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For online daters, finding a great match can be a challenge. After searching out and screening hundreds of profiles, they are faced with a seemingly endless flow of emails to determine if any on the short list are worth meeting. The cycle repeats itself when that first meeting doesn’t produce any spark.
The magic elixir? Harvard and MIT researchers have found that if online daters date in a virtual environment before meeting offline, they like each other more in real life and have twice the chance of taking it to a second date. And if you’ve ever engaged in the online dating process, a second date is a huge thing.
Weopia.com, the first virtual world dating environment devoted to online daters, is built from the ground up to address this problem. Weopia is an engaging virtual experience where online daters from any online dating site can select an avatar and meet privately in a multitude of engaging dating environments. Dating advice videos, conversation starters, and insightful questions aid them in getting to know each other in more meaningful ways.
The study, “PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCE GOODS: IMPROVING ONLINE DATING WITH VIRTUAL DATES,” suggests that the traditional online dating cycle is doomed to failure. Expectations are so high after the lengthy online screening process that most couples are disappointed when they finally meet. The qualities people desire most in a partner are qualities that are difficult to identify using an Internet search engine but must be experienced in a more personal interaction like virtual dating. In virtual dating, people can screen others on likeability, sense of humor and rapport rather than just the more web-searchable attributes like income, education and age.
“Being with someone in a virtual world does feel real. It goes beyond communication and into experience,” says Dave Wilkie, Weopia’s Co-Founder and CEO. “You do attach some part of your persona to the avatar and you feel the normal emotional feelings that you might in real life. And if the two of you are not clicking, end it with the click of a button.”
Weopia’s purpose is to bridge the gap between traditional online dating and the first real life date, to help the millions of singles to find love faster and with less risk by allowing them to go beyond the written word and experience each other in virtual worlds. Weopia allows users to screen more potential mates in less time while protecting anonymity and providing another step towards ensuring a safe real life date. Virtucom Inc. began development of Weopia in 2008 with a team from Canada, US, Germany, India, China and South Africa.
Media Contact:
Mark Nicholson
Vice President, Marketing
Weopia,Virtucom Inc.
204-925-4322
mnicholson@weopia.com
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