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Hinge has "swiped left" on a culture of dating apps that they say fail to foster meaningful connections. Instead, they're doubling down on efforts to help their users find genuine relationships.
The company, once a peer of Tinder, OkCupid, and Happn, has been pursuing a new look for the past nine months. Following user surveys and various pilots, the new service launched Tuesday, introducing a "story" interface Hinge says sparks five times more conversations than in the past.
Some Millennials – the target market of the proliferation of dating apps – say they aren't actually looking for relationships, but there may be many more who are. Hinge hopes to appeal to that demographic, and possibly even change the conversation about dating apps.
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The company's reincarnation was spurred by a 2015 Vanity Fair story that came down hard on dating apps, saying they encourage a culture that has destroyed romance, dating, and relationships. The article prompted Mr. McLeod to reflect that, "When I started Hinge as the first social-media-integrated dating service in 2011, this was certainly not the world I imagined."
Can they displace eHarmony as the "seeking meaningful relationship" app?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @02:37AM
Of course, another bold course of action, is just to walk up and talk to someone who looks interesting. If, every day you see this really hot chick on your way to work as you walk from the parking lot to your office, just get there five minutes early one day, and head her off. "I see you almost every day, and I love your choice in clothes" or some such. If she doesn't shoot you down on the spot, then you can ask her to lunch, of whatever. But, stuff like that won't work for Timid Timmy.
A parking lot isn't the best place... I've had too many creepy guys follow me in parking lots and I can tell you I'm 100% closed off to any man approaching me, doubly so for one that is loitering, looking for me (happened just last week) or deliberately tries to obstruct where I'm going so I'm forced to encounter him.
And chances are, if you are on your way to work, I probably am too. And, if that's the case, my mind is already focused on work for the day and I'm not looking to get picked up. Most guys probably wouldn't mind a girl hitting on them pretty much any time, but you don't necessarily want to have someone approach you asking about the details of your prostate exam while you're eating lunch or going to the bathroom. Likewise, women have our own motivations and don't exist solely to give guys someone to hit on at their convenience. Typically, I'll even wear a bridal set to try to indicate I'm not interested, even though I'm not actually married (yes, I actually spent 4 figures just to try to dissuade guys from approaching me, knowing that any decent guy would leave me alone and any guy that still approached me doesn't respect me and could easily be shot down).
Want to approach me? Do it in a non-threatening public place (supermarket, library, etc), while my friends are around so I feel protected by the group, or build up a friendship through a mutual activity first. The guy that was loitering in the parking lot last week came up to me in the store 15 minutes earlier and finished at the checkout 5 minutes before me. He was, by coincidence, parked directly next to me on the passenger side of my car, had returned his cart to the stall as I was walking out and then just sat there in his car looking around the parking lot and at his phone for 5 minutes. I eventually approached my car from a blind spot, hiding as I loaded my groceries, put my cart away discretely, then ducked down as I hopped in and pulled away, watching my mirror the entire time to make sure he wasn't following me. His approach in the store was fine and his comments were flattering, but he's not my type (I'm a lesbian)... So, not that he had a chance, but he totally creeped me out in the parking lot, whether he was really looking for me or just playing on his phone before he took off.
Keep in mind that girls have pervy guys hitting on them, gawking, whistling, etc from a very early age... most of us keep our guard up for a reason. The less threatening you seem, particularly in your approach, and the more secure we feel in that moment, the more receptive we're going to be. The secret, is to remember, if you're the one doing the approaching, we're going to feel vulnerable, so you need to show that you're actually more vulnerable than we are. That's where confidence is important - I'm sure it's difficult to come up to me when I'm standing around with 4 of my friends (and definitely much more difficult than when it's just the two of us in a parking lot), but you're showing that 1) you're actually confident enough about yourself to do it anyway and 2) you are aware that I need to feel secure. And once again, even after you approach me and give me your contact info (don't ask for mine), leave. The longer you loiter, the more desperate you end up looking.
As the initiator, you're going to get the silent treatment more often than you're going to get a call... that's just the nature of the game. It might mean she didn't think you were interesting, it might mean she's seeing someone already, it might mean that she's too busy with other things in her life... you aren't owed anything, not even a "Sorry, I'm not interested." Don't waste time fretting about her not calling or you're wasting your time that you could be using by approaching someone else.
Sadly, posted anonymously because I've had guys on other tech sites message me when they find out someone on the internet actually is a girl, and, even better, a lesbian. Sadly, too many guys think that it's appropriate to message me, even worse, sometimes with dick pics, just because of my gender.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 18 2016, @03:03AM
I've noticed that some women (I won't say "most", and certianly not all) get really chatty in a supermarket. I've never figured that out. You have described the defensiveness of women in general around strange men. But, in a grocery store, strange women feel free to offer advice, and to just chatter away. I've never figured that out. Does a creep (or potential creep) become respectable just because he can be seen shopping for mundane items? Crazy . . . .
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @03:38AM
For some women, it's a natural desire to want to be helpful... a lot of guys can't cook and a lot of guys pretend that they don't know how to cook just so they can use that as a reason to talk to a woman they find attractive. Personally, I like cooking and don't mind offering tips, much in the same way that a computer guy might offer tips to someone browsing in an electronics store.
Plus, I'm at the grocery store at least 4 times per week (I tend to stop on my way to/from work so I can have fresh ingredients - yes, I own a business and have a fridge there so my food won't spoil if I stop on my way into work). It's like home to me - I feel a little safer there than I do someplace I don't spend much time in, clerks know me and I know them, etc. Grocery stores also tend to be pretty well lit and populated, meaning others are watching what is going on and, hopefully, looking out for me. Also, I can always ask for an escort out to my car if I'm not feeling safe.
Basically, we feel a little more protected from creeps because of the environment and a little more assured of our selves if cooking is one of our hobbies.