Summer brings warm weather, more daylight, great spirits and a chance at love. According to Ground Truth, mobile dating apps see a 92% increase in visitors during the summer. That means more opportunities for women for to potential meet someone. But how can black women make the most of their mobile dating experience this summer? I’m sure you and your friends have had conversations about the type of men that contact you on services like OkCupid and Tinder. Black women face unique challenges while dating online. Men of other races who have this fetish for the black body creepily contacted women, and the pool for professional black men is smaller compared to professional women so sometimes there might not be compatibility with a black man on those services.
“OkCupid did a study that showed black women receive the least responses from suitors although they are the first to initiate contact,” Raïssa Tona, Co-Founder of Meld said. When Raïssa and her business partner Wale Ayen learned about the difficulty that black women experienced while using mobile dating services they decided to develop a mobile platform catered to the “black professional”.
“We decided to build a platform that is bringing black professional people together.
Wale and I live in San Francisco and it is the world of apps. This city inspires people to solve problems so we thought Meld would be a great way to solve this one,” said Tona.
Tona is a Texas native and she shared some tips for #Black Southern Belle readers who want to make the most of their dating experience using Meld:
- Be Conscious.
Like Tinder, Meld has the swiping component to let you connect with other users. We want people have a more serious approach when using our app. Instead of swiping aimlessly for hours when you’re bored, users are only shown 10 profiles every 12 hours to limit the browsing so people can consciously think about the person before choosing to pass or meld. MELD is connected to users’ Facebook and LinkedIn and does not post any information to your newsfeed. This helps to show that a profile is real and that the person is a professional.
- Let Your Pictures Tell Your Story.
When setting up your profile, you are able to choose five pictures from your Facebook page. I suggest you tell a story about yourself through the pictures. One should be a professional picture and others should be of you and your hobbies. If you like to travel, share pictures of your adventures while traveling. If you want people to know you are from the South, have a picture wearing a Tennessee Vols t-Shirt. If you like to cook, share a picture of yourself throwing down in the kitchen. Also, stay away from group photos and let your personality shine. Remember that the majority of the decision making to connect comes from the pictures that you have and not the “about me” blurb.
- Pick the Right Time to Share Personal Contact Information.
Try to communicate with the person that you connect a few times using the app and plan to go on a date as soon as possible. You don’t want to text back and forth for too long. Use the Meld chatting platform before you meet in person before giving out your phone number or email.
- Go for it!
Women from the South have been raised a certain way. We wait until a man asks us out. The men open the doors for you and it’s a completely different way of living. Maybe its time to switch it up and ask the guy out for coffee and put this in our own hands. Don’t wait for someone to make the move. If you are interested in someone then go for it. You know yourself and what you are looking for. It’s up to you to decide if you want to wait on someone to make the first move to go out on a date. Make a judgment call on how people respond to you and go from there. Be you and you know what works for you.
- Take it beyond the online dating experience.
People have to be interesting about themselves before they get online. If you don’t have interests of your own and you are trying to date someone it will be hard. You will be dependent on them to have a good time. You need to have your own experiences and interests. Develop your interests by joining social groups and attending events involving your interests. You can’t sit at home and expect your husband to knock on the door. By following your passions and using Meld to meet people will help you be successful.
With these five tips, do you feel ready to meet your match? Download Meld today and give it a try.
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