The Ultimate Professionals dating App LinkedUp

The dating world is so hard these days when you are a professional. Work tends to get in the way and many of us are over clubs and bars. But what would you say if there were a dating app strictly for professionals?

Well from me I say yippee and welcome!

LinkedIn has taken a note from the simplicity of Tinder and created a new dating app that targets professionals called LinkedUp.

Instead of using your Facebook profile like Tinder, LinkedUp uses your LinkedIn profile. This gives you the opportunity to connect through peoples social network with other professionals.

However, there seems to be some interesting opinions floating around so far about this app. One written by Rebecca Greenfield in a recent article said, “It sounds like a terrible way to find dates—not to mention a potential HR nightmare” and quotes it is a “mash up of Tinder meets LinkedIn for the dating APP of your nightmares”.

Hmmm, I can’t say she sounded impressed and I can’t say I agree with Rebecca’s sentiments.

I mean, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few years, as soon as you apply for a job the recruiters are scanning social media to learn more about you prior to offering you an interview. What’s the difference between that and dating?

I know I want to check someone out first and I can tell you when someone is checking me out I prefer him or her to see the professional scrubbed version of me on LinkedIn then the casual Facebook profile.

I am a busy professional and at 40 years old I decided it was time for a career and life change. Opening an eCommerce adult store selling ‘Intimate Lifestyle Products’ to women, this new business was designed to help women my age to have a more fulfilling sexual relationship (while ironically not having one myself at the time). Go figure!

My last relationship was for 11yrs and after a lengthy hiatus it was time to get the courage to poke my head up and get back into the dating scene that quite frankly scared the shit out of me.

After prior testing of other dating sites such as Zoosk and eHarmony and bombing, I heard about Tinder and thought I would give it a go. It was not only my new ‘Social Experiment’ to blog about and test some dating theories; it was a great way to help me get back on the dating scene after nearly 3yrs! (Wow time flies).

Now, after spending nearly the last year testing online dating and relationship theories, helping people with their online profiles and, being a guest speaker at workshops working with women, couples and singles, I now feel I can comment on this topic comfortably.

I love this concept of a professionals dating app.

ONLINE PROFILE MATCHING

Different dating sites and apps cater for different people. Some expect you to give no info like Tinder, and some want a lot of information nearly down to the underwear your wearing such as eHarmony.

The comprehensive ones like eHarmony are focused on personality profile matching.  I believe they are really only directed at those who have tried everything else to find a suitable partner (or those who are extremely shy and introverted) and who’s focus is to get married and settle down to have a family.

In light of this, I wasn’t keen on eHarmony as I was not interested in getting married all over again just getting back on the horse!

I also found that the algorithms they use try to match you with someone just like you, which in my opinion is boring. I want someone to add to my life not to have the same likes/dislikes and agree with everything I say and do. In addition, I also believe that no matter what anyone says, that first impression of what someone aesthetically looks like is vital in the world of attraction and most profiles, unless paid for, have nil images on these sites.

Heads up people, if you aren’t attracted to the person your with it doesn’t get any better in the years to come. I had a marriage based on attraction and lust that lasted 11 years (and I am still attracted to him today). We lasted longer then the average of most relationships as per the ABS statistics of a median length of 8.8 years in 2010, so I rest my case on the attraction topic.

ONLINE DATING

Zoosk online dating, and many like it, allows you to supply as much or little as you want about yourself.

The catch with all these dating sites is if someone likes you, regardless of how you feel, they can send you a message or love icon. However, with many of these free sites, to read these messages or to see a person’s picture, you actually have to pay a membership fee, which is a little cheeky.

DATING APP's

Tinder changed all that. Completely free with an easy setup using your Facebook account, it not only brought in an element of trust, as you knew they were more then likely a real person, but you could connect via shared friends and interests. Until both parties swiped right and said they both liked each other NO form of contact was possible.

For a single woman this made me feel safer. If after contact you felt uncomfortable with the person you could instantly block contact.

Now LinkedIn has gone and made their own online dating app for professionals. As a professional myself I say hallelujah!

The founder, Max Fisher points out in his interview with The Guardian,  "The user has sense, in terms of comfort and understanding, of: where is that person from? What do they do? Where did they go to school? Which are some of the most important questions in dating rapport between two people in terms of the first interaction." This makes perfect sense to me.

I researched professional dating sites when I was doing this ‘Social Experiment’ and talked to people in my industry to learn more about what was out there. I mean, I was running blind, as I had been out of the dating scene for a bloody long time. Here is what else I found.

MATCH MAKING FOR PROFESSIONALS

Match Making companies for Professionals like Elite Productions charge an annual fee of $5K. They are great in theory but for my money I didn’t like the fact that based on a one-on-one interview with one of their consultants they chose the guy for me and put us in contact. I don’t get to see any profile pictures of the fella I would go on a date with. Not a fan of blind dates and feeling like I was back on the non-paid membership of eHarmony, I decided against this avenue.

Then in a meeting of a mutual friend I was told about another really high-end top shelf professional dating service who’s fee is $25K. Holy wow! The funny part about this is finding out that the successful women using these services wanted to be matched with a successful ‘suit’. This is a white-collar man with a great job and finances to match.

Those men however, had no interest in their matching counterparts as they actually wanting a younger hot handbag to stroke their ego (which professional women don’t tend to be good at). The struggle this agency had was convincing these professional, independent women that the ‘Tradies’ were perfect men for them.

Women have forgotten how things have changed over time and these blue-collar workers are now in a better financial position then half these white collars. Work fewer hours and dote on their women. Apparently it takes months of convincing but when these women finally listen they are delighted with their Kinder Surprise.

So why are people thinking this new app LinkedUp is a horrible way to find dates?

My take is this is a smart way to connect.

1. MUTUAL FRIEND CONNECTION

Firstly, most couples that connect and have successful relationships meet through mutual friends. Yes, there are many that meet online but the odds are still against them. So why is this any different when you are meeting through a mutual social network?

Think about it, if your not looking for a bootie call but for a relationship, people seeing your pictures and your profile first help them to make better decisions on who to connect with. It’s a great idea.

It cuts through the bullshit and helps you to better determine if you are sexually attracted to them, whether you have anything in common and that they are a ‘real’ person not a scam.

ROMANCE SCAMS

The scams are the hot topic of the week thanks to the Chrissie and Jane report ‘Private Investigator Files’ on radio’s 101.1 FM. Apparently scam dating is a silent epidemic and again, as a single woman my safety of knowing how to track someone down if the shit hits the fan is important to me (and yes, I have come across some dodgy guys during this experiment).

2. WIN WIN

Secondly, it is a smart business move and revenue earner by LinkedIn as this app is only available to those on the ‘Premium’ membership. So they make money indirectly for you using their app and you benefit by what the ‘Premium’ membership offers you on your profile. It’s a win/win!

3. LOW COST

Thirdly, LinkedUp has a much lower cost to meet other professionals then the $5-25K I mentioned earlier.

So if you’re a professional businesswoman who doesn’t have the time to go out and meet guys or just isn’t interested in the bar and club scene anymore, this app is for you.