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Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

flowmingle.com

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Re: Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

#51
post #38

A couple of points which stopped me from signing up: * Why do I have to sign up using my real name? I'm not sure I'd want that plastered all over a dating site. * As someone living in Canada, I don't have a valid ZIP code.

I was originally put off by having to use my real name at first too (especially since it doesn't say how it's used). Turns out they use your first name and last initial although I'm not sure if this is shown to other members. I believe this is what Yahoo uses also.

I can see how this could be a turn off to some people but realistically if you're serious about online dating, your profile probably needs at least one good photo to yield any worthwhile results. And they're required for this service as well.

match.com uses usernames instead of real names but I don't need to see a person's first name to recognize her from the cube down the hall.

Re: Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

#52
Nice logo.

Get rid of the b&w stock image on the homepage.

Keep wording consistent: change "Complete our simple registration" to "Complete our simple sign-up form". On the registration page, change the "register" button to "Sign Up!"

Keep your logo in the top left corner of all your pages. It's nice that it gets out of the user's way after moving off of the homepage, but it's confusing.

Use a feedback form like the one on slacker.com (i.e. omnipresent) -- you'll be much more likely to get good feedback that way.

I really like the homepage design, but the content in the center of the page should be simpler and draw in users' attention (e.g. http://pixtures.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/mingle-process.jpg). You can offer a detailed explanation of your service after the user signs up -- or on the "see how it works" page... Or even just a little lower on the homepage.

Your homepage actually convinced me to sign up, but the "On your way to the MingleWeek" page is just plain daunting. So much text. No images. No simple instructions. Too much work before I'm able to see a reward. After I confirm my email address I should be taken to a page titled "Upload Your Photo" (i.e. no "Create Some Portraits") and there should be a big "upload" button in the center of my field of vision. While the homepage is really inviting, the pages after sign-up are less than inspiring.

The "Make a First Impression" page is cool. Make it easier to submit content. Don't even bother having multiple fields under the "Music" tab (i.e. Song, Musician, Album). Keep it simple: "Song Name" is enough. People will write "Song Name - Artist Name" in a single text field if they're so inclined. I would also suggest making all of the tabs omnipresent (e.g. http://pixtures.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/getting-to-know-you.jp...).

"Terms and Conditions, coming soon!" heh :)

P.S. Try to find a way to encourage a friendly atmosphere and community. That's why people visit social websites: the community. I would invite some of my friends to your service if there was a more compelling reason than "As the FlowMingle community grows, so do the number of people you can choose from." It seems like what you're trying to do is make a site geared more towards friends casually hanging out, having fun, and getting to know each other -- and I think that's great. Formal dating is overrated.

Cool concept. Good luck.

Re: Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

#53
post #52

Nice logo. Get rid of the b&w stock image on the homepage. Keep wording consistent: change "Complete our simple registration" to "Complete our simple sign-up form". On the registration page, change the "register" button to "Sign Up!" Keep your logo in the top left corner of all your pages. It's nice that it gets out of the user's way after moving off of the homepage, but it's confusing. Use a feedback form like the o…

I really appreciate you taking the time to create/post the visuals of your ideas, and they are good ones. Many thanks!

Re: Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

#54
post #49

Tried to create a profile, but failed when I got to the picture step. In my first attempt I tried to upload a bitmap. I don't see any reason why you don't support this format. Size isn't the reason, as it's already been uploaded to your servers when you reject it. I converted the file to a tiff, uploaded it, and was stuck staring at a "Loading" screen. I tried both IE and Firefox, but never got past that point.

Thanks for pointing this out. Both TIFF and BMP should work just fine now.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Re: Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

#55
post #40

First, Good luck. There needs to be a winner in this area & I don't know of any candidates. I kind of feel that the secret sauce is something that needs to be discovered not invented. These are my thoughts (no particular order). 1. Most players are paid services. I think there is a good chance that whatever winner emerges will be a free service or at least free for 90% + of active users. The service is essentially be…

6. Let the kids show you how to do it. Maybe you should try & focus on getting dates for 14 yr olds. They might pave some sort of a path. The only problem with this idea is that it's dangerous. The reputation of the Internet is that of a haven for pedo predators...you make a dating site for 14 year olds (or even allow them on your site) and you will bring down the wrath of every Sarah Palin-loving soccer mom in Ameri…

Do you think this is a fundamental problem with letting kids date. Or is it the potential for misuse that's the problem. I was thinking more along the lines of letting kids who already know each other set each other up (have there parents set them up?).

You could even hit the whole parenting thing head on & let parents in on the action. Could be very successful in certain places. I hear China is resurrecting arranged marriages in a modern form.

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