Findings: Women Prefer Virtual Dating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 17, 2009 -- Findings: Women Prefer Virtual Dating
Toronto, Canada – As the Valentine’s Day approaches, single women may be pleased to discover a new women-friendly way to date online: Virtual Dating.

The data presented at the iDate 2009 conference by Dr. Igor Kotlyar and Ravit Abelman, co-founders of OmniDate, demonstrate that ‘virtual dating’ has a strong appeal among women users. iDate is the largest annual conference for the Online Dating and Social Networking Industries. OmniDate has been collecting data on usage patterns since launching its browser-based virtual dating application last year.

Virtual dating generates substantially higher registrations by women;

Women are 42% more likely to invite someone on a virtual date than to initiate another type of digital communication;

Women are nearly 3 times more likely to reciprocate an invitation to a virtual date than respond to other forms of digital messages.

“The fact that women are using virtual dating to initiating contact demonstrates that they are very comfortable with this approach to dating,” says Ms. Ravit Abelman. “Women feel safe using virtual dating as the first step in getting to know the person behind the profile and developing a real-life relationship.”
Virtual dating allows singles to get acquainted with each other in a virtual environment (e.g., a virtual cafe) before meeting in person. People interact through photo-realistic 3D characters (avatars), which respond naturally to the typed text and provide a realistic dating experience. An average virtual date lasts approximately half hour, and many last an hour and two.

The results presented by OmniDate are consistent with earlier research, which showed that virtual dating facilitates more disclosure and greater liking of each other. For example, in a study recently published in the Journal of Interactive Marketing, researchers from M.I.T. and Harvard University found that virtual dating results in more successful face-to-face dates.
Even since ‘virtual dating’ was proclaimed by Scientific American as “the next step in online dating” two years ago, this new approach to online dating is being watched closely by the online dating industry. According to Mark Brooks, Editor of Online Personal Watch and a highly respected dating industry consultant, “Virtual dating environments are the way of the future.” The industry is committed to developing women-friendly products, and this year’s iDate conference heavily focused on strategies for improving experience for women dating online.
About OmniDate

OmniDate’s plug and play technology transforms any traditional dating site into a 3D Virtual Dating experience. OmniDate’s virtual dating application helps singles get to know each other in a fun and safe online environment before meeting in person.
http://www.omnidate.com

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