In the Media
Here's What Media Says About OmniDate's Virtual Dating Technology:
PC World: "Perhaps the most innovative communication method is virtual dates."
Discovery Channel: "The virtual dating experience is surprisingly intimate, which helps explain the relative success of virtual dating compared with the major dating sites."
Computerworld: "Virtual dating is extremely women-friendly, especially when compared with webcams and other technologies that may pose a danger."
THE TORONTO STAR
Love, Actually: Is That Really You? Or Does It Matter? (Dec 9/10)
Toronto-based Lavalife is adding virtual dating to its site, a natural step, says Kim Hughes, the site's spokeswoman and a dating and relationship expert. "People want to the opportunity to meet someone online, before committing their time and money to an in-person date," she says. "This helps people get to know each other first, before making that commitment." With love sometimes only a click away, it is important to keep the human element of online dating alive, explains Ravit Abelman, co-founder of OmniDate, which provides a virtual-dating add-on for social networking websites.
KATU News
Is Virtual Dating Right For You? Find Out From Those Who've Tried It (Nov 20/10)
Studies show that people who go on virtual dates are more likely to have successful relationships in person. But is it right for you? Kerry Tomlinson of KATU News wanted to know what actual users thought about virtual dating and whether they would recommend it to a friend. She had several singles meet through OmniDate’s virtual dating application on TangoWire.com, a large network of popular dating sites. So what did the users think? “Yes, I would totally recommend it to a friend,” said Holly. “Absolutely - It’s a fun experience and what do you have to lose!” confirmed Sabrina.
TORONTO SUN
Dating Avatars - It's Not a Joke (Apr/10)
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Love @ Which Site? (Apr/10)
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Finding the Right Online Dating Service (Feb/10)
DISCOVERY SCIENCE
Discovery Channel's "PopSci: The Future Of..." (Sep/09)
EXAMINER
How to Find a Good Dating Website (Sep/09)
"And for those of you who would prefer to meet the guy or girl of your dreams without leaving your house, there are virtual dating sites like OmniDate.com, where you choose your own 'avatar' (an online version of yourself) and have it go on the date for you."
NY DAILY NEWS
Too Much of a Good Thing? Study Finds Online Daters Choose Wrong People Due to 'Cognitive Overload' (Jul/09)
"Yet there is hope -- at least in the online dating world. A new start-up company, called OmniDate, offers users the chance to interact with 3-D avatars in a virtual world, revealing information about themselves that may only come out through conversation. 'As people chat, their characters respond naturally, providing a realistic dating experience,' said OmniDate's president Igor Kotlyar. At least for women, the idea seems to be catching on: women currently make up 60% of the site's registration."
MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Data Overload on Dating Sites (Jul/09)
"Norton goes further, suggesting that prospective dates should not be searched for 'as though they were shoes online.' Simple demographic variables such as height and religion have poor relevance to whether a romantic pairing will be successful, he says. Better predictors of relationship success are concepts such as humor and rapport. Unfortunately, these are highly subjective--one person's joke can be another's bad taste.
A startup called Omnidate hopes to profit from technologies that help users gather and evaluate this kind of subjective information. The company's solution is an add-on for existing dating sites that allows users to interact as avatars in a 3-D virtual space. Rather than waste time with pages of matches with meaningless information, users can evaluate qualities that are only revealed during a meeting."
BLOG TALK RADIO
Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert (Jun/09)
Julie Spira, best-selling author and Cyber-Dating Expert, welcomes her guest, Ravit Abelman, co-founder of OmniDate. Would you like to know about kissing on a virtual date? Click below to listen to an abridged version of the broadcast.