Posts tagged ‘Community’
A Letter to Zooskers: Introducing Couple Profiles
Shayan Zadeh, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk
Dear Zooskers
When we set out to start Zoosk in 2007, we had one goal in mind: to improve the romantic lives of people everywhere. We had big expectations, but what followed exceeded our wildest dreams. Though we’re now 5 years older and 100 million users stronger, we feel like we’ve just scratched the surface of what we originally set out to do.
For example, as someone who’s been in a committed relationship for the past few years, I’ve taken a ton of photos — of our anniversary dinners, birthday celebrations, and other special moments. Like everyone else, I sometimes posted those moments on Facebook. But those special moments always got buried among other photos and posts. I needed a special place for my girlfriend and I to post about our relationship and share with each other as well as our real-life friends. Think: a “digital scrapbook” of sorts. We asked around, and this turned out to be a major problem for a lot of people. So we set out to solve it.
Today, we’re excited to announce Couple Profiles, a new feature that allows users who are in a committed relationship to create a scrapbook of their relationship. Are you going on an anniversary dinner date with your husband tonight? Are you and your wife planning a romantic getaway? Take a photo and post it on your couple profile. These moments are timeless. Imagine going back and reviewing your Couple Profile with your significant other, 5, 10, 20 years from now, and being able to easily scroll through and cherish every moment of your romantic journey together.
Integrating people who’re in relationships into Zoosk, fits perfectly with our vision as a romantic social network. Now every user has the ability to create an Individual Profile — as well as a Couple Profile if he/she is in a relationship. As always, only your real-life friends can see your Individual or Couple Profiles (our Personals Application automatically turns off and disappears for you and your partner since you’re lucky enough to have found that special someone already).
We hope you create and share your romantic journey on Zoosk.
Thank you for reading and Happy Zoosking!
Shayan Zadeh,
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Zoosk.com
PS. If you’re in a committed relationship, you can learn more and set up your Couple Profile here.
Worth 1000 Words: Making the Most of Your Online Dating Profile Picture
Along with your profile text, your picture is, really, all you are on line. Your words are your voice and your picture gives you a face. Zoosk has policies about prohibited photos (https://www.zoosk.com/photo_guidelines.php) and we require that you have at least one photo on your profile before you interact with other members; a clear picture of just you, showing your full (or mostly) face. If you think about it, that makes sense: without a face your messages are just a voice with no body! You’re like a ghost: Spooooooky! So if you want to be not-so-creepy, you’ll want the best pictures you can get. Now, in all honesty, I am not a photographer, but from several years working online I can offer you some good advice about what is a bad photograph!
The most common problem is the blurry shot. Back in the day this was caused by poorly focused lenses and incorrect shutter speed, but no one uses such jargon when talking about digital photographs: what matters is called “resolution” or “pixels-per-inch” and when a picture gets blurry it’s called “pixelation”. Forget the lingo: what it means is that some pictures look quite nice very small but when enlarged they look horrid! Here is a sample:
Notice that the smaller version looks ok. When expanded to display size (as on your Zoosk datecard) the picture looses all clarity. This is a bad choice for any photo and our moderating team will probably delete it. The solution is to start with a larger photo:
If you have a larger photo to start with it won’t expand and so it will show in exactly the way you expect it to. A blurry pic doesn’t say anything bad. Other pictures manage to convey a message you mightn’t like however.
Don’t hide your face! This sends a message, loud and clear, to the other Zooskers looking at your profile: “I have something to hide. There’s a reason I’m too embarrassed to show off my face!” Got a girlfriend already? If you don’t want to look like some sort of creepy lurker, show your face!
One other problem affects other-wise perfectly good photos: the group shot.
Whose profile is this? Yes, you might be able to piece it together from other parts of the profile or by pairing it up with other pictures, but what if this is your only photo? We do ask that your primary photo, at least, be of you only: a clear shot of your face. Imagine going on your first date in a candle-lit restaurant, would your fellow Zoosker know you from your photo?
Of course you could edit this picture so it was only one face or the other, but then you’d have a too-small picture that would show up blurry on the site just like our first example. This is fated to be a second photo, but not a primary one.
A companion problem is pictures that are too dark. These are usually taken with your computer camera – often with a light coming from behind. This throws off what is called the “exposure” in the picture:
Natural lighting works best, but sometimes your computer may not want to travel outside! Cell phones are good if they take good photos and you can easily get the photo from your phone to the web. If you have an Android phone or an iPhone/iPad, our Zoosk Apps (available for all three) will let you take a photo and upload it directly to your Zoosk Datecard!
There are some photo problems that seem to affect some users more than others.
Guys seem to take this picture a lot, and we’ve noticed that woman just don’t like it. At all. Not one little bit. In fact, we get complaints about pictures like this and so it violates our moderation rules. We delete pictures like this whenever we see them. Why do guys take this picture over and over? This may be one of the great mysteries of the universe. This says several things to other users:
You have no friends.
You do have a very big ego.
Probably not much else, however.
You wouldn’t know how to get a woman’s attention if you tried.
Trust me: you have friends! One of them will help you take pictures! Just ask – and if you do, indeed, have the sort of body that you can show off, a picture of you relaxing by the pool on vacation is way better than inside your bathroom!
What works best for a primary photo is a nice, smiling picture; the classic head-shot. But what happens if you add a picture to your profile and instead of looking right it looks like the one below?
We’ve got you covered there! Next to each picture uploaded on your photo page, you’ll find a blue button that says “Edit”. Clicking there will help you make simple changes: you can rotate the picture and cut it to size.
There we go!
We do allow secondary photos on your profile, you can have a total of six different shots. It’s best to show your readers things you enjoy such as you skiing or you in the Community Choir, or you relaxing on the beach with a tropical beverage (preferably with lots of fruit and an umbrella).
All pictures are seen by our moderation team and in the review process they may get deleted. If a picture suddenly vanishes from your profile, it’s possible it was moderated and deleted. There are some things that we just don’t allow and you can find out about that on our photo policy page, https://www.zoosk.com/photo_guidelines.php. Those aside I hope this post helps you avoid not just “illegal” pics but also “bad” ones. Feel free to contact customer support by email (mailto:support@zoosk.com) or by phone (888-939-6675) if you have any questions.
Introducing Couple Profiles on Zoosk
Today, Zoosk is announcing the launch of our Couple Profiles to allow people in relationships to create and share their romantic journey. Now, Zoosk is the first social network to offer a dedicated place for couples to create, store and share relationship milestones and memories like anniversaries, vacations, special events and more on a joint profile with friends.
These members will be led to a new interface allowing them to create a Couple Profile without the dating functionality that is available to single members. Couple Profiles include a stream of romantic moments, photos, and an about section. We even made this video to show you how Couple Profile works – check it out and tell us what you think in our comments section!
Manners: A Refresher Course
Manners are the core principle of being a gentleman. Nowadays, they have slightly disappeared from one’s education, and the world in which we live in, slowly forgetting what people took centuries to learn.
I was brought up in a family where manners were important, without being too strict. My dad used to tell us that we were lucky, that when he was growing up, kids were not allowed to speak at the dinner table.
The manners I have been brought up with are pretty simple but, I believe, necessary – if you want to be able to fit into any social situation. The first rule is: always be mindful of others and this is the common thread of all the ‘rules’ on the list below.
If you want to make a good impression on a first date, I believe these tips are as important as brushing your teeth:
- Always hold the door for others (Not only for women).
- Let ladies go through the door first.
- Let the woman go first everywhere except up stairs.
- Keep your nostril explorations for when you are on your own.
- When invited somewhere, never come empty handed. Bring wine, chocolates or a small gift.
- Always wait for the other to be finished before talking, interrupting is rude.
At the table:
- The host has to arrange a table plan (Those things are not only for weddings !), but this doesn’t need to be too formal.
- Nobody starts eating before everyone is served (unless the host says otherwise).
- Never put elbows on the table (not too enforced anymore, but useful in presence of older and very uptight people).
- Never speak with your mouth full.
- Never chew with your mouth open, making a noise is very rude.
- Eat everything, at least a little bit even if you don’t like it.
- Never lick your knife.
- Always serve the ladies first! (This makes me crazy at a restaurant. I usually go against the waiter(ess) when they serve me first, and make sure my date has her plate in front of her first).
I might be missing out on a few, but following these principles really make a difference in everyday life. Apply these principles to your life and see how people’s perception changes! What other politeness mistakes can you think of? Let us know in the comments section.
Claude Sullivan,
Country manager, Zoosk Marketing
Claude is a traveler, surfer and eternal romantic. French Native, he loves to cook and enjoys every minute of the life on this world.
Zoosk’s 4 Million Facebook Fans!
Zoosk celebrates 4 MILLION fans on Facebook! Are you a fan of Zoosk?
For more ZooskTV, check out our YouTube page!
3+ Million Fans on Facebook!
Zoosk has over 3 MILLION FANS on Facebook! We love our Facebook fans, and we made this video to show you just how much. <3 (more…)
Congrats Tiana and Daniel from Columbus, Ohio on your Zoosk success story!
Yay for another Zoosk.com success story!
Congratulations Tiana and Daniel from Columbus, Ohio, for finding each other on Zoosk! Without further ado, behold their adorable love story, sent to us from lovely Tiana herself:
I met my dream man (and hopefully one day my husband) here on Zoosk on Christmas Eve, 2009. I had just gotten out of a 3-year relationship with my daughter’s father and decided to see what Zoosk was about! So I set up my profile and started to get winks and messages. I saw Daniel’s profile and was instantly attracted to him! He had no shirt on and was covered in tattoos (and tattoos are really hot to me)!
The only problem was that I didn’t know if he would be interested in dating a black woman with two kids, knowing that he had no kids and that I was 4 years older. But I decided to leave him a message and I told him that I thought he was hot and that I loved his ink! Well the next day, Christmas, I checked my messages and didn’t expect to hear anything from him. But there it was! A message from Daniel telling me that he thought I was a sexy chocolate mama! So that made me smile, of course.
So we started chatting on Facebook. Daniel told me wasn’t looking for a relationship at that time because he himself had also just gotten out of a three-year relationship too. Neither of us had been involved with anyone for 8 months. He was more looking for a friend and I was okay with that. Since this was over the Christmas holidays, Daniel was in Tennessee at the time visiting family, while I was in Ohio. He told me that he would be coming back to Ohio within a week. He left me his number, but I didn’t call right away. When I finally called, his voice was amazing! We talked on the phone for 2 hours that night, and the next night we talked for 4 hours!
When we finally met, over a week later, our first date was great and simple, just drinks and laughing. Our second date was two days after my 34th birthday, and Daniel showed up with a huge bouquet of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen! (more…)
Congrats to Bekki and Tom who found love on Zoosk!
Today we have a wonderful success story to share with you, from Bekki and Tom out in Michigan. They are absolutely adorable. Congrats to Bekki and Tom!
When I joined Zoosk, I was not sure what to expect. After having a few guys wink at me, and winking at some others, I came across Tom’s profile. I was quite impressed by it, and I winked at him.
We began emailing back and forth that same day!
We kept the emailing up for about a month, getting to know one another. A month after we started chatting on Zoosk, we went on our first date.
Before the end of the first date, we both knew that we had found the person we were meant to be with. Everything we both valued, and our goals lined up perfectly. We spent 4 hours just talking about life, and we felt that we had known one another forever.
Since then we have enjoyed every moment we spend together and are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives with one another. We feel as though we are in a modern day fairy tale — falling in love so quickly and being so incredibly happy. Thank you Zoosk!!!
Grins,
Bekki
What I love about this story is that Bekki was the one who made the first move. She was the one who messaged Tom first! Ladies, the guys on Zoosk love it when you make the first move. In our millennium, there’s no need to be demure as if we were in days of Queen Victoria.
Bekki and Tom were smart to get to know each other online, chatting on Zoosk for an entire month, before going on their first date. When online dating, it’s wise to really get a sense of someone before rushing to meet face-to-face. While the real test of a relationship is how well two people click in real life, it’s advisable not rush things too quickly so that when you do meet your mysterious internet friend in person, you feel safe and comfortable. Spending time to really learn about each other online also eases the awkwardness of a first meeting. Because you know more about each other, you have more things to talk about; you know the other person’s areas of interest, you have a history of communication, and you’ve already established some groundwork for interaction. If things get nerve-wracking, you can always talk about the topics you brought up online.
Congrats to Bekki and Tom for finding each other on Zoosk! We wish them all the best.
If you have your own Zoosk success story to share, send it to us with a photo of you and your loved one to success [at] zoosk [dot] com and if we showcase your story we’ll send you an online gift card as a token of our congratulations. Happy Zoosking!
For more success stories, check out:
Julia and Jaysen from Texas
LuLu and Allan from Vancouver
JD and Tammy from West Virginia
Rachel and David from Vancouver
Christy and Sean from Louisiana
Zoosk has received heart-warming letters from couples from all over the world have found love on Zoosk. We are proud to share 
