Browsing PlentyOfFish, I came across a new link:
New Search –> Users who haven’t gotten an email in over 24 hours sorted by last online.
What a great idea. I’ve built out email communications campaigns for clients and have pushed for this type of functionality, but rarely see this type of messaging customization implemented.
Many sites are spending their precious resources implementing features that have far less impact that simple things like noticing how a member is using the site.
One of the first things I ask new clients is to see a list of variables representing all of the information they gather about people and how they use the site. From there, it’s often straightforward to create queries like “received no email in 24 hours”, or “emails too much”, or “adds a lot of people to Favorites list but doesn’t email them.”
People need help using dating sites, and short of a virtual concierge (another one of my favorite yet-to-be-implemented features), mining dating site databases for information which can be used to enhance the experience of your members remains an afterthought for the majority of dating site operators. Why more sites don’t do this is beyond me.
While talking to a client last week I mentioned that I have never met a woman on Match that was aware of the anonymous calling feature found on every single profile on the service. Is it an implementation problem, awareness issue or do people in general not really care about giving out their phone number online?
Or does Match simply need to do a better job communicating with members?
People want to feel a connection with the sites they are on. Showing members a little love by means of customized messaging based on how they use (or fail to use) dating sites can go a long way, so why not give it a shot?
I’m more than happy to work with your dating site if you want to explore ways to make a deeper connection with your members. Contact me to discuss.
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That search functionality has actully been around for quite some time. While it does allow users to more easily sift through profiles of those who are probably more likely to read incoming messages (by virtue of their apparant lack of popularity), one should consider the flipside. Should a user’s lacklustre activity be made so transparent to others? It may be argued that the search highlights the “reject list” whom others may be dissuaded to contact. People are trend-conscious creatures, and deeper insight of this sort into a particular user’s demand may negatively skew one’s inclination to send messages; seeds of doubt are planted (e.g. “no one’s messaging them; what’s wrong with him/her?”)
Consideration should also be given to privacy concerns in this regard; given the above rationale, many may choose to opt of sharing profile trends of this nature.
Good point. That’s why I like the 24 hour time period. Not long enough to be considered a negative, I can see 72 hours being a good limit as well.
People absolutely *should* opt-in to the profile sharing trends that ensure they get the most out of a dating site.
The problem with Facebook, for example, is that you don’t really know what level of privacy you have on your profile unless you dig into too many options, sliders and checkboxes.
A simple way to give members the ability to expose as much information as they are comfortable with on dating sites is long overdue.