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I think an interesting dating app would be the exact same thing as the tinder variants with one key difference: When you make a profile you get two accounts. O

I think an interesting dating app would be the exact same thing as the tinder variants with one key difference: When you make a profile you get two accounts. One that shows only pictures, and another that only shows interest/text. There should be no way to infer one from the other without a “true match” as described below. You match with peoples picture version and text versions separately and only when both dual matches complete mutually are you truly matched. This in effect forces people to make themselves interesting enough without the crux that is photography but also presentable enough so that the natural superficial curiosities can be satisfied. Assuming no one makes it I’ll probably make it at some point. The way monetization would work is by allowing you to rank people across attributes for both the picture profile and text profile. Paying users can be given information on this. In addition paying users can be given a “second chance” where if your text profile receives a match but your picture profile doesn’t, you can ping the person anonymously in the future with a new set of pictures and speak with them again, but only after some cooldown period, say a week. Obviously I’m biased but I think what I described is the solution to the problem that is modern online dating.

StefanKarpinski 5y ago
Good idea! One problem is that some people will swipe right on everything in one or both categories. Limiting the number/fraction of right swipes might help.
- endisneigh 5y ago
  Oh yeah, the devil is definitely in the details. Ideally the matches given should be proportional to the “chances” you give. If the purpose is to create relationships then I believe people shouldn’t be able to match too many times without giving “chances”. The app could facilitate this through ice breakers or perhaps embedded small games or showing a TikTok or other short video to facilitate conversation. The problem is that modern apps make people do all the work, which is fine, but there are some who require a little push or something explicitly to discuss to get started.
efrank2 5y ago
This is really smart
issa 5y ago
I am glad I was married long before dating apps. But this is the best idea I've heard for one yet.
eloff 5y ago
That actually seems like a pretty good idea.
datingthrowway 5y ago
Didn't newspapers used to print text-only singles bios? Were they as generically sarcastic as Tinder's? "Going to the supermarket, want me to get you anything?"
- endisneigh 5y ago
  They did! And they were! You can’t stop prospective daters from being lazy, but the idea is that if that’s all someone posted for their text profile then they can’t rely on their beauty to get interest, and therefore they’ll never be matched. The main difference is expectation, mainly.
lornhelm 5y ago
I particularly like the push this idea would give users to really take some time with their writing. So many Tinder profiles are either blank or almost-blank. You're left starting or carrying on a conversation with almost nothing to go on.
tintor 5y ago
Ok, I'll embed text into my photos, and photo links into my text.
- endisneigh 5y ago
  Yeah I thought about that, since it happens on Twitter. An easy problem to solve with modern computing, though.
  - samatman 5y ago
    It's easy until you start rejecting college students for the state college name on their sweatshirts.
  - yardstick 5y ago
    Possibly. Suspect you’ll start seeing lots of pictograms. “I’m the guy with 3 ducks” and in their profile pic in the background is an image of 3 ducks. Or something like that. Could be too much effort for most to try workaround though.
- stickfigure 5y ago
  Not a real problem. If putting text in photos helped, people would already do it. Nobody cares about text. Sorry.
andrewflnr 5y ago
I've come to think that the only ethical way to fund a dating service is to make it a nonprofit with no free accounts, and mostly community-run. I can't see any other way to remove the temptation to add user-hostile [anti-]features that increase revenue.
- endisneigh 5y ago
  I agree 100%. If I were to make this it would actually be free. The paid features would exist mainly to create funding to sustain its own existence without resulting in questionable behavior. Unlike the Match Group, an endowment could be created so that it could technically exist in perpetuity. Ah I can dream right? Haha
  - andrewflnr 5y ago
    It's not at all clear that you agree with me. What's to prevent the intent of "paid features are just for sustainability" from warping over time?
    - dane-pgp 5y ago
      I can't speak for the person you asked, but if their hypothetical app were developed by a non-profit company, and the pricing was set at the minimum level to cover the server costs and maintenance staff, would that address your concerns about the intent warping over time? As long as you have trustees making decisions about staffing levels and remuneration (and they can't hire their friends or give themselves salaries), then there should be no incentive to raise the app's pricing or do anything else that would put off users. I do have a novel app monetization strategy to suggest, though, which I've not seen anywhere. Imagine that the monthly costs for the servers and staff were published, along with the number of paying customers that month. There could then be a monthly reverse-lottery where N% of free accounts are chosen at random for deletion, with N being proportional to how much financial loss the app made that month (hopefully zero). The only advantage to having a paid account would be that you are not subject to the lottery, and the only disadvantage to having your account deleted is that you have to reinstall the app and fill in your profile again. Hopefully that would provide enough incentive for people to do the right thing (combined with the fact that people should want to support the services they use, especially if they end up finding their soul mate through it).
SMAAART 5y ago
I absolutely love the idea, and that's why it's doomed to fail; I seem to have the gift of loving ideas that fail; and to dismiss stupid ideas that eventually make it huge!
MonaroVXR 5y ago
I'm not sure (obviously) about making myself interesting. Because it's difficult with what I do. But my guess... There's a disconnect between what the woman expect from me and what I do. Further more I'm either a sports guy or a nerd. Not both, because that doesn't exists in their world yet. (I have redacted a lot of things, but it's kinda difficult for me, I'm not talking about getting a match.) Hope I don't get downvoted.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- judahmeek 5y ago
  You totally deserve to get downvoted though. You seem to be claiming that most women stereotype you (& poorly at that. What is this "their world" B.S.?) & that being interested depends on your job and/or hobbies. That's bullshit. Both my job & hobbies are boring & stereotypical, but I compensate for that by being interesting in the way I communicate (like actually listening to the woman I'm speaking with) & what I choose to discuss (hint: not my job or hobbies. Probably her job and/or hobbies/interests instead).
  - MonaroVXR 5y ago
    No, not really I guess? I don't claim anything. (not that I am aware off, also I'm fine.)
vmception 5y ago
Why match with both? That still sounds deeply flawed. I would give you a pass if you said "it is a solution for an audience". Dating apps are just themed rooms, each dating app has a different theme as people run down the roulette multiple times hoping the app solves something for them that an app cannot do. Emotionally unavailable people that think they just need to outsource the size of their dating pool? No app can fix that no matter what theme they do, because the size of the dating pool or their network isn't the only issue. So, thats just an audience. Trying to match the superficial with the text. Why not just match the text and find out later. Instead of making the rejected person have a new set of pictures, a fun perk could be to show people how many 50%s they matched and rejected, and letting them revisit later or revealing who it was.
allisdust 5y ago
The interests stuff on dating apps is pure BS. People want to date attractive people. All the interests stuff is purely for marketing themselves. My comment might sound blunt but the reality of biology and how our brains are wired cannot be denied. So in your example people will game their interests till they are matched with a picture they like. As a thought exercise I wonder if there is a dating service for blind (since birth) people and how they choose their partners. Something tells me even they would go by voice rather than 'interests'.
- LorenPechtel 5y ago
  I never asked my parents and it's too late to now. I do know they were both students in the same field at the same university so I would presume they met in a classroom setting. It definitely wasn't looks that attracted her, she had no vision whatsoever.
- codeofdusk 5y ago
  Totally blind since birth. Yes, voice is definitely a big factor for me, with personality/interests a very close second!
  - allisdust 5y ago
    If you don't mind, may I ask, how you are able to keep up with a world that is increasingly addicted to visual distractions (facebook pictures, tikotok videos, instagram reels etc) and content that is moving from text to video formats. Also (and sorry for so many questions I never met anyone blind from birth), do you feel more at peace than people with vision (anecdotally)? Because people can barely sit for 15 minutes in meditation and I always wondered what would not being aware of one sense completely felt like (not losing but never having).
rradish 5y ago
This is genius. Send me an email (in bio) if you're interested in building this out together.
PhilippGille 5y ago
I had the exact same idea a couple of years ago and I still wonder why no one has built it yet (at least not that I'm aware of). I still think the idea is worth building, but it's also very easy to copy and the existing players could make it an optional mode in their apps or so and immediately have a big userbase. Would you be interested in collaborating on a proof of concept?

StefanKarpinski 5y ago

Good idea! One problem is that some people will swipe right on everything in one or both categories. Limiting the number/fraction of right swipes might help.

endisneigh 5y ago
Oh yeah, the devil is definitely in the details. Ideally the matches given should be proportional to the “chances” you give. If the purpose is to create relationships then I believe people shouldn’t be able to match too many times without giving “chances”. The app could facilitate this through ice breakers or perhaps embedded small games or showing a TikTok or other short video to facilitate conversation. The problem is that modern apps make people do all the work, which is fine, but there are some who require a little push or something explicitly to discuss to get started.

efrank2 5y ago

This is really smart

issa 5y ago

I am glad I was married long before dating apps. But this is the best idea I've heard for one yet.

eloff 5y ago

That actually seems like a pretty good idea.

datingthrowway 5y ago

Didn't newspapers used to print text-only singles bios? Were they as generically sarcastic as Tinder's? "Going to the supermarket, want me to get you anything?"

endisneigh 5y ago
They did! And they were! You can’t stop prospective daters from being lazy, but the idea is that if that’s all someone posted for their text profile then they can’t rely on their beauty to get interest, and therefore they’ll never be matched. The main difference is expectation, mainly.

lornhelm 5y ago

I particularly like the push this idea would give users to really take some time with their writing. So many Tinder profiles are either blank or almost-blank. You're left starting or carrying on a conversation with almost nothing to go on.

tintor 5y ago

Ok, I'll embed text into my photos, and photo links into my text.

endisneigh 5y ago
Yeah I thought about that, since it happens on Twitter. An easy problem to solve with modern computing, though.
- samatman 5y ago
  It's easy until you start rejecting college students for the state college name on their sweatshirts.
- yardstick 5y ago
  Possibly. Suspect you’ll start seeing lots of pictograms. “I’m the guy with 3 ducks” and in their profile pic in the background is an image of 3 ducks. Or something like that. Could be too much effort for most to try workaround though.
stickfigure 5y ago
Not a real problem. If putting text in photos helped, people would already do it. Nobody cares about text. Sorry.

andrewflnr 5y ago

I've come to think that the only ethical way to fund a dating service is to make it a nonprofit with no free accounts, and mostly community-run. I can't see any other way to remove the temptation to add user-hostile [anti-]features that increase revenue.

endisneigh 5y ago
I agree 100%. If I were to make this it would actually be free. The paid features would exist mainly to create funding to sustain its own existence without resulting in questionable behavior. Unlike the Match Group, an endowment could be created so that it could technically exist in perpetuity. Ah I can dream right? Haha
- andrewflnr 5y ago
  It's not at all clear that you agree with me. What's to prevent the intent of "paid features are just for sustainability" from warping over time?
  - dane-pgp 5y ago
    I can't speak for the person you asked, but if their hypothetical app were developed by a non-profit company, and the pricing was set at the minimum level to cover the server costs and maintenance staff, would that address your concerns about the intent warping over time? As long as you have trustees making decisions about staffing levels and remuneration (and they can't hire their friends or give themselves salaries), then there should be no incentive to raise the app's pricing or do anything else that would put off users. I do have a novel app monetization strategy to suggest, though, which I've not seen anywhere. Imagine that the monthly costs for the servers and staff were published, along with the number of paying customers that month. There could then be a monthly reverse-lottery where N% of free accounts are chosen at random for deletion, with N being proportional to how much financial loss the app made that month (hopefully zero). The only advantage to having a paid account would be that you are not subject to the lottery, and the only disadvantage to having your account deleted is that you have to reinstall the app and fill in your profile again. Hopefully that would provide enough incentive for people to do the right thing (combined with the fact that people should want to support the services they use, especially if they end up finding their soul mate through it).

SMAAART 5y ago

I absolutely love the idea, and that's why it's doomed to fail; I seem to have the gift of loving ideas that fail; and to dismiss stupid ideas that eventually make it huge!

MonaroVXR 5y ago

I'm not sure (obviously) about making myself interesting. Because it's difficult with what I do. But my guess... There's a disconnect between what the woman expect from me and what I do. Further more I'm either a sports guy or a nerd. Not both, because that doesn't exists in their world yet. (I have redacted a lot of things, but it's kinda difficult for me, I'm not talking about getting a match.) Hope I don't get downvoted.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
judahmeek 5y ago
You totally deserve to get downvoted though. You seem to be claiming that most women stereotype you (& poorly at that. What is this "their world" B.S.?) & that being interested depends on your job and/or hobbies. That's bullshit. Both my job & hobbies are boring & stereotypical, but I compensate for that by being interesting in the way I communicate (like actually listening to the woman I'm speaking with) & what I choose to discuss (hint: not my job or hobbies. Probably her job and/or hobbies/interests instead).
- MonaroVXR 5y ago
  No, not really I guess? I don't claim anything. (not that I am aware off, also I'm fine.)

vmception 5y ago

Why match with both? That still sounds deeply flawed. I would give you a pass if you said "it is a solution for an audience". Dating apps are just themed rooms, each dating app has a different theme as people run down the roulette multiple times hoping the app solves something for them that an app cannot do. Emotionally unavailable people that think they just need to outsource the size of their dating pool? No app can fix that no matter what theme they do, because the size of the dating pool or their network isn't the only issue. So, thats just an audience. Trying to match the superficial with the text. Why not just match the text and find out later. Instead of making the rejected person have a new set of pictures, a fun perk could be to show people how many 50%s they matched and rejected, and letting them revisit later or revealing who it was.

allisdust 5y ago

The interests stuff on dating apps is pure BS. People want to date attractive people. All the interests stuff is purely for marketing themselves. My comment might sound blunt but the reality of biology and how our brains are wired cannot be denied. So in your example people will game their interests till they are matched with a picture they like. As a thought exercise I wonder if there is a dating service for blind (since birth) people and how they choose their partners. Something tells me even they would go by voice rather than 'interests'.

LorenPechtel 5y ago
I never asked my parents and it's too late to now. I do know they were both students in the same field at the same university so I would presume they met in a classroom setting. It definitely wasn't looks that attracted her, she had no vision whatsoever.
codeofdusk 5y ago
Totally blind since birth. Yes, voice is definitely a big factor for me, with personality/interests a very close second!
- allisdust 5y ago
  If you don't mind, may I ask, how you are able to keep up with a world that is increasingly addicted to visual distractions (facebook pictures, tikotok videos, instagram reels etc) and content that is moving from text to video formats. Also (and sorry for so many questions I never met anyone blind from birth), do you feel more at peace than people with vision (anecdotally)? Because people can barely sit for 15 minutes in meditation and I always wondered what would not being aware of one sense completely felt like (not losing but never having).

rradish 5y ago

This is genius. Send me an email (in bio) if you're interested in building this out together.

PhilippGille 5y ago

I had the exact same idea a couple of years ago and I still wonder why no one has built it yet (at least not that I'm aware of). I still think the idea is worth building, but it's also very easy to copy and the existing players could make it an optional mode in their apps or so and immediately have a big userbase. Would you be interested in collaborating on a proof of concept?