Swipe Right and Maybe Left

This week, I would like to introduce everyone to Tinder. I think a lot of us, guys and girls, have used it regardless we like to admit it or not. But for those who don’t know what Tinder is, it is a social/dating app that matches you and your ‘likers’ together with just a swipe to the right. Based on your Facebook account and complex algorithms, Tinder grinds out and present to you all of those friends’ of friends whom do share similar interests with you. All you have to do is swipe right if you would like to start a conversation and pray they do the same as well.

Personally, I think awesome aspect of Tinder is that it has created a new channel for busy individuals to meet new people. After plunging myself in to the workforce after graduation, I have been stuck between my day job and my comfy bed at home. One of my colleagues also points out that seeing the same people everyday is sometimes quite tiring. But now with Tinder, you can sneak in a few texts with this random cute girl while sitting in on some exciting company meetings. Meeting people now will not only be limited to Friday night drinks or Saturday clubbing.

Unlike Chatroulette and Omegle, where they pair you with completely random strangers, Tinder suggests people within similar social circles. Thus, some people feel more secured and open about meeting people on Tinder. But recently, I have been getting more responses from friends saying they only wish to talk to complete strangers. They feel more open-minded talking to strangers because they can say anything without inflicting any personal embarrassments among their friends. Anyhow, one suggestion for Tinder is that they should consider allowing users to choose from random pool of people or friends of friends.

This free app is truly awesome for its users. However, from a start up point of view, the potential for further growth is rather limited. Although Tinder does provide a very strong platform for matching strangers, it doesn’t do quite a good job in keeping its users on its app for long. Once the conversation starts to go well, people will start to exchange WhatsApp numbers, Facebook accounts, Snapchat usernames, Skype… etc. to continue with their conversations. Thus, monetizing Tinder’s services becomes very difficult as each conversation’s life span is rather short.

Nonetheless, rumors have been flying around saying that Tinder will soon be offering pay per ‘Opps’. The idea behind this new feature is to allow the user to undo an accidental left swipe (dislike). This feature will be a savior to those who have clumsy fingers or those who likes to swipe left most of the time (these people are usually quite full of themselves :S). As for myself, I haven’t been making many regretful left swipes lately so hopefully I will not be using it as much. But it will be nice to see how this feature will be fully implemented in the near future.

I would encourage you to try out the app and see if you get a better experience from other dating apps or web dating sites. Maybe that swipe to the right will one day get you the love of your life 😉

 

-Guel

A little bit of who I am…

(Sitting in Teakha with a cup of Masala Chai Chocolate in hand…)

Before I start rumbling into my love for start ups, I would like to share a bit about myself. I am an Industrial Engineer, graduated from University of Michigan (GO BLUE!!), currently working in the field of logistics to implement improvements throughout the organization. As you might have figured out from my first post, I am a firm believer in continuous positive changes. It was those Industrial Engineering classes that kept me looping and toying with the idea of LEAN and continuous improvement. These lessons then led me to think: What I can do to make changes to improve our community? With this existing technology available, surely we can do a great deal of awesome things, right? And so, I have been going to a few start up events, pitch nights, talks…etc. Those events were very rewarding because these interactions are prepping me well for my very own start up.

Anyway, this is my story so far. Hopefully something more exciting is happening around the corner. I will keep updating this space every week for any start up news I find exciting or ideas I wish to share.

Stay tuned.

-Guel

Why Startups?

I find startups to be the most intriguing sector the in the business world. Whenever I attend startup-related events, not only am I fascinated by discovering all the amazing projects, but more importantly, meeting the brains behind these prominent startups. From the past events I have attended, I have heard pitches that can save you from having headaches over buying presents to a revolutionizing the logistics system. And there weren’t such thing as big or small projects. They are judged based on how much additional benefit they will bring to the society. That’s why it has always been fun for me going to these events to check out the newest innovations around town.

But the sad truth is, not all startups will become the next Facebook, Microsoft or Apple. Even having this in the back of their minds, a lot of entrepreneurs quit their high-paying jobs to tackle inefficiencies that need to be addressed in our society. It is their passions and beliefs keep them committed and motivated to their projects. These people basically devote a large portion of their lives to these projects in hopes to bring a better quality of life to our society. That’s why I have massive respect for them!

Like them, I soon would like to start my own project. I will start sharing my ideas here as well as making my own opinions on these exciting startups. Please feel free to make comments on my blogs.

Stay tuned for more!

-Guel