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Valentine's Day is here again, and those without a significant other or hook-up buddy might be feeling a little lonesome. Sure you can decry it a commercial venture, created to sell Hallmark cards and allow bars to hike up prices, but it would be nice to hold hands with someone.. well, wouldn't it? In light of this weird feeling of missing out, we have created a round up of ten apps for the desperate dater. OK, you do not need to be desperate or loveless to try these, but last minute fun times could be yours if you try them. What have you got to lose- is the alternative a night in watching Titanic and living a singledom cliche? The worst that can happen is you get a funny story…
Tinder
Want to gamify your dating life? Tinder allows you to do this by playing Hot or Not with people in your locality. The app works by connecting to Facebook and then gelocating you to other people who have downloaded the app. You then can opt to 'like' them or skip them, and if said person also 'likes' you, Tinder will let you chat – anonymously – via their app. There is no comeback if you hit skip as the person never finds out they were passed over, and pressing 'Like' still allows you some anonymity as only your photo is shared. It's free to use, and if you and your match decide you like each other, well you know they won't be too far away. An extra bonus is you might pick up a student as this app is exploding on college campuses.
Tawkify
Do people really talk that much anymore? It seems that all I do is text, email or Facebook with my friends and calls are limited to fifteen second sound bites – 'where are you, I'm at X bar'. Tawkify wants to bring conversation back to the dating world, and they are all about hooking you in by a lovely talk/tawk. To use the service you answer ten questions and then a real life Tawker will match you with someone they think you'll like. Once a match has been made you'll get a phone call , and you'll arrange a time for your Tawkify phone date. It will come from a private number and last exactly ten minutes- enough time hopefully to decide if you like the person, and this will be going on their conversational skills as you'll have no photos whatsoever of them.
If you like them, you can swap numbers, or you can opt to have another Tawkify phone date with them. Other options include Walkify where you meet for walk or Mystery Date where you get sent to a bar at a certain time. I like that you can be so anonymous and it's a good way to gauge if you really connect with someone with the absence of pictures.
How About We
How About We is a new take on dating apps as it offers people a way to get together and explore common interests. To use, you suggest a date that you'd like to do – examples might be bowling in Timess Square or a geek hackathon, and people who think that sounds cool then respond to you. You can also look at other people's date ideas and connect that way, and it takes the pressure off what to do on a first date. You can also browse profiles and send people messages. Sadly, only some options only available with paid membership but it is coming to Android soon! Get the iPhone app here
Slipper Fits
No, this app isn't going to invite you into a fetish Disney world of Cinderella high jinx, but it is going to allow you to learn which of your Facebook crushes might be enamored of you. Designed to be a classy alternative to Bang With Friends, it allows you to select friends who you might like to get jiggy and place them on a secret 'hotlist'. The app then sends a message to 50 of your friends- including the hot-list. The app then suggests that friends try the app, and the aim is that friends will fill in their app.. and their hot-list as well.
If you have a match, you will get an email saying you both 'hotlisted' each other, and if you don' get a match, well, they'll never know. Win, win, right? Check out Slipper Fits here
Yenta Jewish Dating App
It's hard to find a date when you're looking in a specific category, and Yenta is designed to be the JDate of the app world. Designed to help you find your beloved Jewboo, it uses GPs to locate other single Jewish folk that are close to you and it allows you to quickly assess if the match is a) suitable and b) attractive. Sure, you could go online to a more traditional site, but Yenta wants to make Jewish hookups quick and easy and let you avoid filling in those detailed profiles about what your favorite color is and if you like sunsets or not. The app is still in its infancy with only 10,000 downloads recorded in December 2012, but they score a win on the cutesy factor with questions like "What's your schtick," and "What would impress your mother?" Check out Yenta here
Christian Mingle
What's a good honest Christian to do in a world full of heathens? St Valentine is a Christian Martyr after all… Popular website Christian Mingle has a mobile version which allows you to search for your spiritual match, send messages, smiles and add people to your friend list. You can also play the Secret Admirer game and look at possible matches.
It's not just hardcore Christians who use the service, as all levels of faith are welcome, and sometimes it's great to meet people who understand your cultural background. Check out Christian Mingle here
Bang With Friends
A simple but easily executed premise to give you what you want, what you really really want. Sorry, it was way too easy to put in A Spice Girls reference there. There's something very childlike about the Facebook app Bang With Friends- despite the adult theme.
Bang With Friends basically lets you rate which of your friends you would bang, and if they return the interest (via the app) you get an alert that says they're 'Awaiting Bang', and the rest is up to you. The app even provides a helpful guide to etiquette, by including a condom pictorial. Well, you should always bang safely, right?
Check out Bang With Friends here
Grouper
First dates can be a little intimidating, and even more so if they're blind dates.. or internet dates. Grouper aims to take the stress out of meeting up by a rather unique concept. Forget one on one dating, Grouper is all about creating a group hookup dynamic, and no, I don't mean swinging. You sign onto Grouper using Facebook and choose two Facebook friends to be your plus twos to a date. Next you rate a number of questions Grouper asks you about your dating preferences (think wine bar vs. dive bar) and then you wait for a response from Grouper. Someone at Grouper HQ will select a suitable match for you, plus a meeting spot and they offer you certain time slots to choose from. Dating and GCal integration- high tech right?
It's not a free service, as you- and your friends – all have to pay $20 for the date, and this covers the sites fee and your first round of drinks. $120 seems pretty exorbitant for a round of drinks for six people, but you do get the comfort of being with your friends, and having three eligible people to choose from, instead of the one. Check out Grouper here
Singles Around Me
Singles Around Me gets the prize for being the most multi-platform app as it's available on iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. It uses your location as a starting point and then configures this to show you people in a set area – which you can choose yourself – and then you can wink at them, message them and check out their photos. You get their GPS location, and that means you know where to go if you want to meet them. Singles Around Me also has an option called 'Destination Search' which lets you scope out the singles at the club or bar of your choice, so you can decide if people there are worth the effort. It's a little creepy, but at least it's upfront about what it's offering, and if you're dateless tonight.,…Check out Singles Around Me here
LikeBright
One of the problems with dating apps is the surplus of men, I don't mean this is in a good way- there may be lots of men, but they're not always the type you'd bring home to meet Mum. LikeBright is rather unique in that it shows you potential dates who are friends of friends (via a Facebook algorithm) minimizing the potential that the person you'll meet will be a serial killer or total freak- after all if he's a friend of Jenny, he must be OK, right?
LikeBright offers the comfort that the person you'll meet has been vetted in some way by your contacts, and you can use the GPS in the app to make sure they're located near you. Try LikeBright here
10 Hookup Apps for the Desperate Dater On Valentine's Day was first posted on February 14, 2013 at 2:03 pm.
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