Facebook announces new dating feature, and Match is getting clobbered

[timosman]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/01/face...ating-app.html

Facebook is launching a dating feature, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced during the keynote address at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference Tuesday.

"This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships — not just hook-ups," Zuckerberg said.

The opt-in feature will match users specifically with people they aren't already friends with. Facebook users can build a dating profile — which friends won't be able to see.

Shares of online dating company Match plunged 22 percent on the news. Its parent company IAC dropped almost 18 percent.

The dating feature is likely to be a free service, challenging services such as Match-owned Tinder, which has been rolling out premium, paid features, according to Jefferies analyst Brent Thill.

"It's the first real meaningful competitor," Thill told CNBC's "Power Lunch" following the announcement. "This is a blow to the story [for Match] in the short term."

IAC chief executive Joey Levin said Facebook's product "could be great for US/Russia relationships" but hinted the space had already been cornered.

"Come on in. The water's warm," Levin said in a statement.

Match CEO Mandy Ginsberg echoed the confidence, saying the company was "flattered" Facebook was entering the space.

"We're surprised at the timing given the amount of personal and sensitive data that comes with this territory," Ginsberg said in a statement. "Regardless, we're going to continue to delight our users through product innovation and relentless focus on relationship success. We understand this category better than anyone."

The F8 conference, often an opportunity to announce new developer tools or hardware, comes amid a broader discussion of policy and privacy for the company.

Facebook for months has been dealing with the fallout of the Cambridge Analytica data leak and questions of user privacy — a firestorm set off by reports that an app developer mishandled sensitive user information.

But Zuckerberg said during his address that the company will "keep building, even while we focus on keeping people safe."

The new dating feature links to events and groups on the larger platform, allowing users with dating profiles to connect via shared interests or commonly attended events.

"It mirrors the way people actually date, which is usually at events and institutions that they're connected to," chief product officer Chris Cox said during the F8 conference.

Users can launch text-only private messages, separate from Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

[Swordsmyth]

Because they thought people would want that data analyzed and sold?

[timosman]

Right on schedule - http://abc7news.com/society/bay-area...court/3425603/

[dannno]

Right on schedule - http://abc7news.com/society/bay-area...court/3425603/

Holy Cow

[timosman]

https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/face...-a3943826.html

Move over Tinder, forget Badoo, there’s a new dating platform in town, and this one’s from Facebook.

Named Dating, the new Facebook feature began its first public testing in Columbia, USA today, which should reveal how the service will be used by the rest of the world when it is eventually rolled out to other locations.

Will you now be swiping on Facebook? And is the platform more focused on one-time flings or relationships? How will the platform compete with other dating apps?

Here’s everything you need to know about Facebook Dating.

What is Facebook Dating?
At Facebook’s F8 developer conference earlier this year, the social network revealed it was launching a new feature aimed at dating and relationships.

Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there are 200 million people on Facebook who list themselves as single, and the new feature is a way to help them build meaningful relationships online.

You don’t need to download a separate app – the new feature is available to use inside the normal Facebook app on your mobile.

Who can use it?

Anyone who has a Facebook profile over the age of 18 can use Facebook Dating.

At the moment, the new feature is restricted to people who live in Columbia, though eventually it will be rolled out to the rest of the world.

We’re waiting to hear from Facebook when the new platform will launch in the UK.

How does it work?
If you already have a Facebook account, then Facebook Dating allows you to create a separate dating profile.

Your first name and age is pulled over from your normal Facebook account, but in Facebook Dating you get to fill out a new profile with information like height, religion, job title, interests and dating preferences.

You can also add up to nine photos of yourself or some icebreaker questions picked by Facebook, such as ‘what does the perfect day look like’?

This is a fun addition to the dating profile game: the idea is that when people match they can discuss their responses to the icebreaker questions instead of the usual, ‘Hey, what’s up?’

How does Facebook Dating match people?
Using all the information you’ve provided, Facebook’s algorithms get to work.

The platform will suggest potential matches depending on dating preferences, things people have in common, as well as mutual friends, though these will be restricted to people location less than 100 kilometres away from you.

You can choose to only match with people who live nearby, have children, or fit into a specific age bracket if that’s what you’re looking for.

You will also be able to discover potential matches with similar interests through things like Facebook Groups and Events. Say you attended a gig last week and want to see who was on the guest list and if any of them are on Facebook Dating. You have to “unlock” the event to find a potential match there.

Can you swipe yes or no on Facebook Dating?
There is no swiping in Facebook Dating. Instead, you can click “Not interested” when looking at potential matches on the app.

According to Zuckerberg, this is because the new dating platform is about: "building real, long-term relationships, not just hook-ups.”

How is Facebook Dating separate to Facebook?
Facebook has appeared to separate out the Facebook Dating features to keep it separate from your normal profile.

Importantly, you won’t see anyone you’re already friends with on Facebook or people you have blocked, when matches are served up.

If you’re nervous about your other Facebook friends seeing your new dating profile don’t worry; Facebook says everything you do within the dating feature will not be shown to your friends.

As well, any messages you send and receive will be kept in a separate inbox, away from Facebook Messenger.

Once you match with someone and want to start chatting to them, you have to give them your phone number or switch to a different app if you want to swap things like photos or news articles. Facebook says this is for security reasons.

Will Facebook Dating be a success?
It’s interesting that after all this time, Facebook has decided that it wants to get into the dating games.

Things like not having to download a separate app, as well as the events and groups links should help it, as well as simply being made by Facebook give it a good head start.

But there are so many different dating apps now - the most recent one being Lumen, the first dating app exclusively for over-50s. Will Facebook Dating be good enough to compete with such platforms? We’ll have to wait for its official launch to find out.

[tod evans]

100 kilometres

$#@!in' foreigners....

[timosman]

https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/09/facebook-dating/

September 5, 2019



By Nathan Sharp, Product Manager, Facebook Dating

Facebook Dating makes it easier to find love through what you like — helping you start meaningful relationships through things you have in common, like interests, events and groups. It takes the work out of creating a dating profile and gives you a more authentic look at who someone is.

Today, we’re launching Facebook Dating in the US. We’re also giving people the ability to integrate their Instagram posts directly into their Facebook Dating profile and giving people the ability to add Instagram followers to their Secret Crush lists, in addition to Facebook friends. By the end of the year, we’ll make it possible to add Facebook and Instagram Stories to your Dating profile too.

Finding a romantic partner is deeply personal, which is why we built Dating to be safe, inclusive and opt-in. Safety, security and privacy are at the forefront of this product. We worked with experts in these areas to build protections into Facebook Dating from the start, including the ability to report and block anyone; prohibiting people from sending photos, links, payments or videos in messages; and by providing easy access to safety tips. These features and others give you more control and peace of mind. Learn more about privacy and Facebook Dating here.

How It Works
Starting today, you can choose to opt into Facebook Dating and create a Dating profile (separate from your main profile) if you’re 18 years or older and have downloaded the most recent version of Facebook. You will be suggested to others who have also opted in. People are suggested based on your preferences, interests and other things you do on Facebook. Facebook Dating isn’t about swiping or having to wait for someone to like you to get a first chance at reaching out. If you are interested in someone, you can comment directly on their profile or tap on the Like button to let them know. If you aren’t interested, you can pass on them. Facebook Dating allows you to match with friends of friends and/or people not in your friend circle. Facebook Dating won’t match you with friends, unless you choose to use Secret Crush and you both add each other to your list. All of your Dating activity will stay in Facebook Dating. It won’t be shared to the rest of Facebook.

Key Features
People will soon be able to connect and share with Facebook and Instagram Stories. Today people are asked to make a decision as to whether or not they like someone immediately based on a static profile. To help you show, rather than tell, who you are, we’re bringing Stories to Dating. This format lets you be authentic in a way that a typical dating profile can’t, and it helps you get to know someone before and after you match.



Secret Crush lets you match with people you already know on Facebook and/or Instagram. By default, Facebook Dating won’t match you with your Facebook Friends, but people told us they were interested in exploring potential romantic relationships within their extended circles, like their Facebook friend list and Instagram followers. Our popular Secret Crush feature gives you the option to do just that. If you choose to use Secret Crush, you can select up to nine of your Facebook friends or Instagram followers who you’re interested in. (To add Instagram followers you must connect your Instagram account to Facebook Dating.) If your crush has opted into Facebook Dating, they’ll get a notification saying that someone has a crush on them. If your crush adds you to their Secret Crush list too, it’s a match! If your crush isn’t on Dating, doesn’t create a Secret Crush list, or doesn’t put you on their list — then no one will know that you’ve entered their name.




...

[Swordsmyth]

How long until we find out Zuck is manipulating things to engage in selective breeding experiments?