I use the Clear app on my phone to store quick one line ideas that pop into my head all the time. I’m going to start taking some of the best ones and fleshing them out a bit on here. Some of these I might try to build, but most of them I probably won’t, so if you see an idea that you like (either this one or in the future) feel free to take it and run with it. I would love a mention if you use it, but I don’t expect it or any other form of compensation. After all, ideas are nothing without execution.
Every couple months, I get Tinder and use it for a day or two before giving up on it. I always get a few matches, but to be honest, I’m never too excited. As I swipe through girl after girl, I keep thinking, “Eh, she’s cute. Eh, she’s not.” I get a few matches and I can’t really get excited about talking to them. I guess that’s the problem is that I just don’t care.
I think this could be solved with a dating app that focuses on videos. Users could submit a 1-2 minute video that shows a bit about who they are and what makes them special.
A video based dating app would solve several of the negative aspects of Tinder:
- Catfishing would be less of a problem because it’s a lot harder for spammers to generate a full video than it would be for them to grab a couple photos and a name.
- Though you would still be able to see what the person looks like and gauge physical attractiveness, there would be a much greater focus on personality. I don’t really read through Tinder bios unless there’s already a match, but if I’m watching a video that would change.
- Meeting someone in real life wouldn’t be as weird. You will already be comfortable with their voice and possibly some mannerisms.
- Misleading photos will be less prevalent. I’ve met several girls from Tinder who looked very little like their photos. With video it’s a lot harder to be misleading.
There are a few issues that the creator of an app would need to solve:
- It’s still difficult for the average person to create quality video content.
- Privacy issues surrounding video?
- Storage and bandwidth costs would be higher than a traditional site, plus data costs for the end user means they will probably only use it on Wifi networks
I think something like this could really take off though. I might consider working on this one myself, but we’ll see.