I recently found out about a company called Webscribble, which has a private-label dating site software solution called webDate. The only other major offering I’ve come across that approached the same feature set is from AE Webworks. Since I get asked about private-lable sites all the time, and being an inquisitive guy, I emailed Webscribble to find out more about the company and it’s offering for the dating industry.
ODI: General Webscribble background
Web Scribble has been in business for over four years. We initially started with some small PHP based products that we sold on our web site. Our first major product, and one of our most successful products to date, was webDate. The first version of webDate was released in 2002 and we have since been constantly adding new features and improvements to it.
ODI: WebDate, 10 versions in 2 years, a mature product?
WebDate is one of the oldest and most mature dating software packages currently on the market. Since its debut in 2002 we have released 10 versions, each having enhancements and new features. Many of the features we implement for webDate are from customers requests and we are constantly adding new features to the software. Through the years, we have made stability, scalability, and feature set our highest priority. The software has matured to a point where it is very stable, with very few bugs and problems. We strive to help our customers succeed; whether they’re looking to start a small hobby site, or run a large site with tens, or even hundreds of thousands of members, webDate was built to handle it. Many of our clients have had some huge successes with their sites, and some have been published in newspapers, radio, and even on TV shows.
ODI: How is it competing with AE Webworks?
It’s difficult to say exactly how well we are competing, since we obviously don’t have AE Webworks’ sales data. We feel that webDate is very competitive with AE Webworks in terms of features and price. We actually have many customers who have converted from aeDating to webDate. Many of those customers cited a lack of support or communication problems with overseas techs as reasons for switching. webDate’s feature list is also very comprehensive, well planned, and implemented. We do not add new features to the software just to say we have them. Instead, we carefully plan each new addition, and get customer input on anything that we might be missing.
ODI: Where are you based?
Our offices are located in upstate New York, just outside of Albany.
ODI: I didn’t know cowboydate ran on webdate. I love that site.
Yes, they are one of our clients! They’ve done a great job with their site and are a real success story. CowboyDate has been running webDate for over three years now and is one of our older clients.
ODI: How many customers, how many sites hosted?
Unfortunately, we don’t disclose that information to the public.
ODI: What about Free installation?
Our customers vary in technical ability, which is why we offer a free installation with every purchase. We will install the software on any server as long as meets the system requirements for the software. The installations take a maximum of three business days to complete after we receive the request, but we often finish them in under a day.
ODI: Custom work
We realize that many companies and individuals may need assistance in customizing their site and adding new features to make it more competitive and unique. For this reason, we make our talented programmers available for custom work. In most cases, we can provide a price quote up front so the customer has an idea of the costs involved in the customization being requested.
ODI: Why is Zend Optimizer Required?
There are two reasons we use Zend Optimizer. The first is to protect against software piracy. We had some major piracy problems with our earlier products and we made a business decision to use Zend Optimizer and implemented a licensing system to help curb piracy.
The second reason we use Zend Optimizer is to optimize certain PHP code (they don’t call it Zend Optimizer for nothing!). The code that’s encrypted is core backend code that never needs to be modified by the customer. At the same time, since it’s an important part of the system, the code benefits from being encrypted because it runs faster.
ODI: Why so inexpensive as opposed to competitors such as aewebworks?
Our pricing structure varies quite a bit from AE Webworks. Rather than forcing customers to pay a large amount up front, we let our customers purchase just what they need.
The basic software package is $199, but we also have some optional plug-ins that can be purchased. Plug-ins are enhancements to the web site that may be great additions to some site, but not to others.
For example, we have a U.S. zip code plug-in that allows members to find others a certain number of miles away from their zip code. While this is a great addition for sites targeting U.S. members, it may not be a good fit for those targeting a country with no postal codes.
What makes our pricing structure so great is that you only buy what you need. You don’t have to pay extra for features you’ll never use.
ODI: What is average ticket price $199 + ?
It’s very common for customers to purchase at least one plug-in after they purchase webDate. Plug-ins allow our customers to add enhancements to their sites and to stay on top of a highly competitive industry.
ODI: Does Userplane provides the Live video? Is this a frequent module?
No, we actually have our own live video plug-in, which is not powered by Userplane. However, we have had some customers use Userplane for live video on their sites.
ODI: What are the most common modules ordered?
We have a very diverse client base that targets different niche markets all over the globe. As a result, there is no common set of plug-ins that are purchased. I would say one of the more popular is the U.S. zip code plug-in for those targeting U.S. singles.
ODI: Future plans?
We plan to continue developing webDate and are currently working on a new version. The next version of webDate will surpass all competitors in features and usability. We are completely revamping our administrative area to make it more user friendly. We will be adding many new features including blogging support, WYSIWYG template editor, more advanced subscription support, and much more.
Thanks to Alexander at Web Scribble Solutions for the information.
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