| February 2009 |
Virtual Dating Helps Couples Test Waters, Discovery Channel
"The virtual dating experience, even one as business-minded as my own, is surprisingly intimate, which helps explain the relative success of virtual dating compared with the major dating sites. Last year a study by researchers at Harvard and Duke showed that couples who go on virtual dates before a face-to-face date are two times more likely to say that they would go on a second date with a person."
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| February 2009 |
Sites may offer virtual first dates, Investor’s Business Daily
"Major dating services soon may give users the option of going on an online fling with a potential sweetheart ... A recent study found that couples who go on a virtual date where they chat online before meeting face to face are twice as likely to schedule another date. Experts see it as a step beyond just e-mailing before meeting up."
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| February 2009 |
OmniDate to replace real first date with virtual one, Geek.com
"This has the potential to be quite popular because of the security it offers both parties. ... Taking the step from chatting to someone you like to actually meeting them is always going to be a scary one and rightly everyone is cautious. This new service won’t solve that problem, but it should build a bit more confidence before deciding to meet in person. Allowing websites to embed the virtual dating into their pages should also create some interesting new relationships. The people who visit a site are already going to be interested in similar subjects, so it could easily push the number of OmniDate users up and form some new relationships that may otherwise have never happened."
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| February 2009 |
OmniDate Working On Virtual Dating with Real World Ties, Virtual Worlds News
"OmniDate tailors its experience to date-prone environments, like bars, cafes, and restaurants. It also offers a variety of games and social activities to break the ice. It lets users chat with their avatars, use basic emotes (smiling, holding hands, or blowing a kiss), and meet up for virtual dates. That limits it when compared to the variety of interactions available in full worlds for adults like Second Life or Kaneva, but it may appeal to more mainstream users. It's big upcoming feature, though, is a new service to create avatars based on user-submitted photos, creating a distinct tie back to the real world that seems to reassure lots of users."
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| February 2009 |
Virtual dating to re-define love, The Times of India
"One can ask a potential single for a virtual date whenever he or she logs in. After the person agrees, the two avatars are transported to a random setting, such as a bar (as in my date), a cafe or on a beach. Then the couples can play games to break the ice, choose what music to listen to, and write messages that pop up as text boxes. If a person likes what he or she is hearing, they can press a button and briefly hold the other avatar’s hand, touch their face, or blow a kiss. And in just five minutes a "kiss" function appears, pressing which one avatar can hold the other to plant a gentle smooch on mutual consent."
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| February 2009 |
Virtual Dating, MSNBC
"OmniDate has users create avatars, go to a virtual bar, cafe or beach. Researchers at Harvard and Duke showed that couples who go on virtual dates before a face-to-face date are two times more likely to say that they would go on a second date with a person."
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| February 2009 |
Online Dating: The Technology Behind the Attraction, CIO
"Perhaps the most innovative communication method is virtual dates in a 3-D world. One company, OmniDate, offers an avatar-based virtual dating system that acts as a kind of front end to existing online dating sites and is developing a new version for rollout later this spring that will use photo-realistic avatars."
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| February 2009 |
Online dating: Avatars Tackle the First Date For You, Computerworld
"First-date jitters got you down? Use OmniDate to build an online dating avatar that will stand in your stead. ... the technology is 'extremely woman-friendly,' especially when compared with webcams and other technologies that may pose a danger. 'Women have a hard time getting to know a guy. And for women, there are issues that come into play like safety and security,' says Ravit Abelman."
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| February 2009 |
Awkward First Date? Send Your Avatar Instead, PC World
"OmniDate is hoping the idea will catch on in a big way. The firm is working on a new service, to be ready in the next few months, that features photo-realistic avatars -- that is, online characters that look like you, or at least like your best photo."
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| January 2009 |
OmniDate Wins Red Herring Global 100
 Red Herring Magazine has named OmniDate a winner of the "Red Herring Global 100" award, a prestigious list honoring this year’s most promising private technology ventures around the world. The names of all 100 wiiners of the "Red Herring Global 100" can be found online here.
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| November 2008 |
Love online, Columbia Tribune
"If you find instant messaging potential paramours to be a little impersonal, OmniDate allows you to chat using animated avatars."
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| June 2008 |
Dating Nightmares, True Hollywood Stories Investigation
THSi recently did a story on the potential dangers of dating online, which was broadcast across North America. They cited OmniDate as an up and coming technology that will help curb these dangerous trends by allowing people to get to know each other better before meeting in person.
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| May 2008 |
Lauding Auditions, the Globe and Mail
A growing number of people are exploring the world of "virtual" dating. Using three-dimensional avatars, or animated images, they "go out" with others to weed out the no-hopers. For instance, at Toronto-based OmniDate.com, they can have dates that include going to a bar, listening to the other's choice of music or even going to the beach. Their avatars can giggle, blow kisses, hold hands, yawn and even roll their eyes to let the person on the other side of the screen know if they are or are not enjoying the date. Couples who seem to be compatible go on to meet in person.
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| May 2008 |
Virtual dinner and a movie? Simulated dating ranks grow, Chicago Tribune
The avatars can interact with each other to express emotion. Type in "LOL," for example, and users can make their avatars giggle. They can also direct them to blow kisses, hold hands, yawn and even roll their eyes to let the person on the other side of the screen know exactly how much they are or aren't enjoying the date.
"When you think about starting a relationship, you think about flirting, which is the communication of attraction," said Dr. Julie Albright, a lecturer in the University of Southern California's sociology department and an expert on online dating. "These non-verbal cues are absent in traditional dating sites, and this is where sites like OmniDate are different."
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| May 2008 |
Let My Avatar Buy Your Avatar Coffee, The Toronto Star
Toronto-based virtual dating site gains in popularity with users who say they are fed up with misleading profiles or unforeseen personality clashes.
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| May 2008 |
Virtual Dating World Familiar to Online Gamers, Indiana Gazette
Advocates say virtual dating is the next step in the $800 million online dating industry, filling the gap between the static world of online dating--e-mailing, chatting or just viewing profiles--and face-to-face real world interaction. “The gap can be filled by this simulated world that’s safe, virtual and fun,” said Ravit Abelman, who, with her husband Igor Kotlyar, founded both the OmniDate.com beta site and the OmniDate program. “People can move from the online world into the real world and not be strangers.”
Paula Weisz … has gone on about fifteen virtual dates, which resulted in real-world dates with two men, one of whom she is still dating. “It was like I already had the first date online and got the awkwardness out of the way,” said Weisz, who had for years used other online dating sites, including Plentyoffish.com and Yahoo personals. “It helped me feel really comfortable when we actually met, in a way that I wasn’t with other dating sites.”
Article via: Columbia News Service
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| April 2008 |
Scene Proves Expensive For Those Looking For Love, Northwest Herald
Being single isn’t cheap. The dinners out with friends. Splurging on show-stopping first date outfits. Laying down hard-earned cash at pricey bars, all in hopes of meeting Mr. or Miss Right. … What if you could go on a first date without spending any money on new clothes or gassing up the car? That’s the idea behind OmniDate, a Toronto-based free online service where couples have virtual dates before meeting in person.
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| April 2008 |
OmniDate Service Review, OPW
The first time I tested OmniDate, I found it surprisingly refreshing. The date I had was fun and comfortable and I really got to know the other person very quickly. Other OmniDates I have had since seem to reflect this same pattern. I think this is a function of the design of the product. First, it's fun. Before my date and I jumped into heavy conversation, we had a good time just seeing what the avatars could do and which of us could be the silliest. She smiled. I laughed. She touched my hand. I winked at her. Then we took a little matching quiz that popped up in the background. (We matched 7 out of 10 questions.) All of these features really made us comfortable with one another so when we starting chatting about real things, it wasn't at all awkward. But there was a much deeper benefit as well. One can be very anonymous on OmniDate and I believe this anonymity actually creates more intimacy...
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| March 2008 |
Virtual Dating Before the Real Thing, King 5 News Seattle
“Every year, millions log on for love. In 2006, dating Web sites such as Match.com and Eharmony.com made millions in revenue. It's estimated that will nearly double by 2010. But, a new site is taking online love to a new level: OmniDate.com. KING 5's Mimi Jung shows us how.”
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| March 2008 |
OmniDate – Find Love through Virtual Dating, Shalom Toronto
“How can you meet a suitable partner without experiencing frustration and bitter disappointment? A new Website proposes virtual dates which make it easy to filter out unsuitable people and find the knight in shining armor or the beautiful princess.
... There is no need to get dressed up for the date, no need for a single parent to find a baby sitter, no need to drive to a date downtown with butterflies in your stomach and anxiety about possible disappointment or rejection, no need to feel uncomfortable when it turns out your date is unsuitable and you want to leave after five minutes. You can sit back in your swivel chair at home or curl up with your laptop on the sofa and do your dating from home.”
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| March 2008 |
Dating Moves To Virtual World, NBC 4
Millions of people are "logging on" for love and some are getting a new twist in the online dating scene through a new Web site called OmniDate. The site allows users to go on "virtual" dates.
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| March 2008 |
Virtual Dating, KPVI
“Millions of people are "logging on" for love. Now, a new website called "OmniDate" is adding a twist to online dating, allowing users go on virtual dates. So will it become the new way of dating in the future? NBC's Rehema Ellis takes a closer look.”
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| March 2008 |
Virtual Dating Is Catching On, NBC 10
“Now, a new web site called: OmniDate is adding a twist to online dating allowing users to go on virtual dates. OmniDate allows users to choose a virtual person to represent them in a 3D restaurant or bar. ‘It allows you to relax, have fun and really creates a bond with a person before meeting them in real life,’ says creator Igor Kotlyar.”
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| March 2008 |
Omnidate.com – Welcome to Virtual Dating, Killer Startups
“If you are frustrated or bored with online dating, Omnidate.com has another option for you, virtual dating. … Omnidate.com has an attractive interface and the site is easy to navigate. The site does a great job at explaining virtual dating for those of us who have never experienced it. The graphics for the virtual dating are very good and all of the settings are stylish and tasteful. Omnidate.com gives its users many choices which is nice. Omnidate.com is a good option for meeting people from the comfort of your home.”
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| March 2008 |
It List, Erie Times News
“Another emerging site is Omnidate.com, based in Toronto. The way it works is, you browse a few profiles and invite those you like on a virtual date before you go on an actual date. You register for free, invite people for free, and have your free "date" sitting at home in your jammies. Skip the makeup, if you like, and cuddle up with a spoon, a pint of Ben & Jerry's and your computer.”
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| March 2008 |
OmniDate, Igor Kotlyar - OPW Interview, Online Personals Watch
“How does your dating site stand out from the crowd? In a sea of ubiquitous features, OmniDate stands out as a feature that dating site owners can use to get their members talking. It's an avatar based instant messenger. Here's my interview with the founder/CEO of OmniDate, Igor Kotlyar.”
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| March 2008 |
Internet Playing Middleman in Romancing, India Times
“OmniDate.com is offering users the chance to date with the help of avatars in a place that resembles the real environment.”
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| February 2008 |
Finding Love Online, CBC News
“Now let’s say you want to meet people in a bar, but not leave home. OmniDate is a virtual date where singles can interact in a simulated dating environment online from the comfort of their own home.”
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| February 2008 |
Logging on for Love, NBC Nightly News
“[Jonathan Acierno] ‘Online dating is the way of the future and virtual dating is the future of the future.’ He is talking about a website called OmniDate where you choose a virtual person to represent you in a 3D restaurant or bar. Now, tonight he’s casually chatting with a woman from Manhattan who is also talking to him through a virtual person. By clicking on a button, users can blow a kiss or even touch their dates face.”
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| February 2008 |
Modern Love, CTV
Just as courtship has evolved over time, it’s also evolving in the virtual world. It is now possible to date completely virtually online through sites like Second Life and OmniDate.
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| February 2008 |
The Hottest Trends in Online Dating, Network World
“One of the biggest innovations is avatar-based instant messaging. … 80% of people will have an online virtual identity by 2011 … One site that's pioneering the use of avatars is OmniDate.com.”
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| February 2008 |
Sites Try New Tech to Draw Love Seekers, C|NET
C|NET reports on the new wave of online dating which includes an innovative new site for singles to meet online in virtual bars and cafes – OmniDate: “Worldwide, there are more than 1400 internet dating sites. Given the market saturation online … newer sites are forced to innovate both in concept and technology. Want your avatar to meet mine? Try out OmniDate.com …”
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| January 2008 |
OmniDate.com - Virtual Dating is the new Starbucks, Start Up North
“Unlike Second Life, OmniDate intends for its avatar dating system to be used by real people who want to set up real life dates. Going on a virtual date is less time consuming, less expensive, and more secure than meeting at a local Starbucks. Once you’ve found someone you enjoy chatting with online, it is more likely you’ll enjoy meeting that person in the real world. My guess is that people will also use OmniDate to flirt, etc. OmniDate is already working with some large dating sites who plan to use the virtual date technology on their sites. Is now the time for avatars to go mainstream? I can confidently say increased interaction makes sense and it is safe bet online dating will evolve past profiles to entertainment experiences. “
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| January 2008 |
He’s Just Not That Virtually into You, It World Canada
“Once people start using avatars to hook up romantically, it won’t be long before businesses start flirting more seriously with virtual worlds, too … At its core, OmniDate is simply offering a more textured way to build and manage a relationship via the Internet. And business people just love new ways to manage relationships more efficiently.”
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| February 2007 |
Digital Dating, Fox News
“OmniDate … the new cutting edge is interactive, online virtual dating … it’s very exciting!"
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| January 2007 |
Internet Dating 2.0, TIME
“For more realistic scenarios, the company OmniDate can place you in a virtual restaurant with an animated date, literally. Both parties work keyboards and save thousands of calories on the five-course Italian dinner. You can survive some of the more awkward first date moments, such as ordering the high-ticket item on the menu, without abandoning the comfort of your pajamas.”
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