Online dating can feel a bit like entering the battlefield when you’ve been out of the dating waters for a while! I work with loads of people who are really keen to get back into dating but are so put off by horror stories and feel the whole thing is a bit gnarly. I totally get it (because I’m out there dating too!) but I do think it’s a shame because it can obviously be a really great way to meet people.
The main concerns are that it can end up being a waste of time, that people aren’t who they say they are and how do you know if someone is just after a hook-up or something more long-term? There’s also the trust factor and so many questions around dating ‘etiquette’.
A lot of people think all of these things completely take the fun out of online dating!
I’m always intrigued at the weird and wonderful dating apps and sites that appear on the scene. So it was awesome to hear from Cosmo at HerSmile as this new dating site has really tried to offer a solution to the main concerns both men and women have when it comes to online dating.
A bit of background on the story of HerSmile, Cosmo was inspired by the idea when he was in his final year at University in Moscow. As he travelled up some train station escalators, he caught the eye of a woman on the opposite side. She smiled and for a brief moment there was a very real connection. But then the moment was gone, she disappeared…..and that was that.
He saw something similar with a friend who caught the attention of a woman in a bar. She smiled back and it encouraged him to go speak to her and offer to buy her a drink. The smile broke the barrier – almost like a smile of approval and it gave him the green light that she was ok with being approached by him.
So the concept of HerSmile.com was born. It doesn’t work with algorithms. Firstly, it tries to remove the stress of ‘selling yourself’. They offer fun and inspiring questions for you to answer and they write your profile based on that. This creates more honesty as opposed to profiles being too sales-y, cheesy, insincere or generic. (If you’ve been online dating for a while, you know what I mean!)
Women pay a monthly subscription (£12) letting them initiate contact with a man at any time, receive messages from men and decide whether they make contact. Men, who have no subscription buy introductions/credits.
The guy confirms his interest in a woman is genuine by using one credit to send his first, introductory message. Her ‘Smile’ lets him know the interest is mutual and he can contact her further. If she doesn’t reply, HerSmile returns his credit for him to use again in future introductions. So this means less time wasters for men (a common sticking point!) and women don’t feel hounded or overwhelmed. They feel like they have been ‘chosen’ as there’s been a bit of an investment.
If you like the sound of this, HerSmile has offered 30 of you reading this free accounts on HerSmile. To receive a complimentary account, drop an email to Ask@HerSmile.com and just type Laura. If you have a friend who might be interested, share this with them along with the code Laura to see if they can score a free account too.
(The site is available in the UK and Ireland right now. If anyone outside the UK and Ireland is interested, email Ask@HerSmile.com and let them know! When they launch in your country, you’ll get a complimentary account too)
Thanks so much HerSmile!
xx