Archive for October, 2011

SkaDate Features: Virtual Gifts

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

by Zima

SkaDate Features: Virtual Gifts About a month ago I wrote about some ways to use SkaDate Dating Software to make money, namely how to handle various membership types for the improved cash flow. Of course, that isn’t the only monetization option at your disposal.

If you want to start an online dating site, you ought to know that virtual relationships operate on many of the same principal concepts as the real thing. Hence, you have to give your members some tools and options to foster their bonds. Flowers? Chocolate? Champagne? Teddy Bears? Yes. Only virtual.

Selling virtual gifts to your members to use is a nice and clean way to make some extra cash. Everyone loves receiving and giving gifts – it’s human nature. At the same time, spending money on gifts, especially during a dating phase, is actually a part of our culture now. We all expect it and are ready for it.

It works even better on the Internet where many things are free. A virtual gift shows that a member made that extra step to purchase and send a little pixelated wonder to the object of their affection, instead of picking up a dull postcard from a two-second Google image search.

Back to the point. SkaDate dating script is very user-friendly and quite advanced when it comes to virtual gifts. Dating site owners have the freedom to assign gift sending to different membership types, or make them available to everyone. They can make gifts free, or set the price for each gift in user credits (which can be bought for real money). They can even create themed categories and then upload appropriate pictures for members to chose from.

Say, what if one of the most popular holidays was approaching? Why not create a category called Halloween and drop a bunch of ultra cool but grim gifts there? Make all other existing gifts free (if you want), instead setting a price for new gifts, because they will be available only for a short period of time. Network members love this exclusivity! Just be sure to promote the deal on the front page.

Alternatively, make all Halloween gifts free, as a sign of appreciation to your members. Again, promote it as a short-time offer, thus advancing the gift-giving philosophy of the site. In no time everyone will start gifting each other with free and generic presents, while waiting for something exclusive and affordable to appear.

And just so you know, the gifts your members will send to each other can be supplemented with personal messages, and will appear on their profiles and members pages, remaining there for everyone to see even after the limited offer expires. On the other hand, SkaDate 8 allows the sending of private gifts, if what your members want is a little secrecy.

As with everything in web dating business, a little bit of care and creativity can make something as trivial as virtual gift giving a major selling point – an exiting feature members will appreciate. It’s one of those subtle but nice things, along with SkaDate free online dating templates, that make your particular site stand out. Enjoy this great gift of gift giving, and let others in on the fun.

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Tags: dating software, features, Misc, skadate, skadate features
Posted in Misc | 1 Comment »

How To Deal With Trolls

Friday, October 21st, 2011

by Zima

How To Deal With Trolls I love Scandinavia for many things. Mainly for being Santa’s and Bjork’s home, occasional IKEA headscratchers, unstoppable production of ice hockey and racing stars, and Lars von Trier screwing with Cannes’ artistic elite. But, as any webmaster of a network running on the SkaDate Dating Software can attest, there is one thing from Scandinavia that ruins it for all of us. Trolls.

Fine, most Internet trolls don’t come from Scandinavia. They come from 4chan, basements, and of course high schools. But if you believe you are safe from their attacks just because you don’t deal with them directly, think again. The danger may lurk for a while and then strike when you least suspect it. Kinda like a new Jack Black movie, only less forgettable.

Why are trolls dangerous? Well, for once their behavior is totally destructive. That’s the whole point of their existence. Trolls come to your site with a goal of disrupting the normal flow of things, and leave behind chaos, confusion, dogs and cats living together, and the generally infected disaster area not even the entire cast of Contagion can save. It’s like Oprah suddenly turning into a Jerry Springer Show by mid-point. Funny but repulsive at the same time.

You don’t want that to happen to your site unless your goal is to witness a mass exodus of existing members and the declining interest from potential customers. Things like that do really happen. But even if you are lucky and managed to mitigate the attack, there is still little consolation in the fact that your site is no longer Asti Brut, and instead a cheap tequila – quite strong, but should be taken with a grain of salt and leaves a bitter lemon taste in the mouth.

While dealing with a troll infestation it’s important to realize that trolls are… gasp… also people. And as all people who are compelled to make everyone’s lives harder, they follow certain logic or pattern. If decoded, it can be used to your own advantage, namely to drive trolls away. Or to troll other people. Let’s focus on that first thing for now, shall we?

What trolls do (sometimes even subconsciously) is look for attention by baiting you into emotional but mindless off-topic discussions that can take you so far away from the original topic, even Bear Grylls would have trouble of getting you back on track. Also, expect A LOT OF CAPS, flames, and holywars along the way. So here’s what you can do.

Be cool. Not entering into a shouting match will set you on the right path. Staying calm and carefully calming down the troll will disorient him and gradually lessen his interest. At this point he will either leave all together or continue the discussion in an orderly matter.

Don’t ask for proof. An actively lying troll is an especially annoying nuisance. You know the type – they brag on and on about first discovering Justin Beiber, writing Avatar treatment, or actually coming up with the SkaDate dating script. In their eyes this stuff makes them superior to others and an authority figure. Asking for proof for any of that will lead you nowhere. Even worse, it can spin-off into something horribly unpredictable (or unpredictably horrible), like Star Wars Holiday Special.

Don’t reason. Especially citing facts. Science proved that arguing with a troll is a waste of time. By introducing intelligent point-by-point arguments you draw a giant target on yourself. A tactic of actually agreeing first, and then making your case is a sure bet for elimination of any troll interest in a topic.

DNFTT. So, in short, Do Not Feed The Troll. It’s a cliche, but it does work. The truth is that if you are a true leader of your community, it’s in your power to set the right social environment on the site. It’s your Internet home, so set some basic conduct rules. Others will follow if they’ll see that the place is better for it.

Or you can just drop all the pretense of caring about civility and do what many others have done. Troll the trolls by installing moderation, banning specific IPs, and introducing membership fees. Me gusta.

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Tags: humor, Misc, tips
Posted in Misc | 2 Comments »

Run Your Business From Home. With Love.

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

by Zima

See what the Wall Street did to him? No wait, that was cocaine.

Have you looked at the news lately? With all the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests going on, it seems that we are all collectively heading to a turning point of what’s really expected from the government and corporations by the regular people. It feels like the dystopian future of countries managed by major conglomerates dawns ever closer. Uh, but what’s the connection with the SkaDate Dating Software? Well…

If we are to free ourselves from the corporate and state dependency, perhaps it is time to start planning a future where financial security lies entirely in our own hands. Running a dating site from the comfort of your home, without the baggage of boring day jobs and cranky bosses, is a very real and viable start. This wont change the system, sure, but it can give you a cushion to fall back on, or pay for a Guy Fawkes mask and a trip to New York, at the very least.

Mind you, I’m not saying quit your job now and make thousands tomorrow. We are not in Nigeria and immediate cash showers is something we don’t typically promise or promote. Still, last time I checked, over 30% of all Internet users were single, and even with the outside chance that many of them will start dating during demonstrations this week, the potential market will remain pretty damn huge.

All of these people need to be served. Embarking on an adventure of running an independent full-time business right from your home can achieve that. And yet, as with any serious enterprise, the success will depend on your love, devotion and commitment to the thing you do.

I could have told you right here that SkaDate dating script is developed using magic beans, and once you run it, the stream of checks in the mail will never end. Alas, that’s not entirely true. But if you are ready to put some real effort into building a home-grown dating empire, you will definitely find success. Don’t believe me? Take a look at our Portfolio – most (if not all) of the sites there are full-time independent businesses. All of them are flourishing.

Of course you might want to start an online dating site as a part-time job or even hobby. Many do it to get the hang of it before fully embracing the life of a startuper. The affordability of such a project greatly reduces risks and the immediate pressure of an off-line business launch. Plus, we’ll be there to help just in case.

The simple truth to remember is that hard work gradually brings you one step closer to success and always pays in the end. The true determination, coupled with patience, persistence, and a little inventiveness leads to amazing things.

So next time you look at the news and see all those people on the Wall Street, take a cue and draft a business plan for opening a social or dating site ‘Occupy Wall Street Dating’. It’ll be a win-win situation for everyone really.

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Tags: Misc, skadate, start dating site
Posted in Misc | 4 Comments »

The Secret Success of Ridiculous Sites

Friday, October 14th, 2011

by Zima

Think that's ridiculous? You just read on.

Back in June I wrote a post for SkaDate Dating Software Blog about weirdly extreme (or extremely weird) dating site ideas that somehow translate into success stories. The post itself proved quite popular, and I’m sure gave a lot of incentive and food for thought to many aspiring dating site owners.

The general misconception with sites like those mentioned in the original post, is that while they pick their niches very carefully, they are still not very popular, being too obscure. But, hey, that’s the idea. You don’t make Bold Mature Goat Shaver Dating and then market it to mainstream audiences. People who need that kind of stuff will find you anyway, because that’s what they do – they look for like-minded bold mature goat shavers.

You see, we all might keep an OKCupid account just as a security measure – a last resort for finding a date in a pool of generic profiles. Alas, even then we are not safe. Just two month ago Magic: The Gathering Champion Jon Finkel learned the lesson the hard way, after his date publicly ridiculed him on Gizmodo just for being who he really was. Ouch.

Yes, secretly we hope that someone would finally have the guts to launch a site that caters specifically to our interests and deepest desires. There is a dating site for WarCraft players out there, so why not for Magic: The Gatherers? If anything, this whole Finkel debacle made every single person with a quirk question what they say to their dates. Also, it made every single person with a quirk look for specific quirky websites, just to avoid this kind of situation altogether. Simply put, people really need specialty dating sites.

What’s even more interesting is that weird, obscure, and extreme sites actually require less marketing efforts, since they market themselves. You read that right. Match.com has to constantly advertise its services to maintain quarterly postings. AdultDiapers? Not so much. The site gets thousands of hits monthly just by ending up on numerous lists of strange and ridiculous internet entities. For free!

You see where I’m going? Don’t be afraid to be bold (not sure if goat shaving as recreation is legal though). Build a weird dating site running on the SkaDate dating script and you’ll have more chances to be mentioned on the interwebs than Scarlett Johansson’s naked butt. OK, maybe not this month.

While reading up for this post I stumbled onto something that I absolutely have to share with you. It’s about dating, and it sounds weird, so it qualifies. Elephant Dating! I know, I know, it’s not a real online dating website (it’s a charity for saving Asian elephants), but I have to share this anyway.

The introduction on the homepage is just that priceless. Read for yourself: “For £30 you will be set up on a 12 month long date with a real Asian elephant,” and in return “you will receive unusual gifts including beautiful love letters on recycled elephant dung paper.” Elephant dung paper? Why, sign me up immediately, I always dreamed of possessing that!

But wait, there’s more! The Duchess of York and Steven Fry are on board too. Here’s what Mr. Fry says: “I’m utterly delighted to be in a long-term, loving and co-dependent relationship with an elephant. The rumours of a trial separation in October were nonsense. It’s true I flirted with an African elephant while on safari but it meant nothing.” Oww, isn’t that sweet?

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Tags: Misc, online dating, skadate, start dating site
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Essential Tools for Running a Dating Site

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

by Zima

Essential Tools for Running a Dating Site

Pictured Tools: Not Essential

So you’ve finally made the decision to cross over to the light (dark) side and start an Online Dating Business. You’ve bought a copy of SkaDate Dating Software, got an appropriate hosting solution, and even have a marketing plan to drive more traffic to the new site. Are you all set?

Yes, mostly. Still, let me help you just a little bit more here, by suggesting a few essential tools that will make your life much easier. A few of the items on my list are of general variety, but I thought it would be really handy to have them grouped into a single collection of software and web applications that can aid any startuper on the way to success. (Links to all mentioned tools are provided below the post).

Basic Tools

I’ll start with the really easy stuff, which you likely already have and use. If not, make sure to get it asap. Since you might be eventually dealing with code and design modifications (including customization of additional free dating themes and templates), it is common sense to have an FTP Client handy. One of the most popular and user-friendly apps out there is FileZilla, but if you use Firefox, you might want to check a FireFTP extension, which allows you to download and upload files right from the browser.

Two more basic but necessary tools are Skype and Twitter. The former, being the most powerful IM/Internet Caller, is practically required for on-the-go business communication. The later is very useful for marketing, as well as keeping your community up to date. I challenge you to find any major online company that does not use Twitter these days. Don’t bother – you wont.

Planning and Time Management Tools

Alright, once you’ve got the basics down it’s time to start planning. I bet you don’t have large enough staff to keep tabs on everything, and even if you do, there still needs to be a clear management and project scheduling system in place. You’d be amazed at how much time (and subsequently money) is saved with proper task management.

Behold, Remember The Milk, or, if you need a more advanced collaboration tool, Basecamp (although the later isn’t free). With useful to-do lists, milestone management, time tracking, and a myriad of addons, these web services are invaluable for any beginning or seasoned entrepreneur. Another service that saves time? Alert Thingy. This desktop client will be very useful for running a social networking and RSS hub from a single window. Need to update Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Flickr, Tumblr, and even the Basecamp? Alert Thingy is your… thingy.

Member Communication and Content Tools

While we are on the subject of social networking, let me tell you that marketing-on-a-budget relies heavily on your ability to talk to existing and potential members through all available platforms at your disposal. In addition to posting messages on Facebook and Twitter you should also run a supporting blog, as well as sending out regular mass mails to your customers.

A really great and reliable blogging software comes in the form of WordPress. Even if you don’t want to install additional scripts, there is an option to open a blog with their free web service. As for mailing lists, nothing comes closer to MailChimp in terms of usefulness. It gives enormous freedom in creation of newsletters and tracking their effectiveness.

MailChimp isn’t free though, so if you want an alternative, SkaDate 8 has a native tool for internal and external mass mailing. Oh, and do use Google Docs while coming up with content. It’s a web-based office suite, so all of your documents will remain on the Google’s server, making them available from any place with Internet connection.

Traffic, ROI, and Visitor Monitoring Tools

Since I mentioned Google, I have to say that the web giant has the best tools for monitoring, well, practically everything related to your website. And you’ll need to monitor a lot of statistics for constant improvement of your website’s profitability. The first thing to get? Google Analytics of course. Sure, the service is more geared towards marketers, but the data crunch it produces is priceless.

But what about webmasters? After all, a fresh dating site owner is likely to serve in both capacities, at least in the beginning. Well, Google has a free solution for them too. Google Webmaster Tools can greatly improve web visibility of any site if used appropriately. Plus, there is also Google Ad Preview and Diagnosis, as part of Google AdWords, if what you need is to monitor ad efficiency. Don’t want to use Google for some reason? Crowd Science is your answer. It will give you all the web analysis you need to boost revenue through better understanding of your audience.

Commerce and Money Tools

You might have noticed the absence of several key commerce tools, like the ones for monitoring business performance. That’s because quite luckily, SkaDate dating script comes already prepackaged with integrated financial statistics breakdown page, displaying all the recent and past transactions.

In addition the software is quite flexible with regards to various monetization options, so there is really no need for additional expensive commercial software. Although, having a calculator laying around is always useful…

The List of Essential Tools for Running a Dating Site

SkaDate Dating Software