Online Dating Sucks
What we are doing to fix it
Recently @ericsantos89 posted an article on Why Online Dating Is Broken.
I can relate to a lot of what Eric says in his article. I am an engineer working in the Silicon Valley. I’ve lived in 2 countries in my 20s and have met a variety of women through my social circles — with varying degrees of success. As a single professional in the tech industry with a busy work life, it made sense to meet women online via eHarmony and Tinder.
Here’s what I found frustrating with online dating as it exists right now.
Online dating is, well, online!
Tinder is free and was easy to use. After a few (several ?) right-swipes, I matched with some women and started texting them. It was great to meet women right from my couch. Waiting a day for a reply wasn’t as great. I’m generally sarcastic and funny but I can come off as being rude over text. Planning a date and meeting someone I right-swiped 3 weeks ago started to get exhausting.
All the browsing and swiping started to make dating feel like a chore. It wasn’t spontaneous and fun any more. It required a lot of texting and planning before getting to meet someone.
As much as technology helps us everyday, I believe it’s a supplement to human connection. No matter how detailed your online profile is, or the great pictures you post to portray the “real you”, it is impossible to replace a real conversation.
I wanted an alternative that would make meeting people fun again. I didn’t find one, so I built Roundhop along with my friend, @darthaditya. (My experience as a web developer finally paid off)
Fixing it
1 hour. 10 people. 5 minutes each. Sound familiar? That’s because it is. Speed dating has several advantages over regular dating and online dating:
a) You meet a lot of people in very little time.
b) Everyone who is there is looking for a serious relationship.
c) There is no pressure to ask for phone numbers.
d) It’s a safe environment to have natural conversations.
e) Pay as you go. No subscription, no commitment.
Face to Face Conversations
I think you’d agree that a real conversation with someone is much more meaningful than texting. It’s easier to convey your tone and intent and people get your jokes right away. There is no autocorrect to screw with you.
80% of all people we asked say that having a face to face conversation with someone, even if only for a few minutes, is a much better way to determine long term compatibility than looking up their profile.
Roundhop lets you do exactly that. Meet 10 people in under an hour for 5 minute conversations each.
What’s more, you can meet people using your laptop, right from home. Your conversations are natural and there is no pressure to ask for phone numbers. If you like someone you meet, give them a thumbs-up. If they “like” you back, we’ll send you both each other’s contact info to continue your journey. It’s that simple!
Nothing Fake About It
Is the person you’re talking to seem too good to be real? Nope. They are exactly as good as they seem. No fake profiles, no bullshit.
You can be honest about yourself and you get the same thing back. That is inarguably the most solid foundation for a great relationship.
That first dinner date doesn’t seem so awkward now, does it?
Save Time
One of the basic issues with text based dating sites (which is pretty much all of them), is the time you take to meet someone face to face. Typically that can range between 17–24 days. Some apps make you fill out questionnaires that can take hours to complete. And then you spend hours just looking at profiles.
With Roundhop, you meet 10 people in one hour. It’s that simple!
Cost
Speed dating events can cost anywhere between $25 and $60 depending on where you live and where the event is hosted. If it’s at a restaurant you pay extra for food.
Online dating sites typically charge you between $30 and $60 per month for their monthly subscription plans.
We charge you $1 for meeting 1 person for 5 minutes. That’s it.
More good news: right now we are in beta, and we give you enough credits to join 3 events for free.
If you want to join more events, show us some love on social media or refer your friends to us and get instant credits!
Safety
You are at home. It can’t get any safer than that.
We also give you complete control when you chat with someone. Don’t like the way someone is behaving during your chat? Shut them down instantly by reporting them to us.
We are also building native iOS and Android apps so that you can meet people on the go!
Find out more about us at roundhop.com
If you like what we are doing, support us by tweeting to us @roundhop and liking our Facebook page at https://facebook.com/roundhop
