Any time you try to bridge the real world and the Internet, it’s going to be tough work. When you mix in a questionable business idea and a really poorly designed site, you’re probably heading for the Deadpool.
Enter UK based First Move, which just emailed us. It’s a dating site where you create a private profile. You then buy black or hot pink credit-card type cards that have your First Move user code on them - they cost about $2 each. When you see someone you want to date in the real world, you hand the a card and hope they log in, view your profile and contact you. “You Caught My Eye!” is printed on the back of each card.
If someone has the guts to approach a person they are attracted to but can only muster up the courage to shove a plastic card in their hand and then run away, they should probably stick to purely virtual meetups where they can be more comfortable before meeting in person. Also, the fact that users have to make a minimum up front payment of $50 to get started with the service is a hurdle so large that I expect very few users to actually try it out.
First Move is only superficially a web startup, and anyone who has even a basic understanding of social networking and online dating knows this won’t work. Compare it, for example, with German based Aka-Aki, a mobile service we covered last week that broadcasts information about yourself (picture, dating status, etc.) to the mobile phones of other users around you via bluetooth. The site is three weeks old but has thousands of users in the Berlin area. What would you rather do, hand out plastic cards to people you want to date, or look down at your mobile phone and see a picture of everyone around you that wants you to know they are single?
i read about this site on another site; it’s a rather ridiculous idea.
ughh…won’t your number on a napkin, or simply giving the prospect your business card have the same effect - not to mention being it free?
Pretty much all dating services are run by marketing schmucks who want faces on their site and don’t give a shit beyond that. For those who haven’t tried the waters here how it typically works (except on the few free sites):
Create a profile. Get hit up for money after you’ve wasted some time building said profile. Pay the money so you can send messages. Write people. Don’t get many responses. Check into why. FAQ says to write better, more personalized introduction emails (i.e. you suck).
Now, when you think about it you realize you aren’t getting responses because the people you wrote to didn’t pay up. The FAQ misleads you into working for the dating site and enticing their unpaid members into paying so they can respond. So I pay you to work for you. Yeah, right.
I’m sitting here trying to find a situation where these cards are useful. Plenty of ideas for practical jokes. Maybe loud clubs. But, like you said, if I already have the face why play with lameness. You can make much cooler (personalized) ones yourself at home (blank inkjet biz cards). Maybe if theirs were printed on shurikens and I could ninja one across the room… maybe not.
Yeah, a shuriken would be nice!
It’s not only a weird idea, but it’s also stolen from an existing page from the US - take a look at http://www.nanoflirt.com !
Cheers
There’s also another similar startup in Singapore: http://www.hitchoo.com/
If you can’t talk to someone then the only way you are giving someone a card without conversation is through some serious stalking (where they live, what car they drive)
Cada vez aparecen mas aplicaciones para la web 2.0 que las encuentro que estan de mas o un poco ridiculas,pero siempre habra quien gaste su tiempo y dinero en ellos,saludos!
This will work marvelously to promote my get-rich quick-scheme. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
the logo looks like a unisex toilet
ax
There is also a site in the UK who was in the papers a lot recently http://www.newwaytodate.com
There was a huge article about them in The London Paper and a mention in The Sunday Times.
“users have to make a minimum up front payment of $50 to get started”
So they’re going to have attractive women head for various locations and pretend to be giving out the cards as if they were actual users. Some men, being the geniuses they are, will follow through.
Consider this possibility:
Some geek who paid his $50 goes to a bar with a stack of these plastic cards. He spots cute girl and gives her a card and walks away. She thinks “WTF??”
Later, the same cute girl gets hit on by obnoxious guy, who buys her a drink. After milking him for a drink, she hands him “her” card, and milks another drink from him.
Both guys go home, looking forward to their chance to hook up with the cute girl. They communicate a few times via email, and then finally decide to hook up…
Cmon Mike,
Nothing like 50 free you caught my eye cards for techcrunch readers?
I knew a guy in NY who was doing this exact same thing a few years back. His original name was Spark Cards but he renamed it something else. This was at least 3 or 4 years ago and he had the cards printed and the web site working and everything.
I thought it would be good for bars, not for people to buy and use, but for alcohol companies to give away for promotions and such.
I do not know man … Brits are a funny bunch
Shouldn’t their “First Move” have been to get a .com instead of a .net or at least a domain without a dash in it?
I’ve been studying new ideas on this type of meeting/dating interaction for several years now.
The card idea is flaky, but flaky sometimes works. What really breaks the model is the expense - $50 to start. That will generate some income but not a social network.
***However, what IS a killer idea is having an easy way to give someone access to extra virtual info about you - a code lets them access an extended or focused profile. Especially in dating, I might want to give out my sexual preference or fantasy profile, but not my full name.
A code that can compartmentalize data and allow access to others at my discretion might be very valuable.
Whenever I see an idea like this, it makes me doubt the notion of capitalism as a great system. It makes me wonder why someone with an idea this nonsensical can acquire capital to start a business, and I can’t.
This might be cute for a few months before people start to realize what it is. Actually it might take off in the kiddie meat market clubs. But if so, it’ll just be a fashionable gimmick, not actually make any difference in anyone’s dating life. I guess that’s enough to make an ROI on.
Mike - what is your problem dude? I met my wife using this service! In my case I can’t speak due to a vocal cord injury and shoved a black card at this hot babe who I later married. This is an amazing company, a great story, and I’m certain benchmark will be coming in at 50+ million valuation. Get real!
$50? Why wouldn’t I just get a bunch of free business cards (ala vista print) with my myspace, facebook, linkedin, etc address on it?
What kills me, is that this crap will get a $5M series A while I can’t get any VC to take a serious look at http://www.chatstat.com (or get TC to even write about us)…what the hell?
kim, rename your website to chattr.com and it will get picked up immediately
The author apparently has a lack of imagination. Certainly, one should stray away from extreme statements such as “this will never work” in light of all of the wonderful world creations that naysayers initially dubbed as stupid and/or impossible. Clearly, there are a number of situations where it could be more practical to hand out a card over having one on one conversation.For example,two cars at a stoplight,a handout through a bus window, an exchange at a concert where the music makes conversation difficult, to name a few.I am dissapointed that someone in a field where new innovation is ever present, would voice a blatantly unforgiving pessimistic opinion about a new and creative concept. While you are at liberty to disagree with an idea, saying it will never work is a bit excessive and amateurish.
About 10 years ago at a club, I was handed a playing card (e.g. suite+number being my “personal code”) with a phone number by a guy who danced with me and decided I might be worth seeing again. At the end of the night, I found out that two of my friends also received cards.
Cost for him: $.99 / 54 cards
Cost for me: free
His success rate (afaik): 0%
@ Kim Curtis
Good looking site and product.
You will enjoy this: http://www.thefunded.com/funds/item/1634
It’s rather a absurd idea, I have not heard that before, maybe I should talk about it with my friends on http://www.tallfriends.com, according to this, I can know their ideas, perhaps, they may come and have a look at it in person.
Actually i think this has some merits and maybe you’ve all misread the business plan?
First-move.net probably pays “Brad Pitt” and “Michelle Pfeifer” look-a-likes to go into bars/supermarkets/train stations where they hit on loads of desperadoes. They then say i’ve got to go but hand them the card and say “check me out at First-move.net!”
visitors to First-move.net are then charged £500 to join in order to contact other members.
If this isn’t illegal i want to be first to invest…
Another site with that same idea…I guess if the cards look really cool and the website is really cool, and there are enough people brave enough to give out cards, but not brave enough to ask for a phone number it could work.
http://www.littlegreenticket.com/
Plastic dating cards isn’t working, but online dating sites will work. It’s a better choice.
I picked up a my lover at online dating sites. He is really nice and great. Without the help of online dating site millionairecupid.com, I have no way to meet such a good person.
Three reasons why sites like http://www.littlegreenticket.com work, even when a cocktail napkin might do the same trick. 1) The cards look cool, and they’re non-threatening. 2) They’re private, and you can say anything you want. If you’re gay or lesbian or married or just not sure you want some random stalker looking you up, then it’s far better than a phone number. 3) You can still be online at another personal site, but if you’ve actually SEEN someone in person, you know if the chemistry’s right.
yes ;you are right!
More and more single friends feel too busy to date, then they turn to online dating. Do most singles find their match
online? Do you think it is better to go to general dating site or niche dating site? I once visite a niche dating site
tallfriends.com, it is for tall singles to date tall partner. I found that most members on that site are really seriouse on love.
Expert watch service and watch repair http://www.cleanmywatch.com
I do camera shows quite often you can see it free on my website http://www.freshxxxpics.net
I think the feature artlicle hit home with the comment about the sites poor quality of design. If they had a nicer looking site that featured some real people and some nicer looking cards with each subscribers photo ID on them then they may have something here, but I think the implementation was shoddy and the concept poorly implemented.
The Plastic Card Factory - http://www.PlasticCardFActory.com - can make high quality plastic cards for any business.
Poor guys! Maybe they’re desperate for a business… Anyway, now they have free advertisement in a big site.