One of the former Tinder co-founders has created a unique dating app that puts women in control. Men are not allowed to initiate male-female conversations, and users are rated on how they engage with others.
Online dating has witnessed an explosion in the past few years due to apps like Tinder which have reinvented the game. Once, online dating sites like Match.com only emulated their analog namesakes, requiring users to fill out long questionnaires, which would then be fed through an algorithm, hopefully finding the user his or her perfect partner.
Apps like Tinder allow members to search for their latest significant other via a simple swipe, and specialized sites cater to all sorts of requirements. Want to meet a partner that shares your religion? There's an app for that. Looking for an affair with a married man? There's an app for that. Stoners, gamers, just about everyone has their own dating sites these days.
Now, its women's turn, according to Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe. A co-founder of Tinder, Wolfe recently settled for a reported one million dollars over sexual harassment claims in a case based partly on salacious texts sent by another company exec. Wolfe insists revenge against her former site is not her intention, rather she wants to empower women in a world where making the first move is often seen as a faux pas.
"I personally can tell you that all my girlfriends - and many women I've spoken to - have this fear of being perceived as desperate or forward when they want to approach a man," says Wolfe. "It was always, 'He must text you first' - but why?"
To turn the tables on the men, Bumble only allows women to initiate the conversation with men, never the other way around. In addition, users of both genders are given a "VIBee" badge of approval when they have engaged cleanly with a number of other users. Bumble members use the same swiping method as those of Tinder when choosing potential partners. Several months ago, the 8 month old app passed the half million mark in members, and the Bumble app is continuing to grow its user base at a rapid pace.
