The social media giant began publicly testing its online dating product, simply titled “Dating,” in Colombia yesterday — and now we really don’t know what “poking” means.
The service was first announced at the annual F8 conference in May, and will likely be available in other locations in the future, but, for now, only Colombians 18 and over get access to FB friends with benefits.
Sells dates not data…
Users will create separate profiles just for the Dating service by answering a questionnaire (hmm, sounds like Tinder).
Once the profile is set, Facebook will use a unique algorithm to match you with potential dates, based on specific commonalities and mutual friends (again, Tinder).
Conclusion: It’s basically Tinder, without the swiping.
But don’t let Zuckerberg hear you say that
Back in May, the CEO took a left swipe at the OG dating app often linked to hookup culture, saying, “This is about building real, long-term relationships, not just hookups!”
There’s no denying Tinder’s reputation for attracting riffraff, but the success of its business model is no laughing matter: Its subscription revenue is slated to bring in more than $800m in 2018.
But, though a subscription seems like an obvious new revenue stream, Facebook says it has no plans of monetizing Dating with ads or premium features.