Author Archives: Audrey

Breaking the Ice with a Virtual Gift

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The get-to-know-you conversation. It’s a time honored ritual for singles whether you meet someone online or offline.

Of course, we all look for unique and memorable ways to “break the ice,” to stand out from the crowd, and to let our personalities shine through with the hope that we’ll receive a positive response from a potential date. Fortunately, social dating gives you many unique opportunities to connect with other singles in a fun way.

Earlier this month, we conducted a survey among one thousand Zooskers to learn more about your thoughts on virtual gifts – those tokens of interest or affection that can say a lot more than simply sending a digital wink.

Here’s what you told us when it comes to virtual gift giving:

How sweet is a digital rose? Pretty sweet, Zooskers said.

  • 76% of you said you would be more likely to respond to a potential match if you received a virtual gift from that person

Talk about missed opportunities!

  • Only 15% of you said you have ever sent someone a virtual gift

71% of you said the virtual gifts you send are a reflection of your personality. And the survey said…

  • 37% of you send “traditional” virtual gifts, such as digital flowers or a box of chocolates
  • 27% of you show off your “wild side” by selecting virtual gifts like a martini or a strawberry dripped in chocolate
  • 23% of you send “warm and fuzzy” virtual gifts like a teddy bear
  • 13% of you prefer to send seasonal gifts

Now that we know how much you love receiving gifts, we have decided make it super easy to send them. You might have already noticed that we changed the Date Card view a little bit to make gifting more obvious. Simply click on the new ‘Gift’ button, click on a gift you like and hit ‘Send’. It’s that easy.

Sending a Gift

What are your thoughts and experiences with virtual gift giving? If you’ve sent or received gifts, we’d love to hear your stories. If you haven’t sent virtual gifts before….well, clearly you should consider it!

Zoosk Wedding Bells in the Land Down Under

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Once again, thank you to all the Zooskers who submitted stories in June about meeting someone special. We love hearing about dating experiences from Zooskers around the world, and this month the story that caught our eye is from Lauren, in Australia.

“Adam and I met through Zoosk in February last year. We were both using Zoosk to meet new people, so when Adam asked me to meet up for a drink I didn’t think much of it. We went out to dinner and then headed down to the beach. I don’t know whether I actually really left his house after that night! We were married on the beach several months later. We are certainly grateful to Zoosk, not only for bringing us together, but for the many other wonderful people we met along the way.”

Congratulations, Lauren! We wish you and Adam all the best.

Do you have a Zoosk story to share? If you’ve met someone special – a fun date, a significant other, or a life partner – through Zoosk, drop us a line at success@zoosk.com. We’ll select one story from those submitted in July to feature right here. And if your story is selected, we’ll send you a $100 Amazon.com gift card.

Does your Date Card need some help? Be sure to check out our post with a few tips for creating a Date Card that doesn’t suck.

Happy Zoosking!

How to Create a Date Card That Doesn’t Suck

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Yes, that’s right. Your Date Card is the first impression you make on a potential match, so it’s important to get it right.

Below are a few tips to help make sure your online dating profile is really working for you. If you’re looking for more ideas, or would like some feedback on your Date Card, visit the Zoosk community.

1. Don’t just tell; show what you are all about. Instead of telling what kind of person you are, let your personality reveal itself.  List your favorite songs instead of saying something like “I like alternative rock.”  Better yet, link your Netflix or Last.fm accounts to your Zoosk Date Card so prospective dates can see the movie titles and songs you enjoy.

2. Use spell check! Don’t type lyk u spended teh laste 10 yeers uv ur lyfe doin IM.  Your computer has spell check. Use it.  A sloppy profile reflects poorly on you as a person.  It implies that you don’t care or are not putting much effort into finding a date.  We know that is not true, because why else would you be Zoosking?

3.  Keep your profile updated. You have created a profile and uploaded a picture, but don’t stop there. On a weekly basis, make updates to your profile.  Add new pictures and new information about your interests. By sharing that you enjoy hiking and would like to hike Mountain XYZ near you, you may grab the attention of a compatible match who’d love to spend that experience together with you on a first date.

4.  Involve your friends. Before you develop your profile, send an email to your friends and ask them for three things about you that you should include.  You may be surprised at the results.  For example, your friends may think that you have a generous personality, but perhaps you never thought of yourself that way.  Invite your friends to play the role of online wing man (or woman) by inviting them to add a testimonial about you to your Zoosk Date Card.

5.  Outsmart the computer. Computers can find potential matches for you based on data like height or location, but here’s the reality – humans like anecdotes. Zoosk allows you to include information on your profile that tells the story about you.  You can include information such as: What would be your ideal vacation? When you eat out, what do you like to eat? What was your best job ever and why? Share those kinds of details about yourself and your chances for finding a compatible date will increase exponentially.

Do you have a good Date Card tip to share? Head to the Zoosk community and share it with your fellow Zooskers, or leave us a comment below.

Happy Zoosking!

Love Sets Sail

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Summer is almost here, and your Zoosk stories certainly heated up in May!

We heard about some incredible first dates among Zooskers. Patricia wowed us with her story of a day-long date that started over breakfast and wrapped up with a dinner cruise on the Chesapeake!

“I never thought that things like this actually happened, but I met someone through Zoosk in May.  We flirted back and forth, exchanged e-mails, and then he asked me out.  He sent me his phone number, and we began talking.  I’m so glad that I said yes because he is a very nice guy.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the time that we have spent together. Our first date lasted a whole day!  He showed up with a dozen roses (my favorite flower and he even had my favorite color).  We started by having breakfast and the conversation was so enjoyable he suggested that we go to Baltimore.  We spent the afternoon at the National Aquarium and then went on a three hour dinner cruise.  The most romantic part of the cruise was being in his arms on the deck staring into each other’s eyes and sharing romantic kisses as if we were the only people on the ship!  He is an intelligent, romantic, genuinely nice guy that I’m delighted to be able to say I have a relationship with.  Thanks Zoosk!”

We wish you and your new guy continued happiness, Patricia.

Do you have a Zoosk story to share? If you’ve met someone special – a fun date, a significant other, or a life partner – through Zoosk, drop us a line at success@zoosk.com. We’ll select one story from those submitted in June to feature right here. And if your story is selected, we’ll send you a $100 Amazon.com gift card.

Happy Zoosking!

Your Zoosk Stories: On Life & Love…

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Your Zoosk story submissions are in for our April blog feature, and boy did a lot of you have stories to share this month!

We had great fun here at Zoosk HQ reading stories sent in from Zooskers around the world who are finding dates, relationships and love through the Zoosk community. Thank you for sharing your stories with us!

This month, a story from Sarah in the UK stood out to us. Without further adieu, here it is:

“I would like to tell you about the amazing relationship Zoosk helped me find. I met a guy on Zoosk in December 2007 and we chatted online for a few months before meeting in-person. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was worth the wait. He made me laugh so much and we had a great time. Although all good things come to an end and unfortunately our relationship did, I’m still so glad I met him because he changed my outlook on life and love. So thank you, Zoosk. I owe you big time for bringing this man into my life. I’m still looking for my prince charming on your application.” – Sarah

Sarah, we hope you find your prince charming on Zoosk, too!

Do you have a Zoosk story to share? If you’ve met someone special – a fun date, a significant other, or a life partner – through Zoosk, drop us a line at success@zoosk.com. We’ll select one story from those submitted in May to feature right here. And if your story is selected, we’ll send you a $100 VISA or Amazon.com gift card (your choice).

Happy Zoosking!

Love Is In the Air…Zoosker Success Stories!

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Success Story Sky Writing Heart

We were thrilled to read through the stories you sent us for our new monthly blog feature…featuring your real-life success stories made possible through Zoosk.

We promised you we would select one of your stories every month to feature right here on our blog. So here it is. Kelly and Andy’s story was pretty special, in our opinion, and a congratulations is in order for their upcoming wedding!

I met Andy last January via the Zoosk application on Facebook. We arranged to meet up on February 9, 2008. Neither of us viewed it as a “date” since neither of us were particularly attracted to the other’s profile (though neither of us would admit it). However, within 15 minutes of our first meeting, it was clear that it was very much a date. Andy proposed several months later and we’re getting married in August 2009. Thank you Zoosk – you definitely worked for us!” – Kelly

Congratulations, Andy and Kelly!

Do you have a Zoosk story to share? If you’ve met someone special – a fun date, a significant other, or a life partner – through Zoosk, drop us a line at success@zoosk.com. We’ll select one story from those submitted in April to feature right here. And if your story is selected, we’ll send you a $100 VISA or Amazon.com gift card (your choice).

Happy Zoosking!

Zooskers, We Want To Hear Your Stories

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One of the most rewarding parts of working at Zoosk is receiving emails from you, our users, when you have met someone special – a fun date, a significant other, or a life partner – by using Zoosk. Your stories make us smile, laugh, and yes, we’ve even gotten a little misty eyed with happiness at times. But recently your incredible stories got us thinking. When you’ve met someone, don’t you want to shout it from the rooftops? We know we do!

We’re kicking off a new monthly feature on our blog to help you share your real-life Zoosk stories. Your stories, right here for the world to read.

Email us your story at success@zoosk.com. Entries will close on the last day of every month, and we’ll select one story to feature right here. If it’s your story, we’ll help fund your next date by sending you a $100 USD Visa gift card.

Happy Zoosking!