we slid into the dating industry.
What does Waplog mean, is there a story behind the name?
The 'Waplog' name comes from the word WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) meaning the Internet for old generation phones. We thought about changing our name after the rise of smartphones. However, the users who were switching to smartphones were finding us on Play Store and the App Store by searching Waplog. When we published our Android app back in 2011, we got 1 million installs in one month. For this wide brand awareness, we decided not to change our name.
How had Waplog's video stories feature helped users connect?
Users may not upload videos right from their phones. The stories have to be taken at that moment by the phone's camera, for a duration of 5-20 seconds. Thus, they prove they are not a fake profile. Making it an automatic, easy, and fun way to verify yourself. With this feature, we believe we are making both our male and female users happy.
What can user do with coins in the app?
By purchasing coins you can send gifts to people you want to be friends with and get ahead of everyone else. If the other person does not accept your gift, your coins are added back to your account. So our users can always be sure their gifts are not ever lost in the void. Another use of coins is that users can use to unlock locked stories. Not all stories are created equal so users have the option to lock their stories if they want to.
What are the benefits of a premium membership?
Users who become a VIP member on Waplog can shut off ads, send unlimited messages, be the first to message the new and/or most popular users and be seen on top of the discover and suggestion screens.
Where in the world is Waplog gaining popularity?
We have users all over the world. The top countries we are most popular are; Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, USA, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Italy.
What does success look like for a Waplog user?
We receive lots of feedback from our users. Even on Apple Store and Play Store, we receive comments as "We got married thanks to Waplog" or "I finally have a girlfriend, thank you". These types of comments and feedbacks make us extremely happy and excited. Reading such comments, we know we are doing something good. We publish such success stories on our blog. And of course, we take complaints and user suggestions very seriously and use them to guide us make Waplog a better place to find love and friendship.
