Just when you thought the world of dating couldn’t get any more technologically advanced, along comes mobile dating.
Online dating brought people together easier than ever before, with those looking for love choosing the Internet rather than the corner bar as their preferred source of potential love matches.
Speed dating sped up the process of meeting others. And now, as if custom-designed for today’s mobile society, there is a new way to find love and all you need is a cell phone, PDA, or other mobile device and an account with a mobile service provider!
Mobile dating has not only helped individuals in their pursuit of love, it is breathing new life into the consumer market for mobile services and products. The concept has taken off in Japan where the popularity of mobile dating has surpassed that of online dating.
The technology is definitely spreading quickly and consumers are fueling these advances, gobbling up each new wireless feature as soon as it hits the market. And 3G video technology promises to connect people like never before.
In fact, one of the more established online dating services has taken the leap into this new dating technology and so far it is being well-received.
What is making this technology so enticing is the ability to find others within a certain geographical location since one of the ways matches are made is by using zip codes.
While each of the mobile dating agencies operates a bit differently, they’re all pretty easy to use. Generally, all you need to subscribe is an email address and an image of yourself, either a video or a photo.
Once you have successfully subscribed, you create a profile that tells others about who you are and what you are looking for in a partner (as you would if you were involved with online dating). You then sit back and wait for the mobile dating agency to find suitable matches. As matches are located, you are notified via a text message.
From there, you initiate correspondence using all of the mobile device’s text messaging features. Once you send a text message, replies to your messages appear in your Inbox. Sending photos or live videos of yourself is a simple matter of using the capabilities that are built right into your device.
One of the biggest benefits of mobile dating over online dating is convenience. You can ‘date’ anytime the mood hits. All you have to do is grab your mobile device, login and start flirting with your matches until your fingers get tired! It doesn’t matter where you are as long as you’re connected to your mobile service.
One disadvantage is that costs for this type of service could easily spiral out of control. Subscribers select a usage plan when they join and anything beyond what’s covered in the plan will be billed as an additional charge.
Another big disadvantage is figuring out what the oftentimes cryptic text messaging language really means. This can be frustrating, but as always, the more you practice, the better you get at it!