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I don't think dating apps are going to get much better than they are. To me, trying to make a dating app that solves the problems this article and others talk a

I don't think dating apps are going to get much better than they are. To me, trying to make a dating app that solves the problems this article and others talk about is a "cursed problem". I heard an interview from a dating app founder a while ago where she had a quote that I'll try to paraphrase: "We're creating an (app|business) where only dissatisfied customers remain and satisfied customers never return." Obviously dating apps exist and are successful and not everyone who's using a dating app is looking for a long term relationship, but the sentiment remains.

gampleman 2y ago
If you were running a dating app in a more traditional society the obvious solution would be to charge a substantial fee at the wedding if both newly weds were members of the app say in the past 5 years. How you would achieve a similar pricing structure in our society I have no idea.
smelendez 2y ago
It could work tied to some other service although it’s not clear to me what that would be at the moment. Newspapers used to run personal ads, and Craigslist even ran them for free. It wouldn’t surprise me if they actually benefitted from people matching, because you’d be predisposed to buy or at least respond to classified ads for other purposes in the future. Facebook tried and I think still has a dating feature. I’ve only ever encountered one person who was using it, and his match appeared to me and the guy’s friends to be a scammer who was likely to hit him up for money. If they had launched it before they were so widely distrusted and lost the young audience, it might have worked, and they obviously don’t need it to be profitable on its own, just to give you another incentive to visit Facebook and see ads. Yelp, Foursquare, or last.fm probably could have offered an opt-in dating feature a decade ago and done well (by the metrics of the day). Letterboxd or a Goodreads-style service could try it, but it seems more risky: I could see people no longer using the service for its original purpose once they matched, because it would feel like updating your dating profile while in a relationship.

gampleman 2y ago

If you were running a dating app in a more traditional society the obvious solution would be to charge a substantial fee at the wedding if both newly weds were members of the app say in the past 5 years. How you would achieve a similar pricing structure in our society I have no idea.

smelendez 2y ago

It could work tied to some other service although it’s not clear to me what that would be at the moment. Newspapers used to run personal ads, and Craigslist even ran them for free. It wouldn’t surprise me if they actually benefitted from people matching, because you’d be predisposed to buy or at least respond to classified ads for other purposes in the future. Facebook tried and I think still has a dating feature. I’ve only ever encountered one person who was using it, and his match appeared to me and the guy’s friends to be a scammer who was likely to hit him up for money. If they had launched it before they were so widely distrusted and lost the young audience, it might have worked, and they obviously don’t need it to be profitable on its own, just to give you another incentive to visit Facebook and see ads. Yelp, Foursquare, or last.fm probably could have offered an opt-in dating feature a decade ago and done well (by the metrics of the day). Letterboxd or a Goodreads-style service could try it, but it seems more risky: I could see people no longer using the service for its original purpose once they matched, because it would feel like updating your dating profile while in a relationship.