I'm a big fan of online dating. But mobile dating has always been a little daunting - I mean, most of the apps seem to provide a convenient way to hook up, but little else. As a woman, this doesn't exactly make me feel safe or comfortable. But today, a new mobile dating app is launching in the U.S. and promises to be different - and safer - for women.
Tingle is Canada’s most popular mobile-only iPhone dating app, and is now extending its service to the U.S. It comes with some interesting new features, including a Voice Chat system that allows people to talk via phone without actually exchanging phone numbers. This piqued my interest. In L.A., you can meet a lot of people but not necessarily ones you want to pursue - and what better way to screen potential suitors than with a call? (While I'm all about taking risks, I'm not inclined to hand my number out to just anyone.) And since Tingle calls work via the iPhone’s WiFi or 3G data connection conversations consume no minutes on the user’s phone plan.
A second feature that intrigued me is called "Karma" - so named for its intention to bring out better behavior in Tingle's users. Karma prevents people from setting up fake profiles and discourages them from stalking other users. Members have to earn their Karma points to reach more people and send more messages.
"Dating sites have business models and social frameworks that disappoint and drive away users, and this is a model made worse with some of the early dating apps" said Ian Andrew Bell, founder of Tingle. "So in building the next generation of online dating we designed a completely new revenue and service model that delights users and nurtures frequent and prolonged engagement."
Daters in L.A. are busy, and don't have a lot of time to sift through endless profiles. Mobile dating makes it convenient and easy - dating on demand, in a sense. Tingle's new features were designed while studying the behavior of hundreds of online dating users to provide the added safety features that women are looking for in a mobile app.
Tingle is now available on the iPhone, and may be downloaded free in the iTunes App Store or via the tingle.com website. Not an iPhone user? Versions of Tingle for iPad, BlackBerry and Android devices are in development.
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