AOL is getting ready to launch a new instant-message-centric dating service, Love.com. While there’s currently no shortage of online dating sites, and even some that have limited integration with IM technology, this is (as far as I know) the first one to explicitly put IM at the center of the matching experience.
Of course, it’s in AOL’s interest to do that, since they have by far the most popular IM service out there. The question is, is it in the user’s interest? Does this offer an experience that they couldn’t get via e-mail? And are there ancillary issues inherent to IM that you wouldn’t get with e-mail (like, say, getting harassed and interrupted at work)? I’m sure they’ve done at least some cursory thinking around this, but we’ll have to wait for the market to speak to see if this is the next “killer app” for IM. [Seen on Many-to-Many]
Posted by Jason Lefkowitz at December 11, 2003Ant's Eye View is edited by Jason Lefkowitz, a consultant and Web developer in Alexandria, Virginia. Got a question, comment, or concern? Let me hear it!
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