HowAboutWe Is Redesigning Nerve.com, And More Dating Sites We’d Like to See As Media Brands
The ubiquitous dating site HowBoutWe.com, which you’ve probably noticed on the right rails of many an NYC-based website (including yours truly) is redesigning the love and sex destination Nerve.com following their acquisition of the company (the Observer has a mockup). They’ve already hired writers from established publishers like Gawker Media and Fast Company to expand online editorial coverage—which begs the question: why aren’t more digital dating services partnering with other media brands?
It’s only logical that as the options for online dating get more and more oddly specific (see: DiaperMates.com, EquestrianCupid.com, etc.), they’ll eventually morph into havens for equally niche audiences like, say, adults who wear diapers. And think of how fitting it’d be if our diaper-loving single happened to come across a link to “23 Things NEVER To Say To An Adult Wearing Diapers.” Click-tastic magic!
Here are some more dating site-media brand pairings that would totally fall in love, given some incense and a bottle of Pinot:
OkCupid & Google
Because you already furiously Google everyone on OkCupid anyway, this would just exist as a major timesaver. When a potential suitor sends a message, OkGoogle would instantly alert you to the fact that this person, let’s say, also has a profile on DiaperMates.com.
Match.com & Upworthy
Match is for those who were ready to put a ring on it, like three years ago. People in this stage of life also happen to be prone to sharing both warm fuzzies in the form of viral videos and rage-inducing hate-reads about bullied gay 10-year-olds, on which Upworthy has unprecedented expertise. (Sample article: “If You Make It To The 1:22 Mark Of This Incredible Wedding Without Exactly Two Tears From Your Right Eye Softly Streaming Down Your Face, You Are Hitler.”)
DateMySchool & BuzzFeed
College kids procrastinating on their sociology homework? Kind of a gold mine for both of these sites. In fact, there’s definitely already an article about the Six Types of Guys You’ll Date at Columbia University somewhere in the BuzzFeed abyss.
eHarmony & The New Yorker
I imagine eHarmony first dates going something like this:
Man: “I’m sure you’ve already read the profile on—“
Woman: “Oh, it was splendid!”
Man: “Quite!”
Woman: “Did you read the—“
Man: “Naturally!”
Let’s save everybody on eHarmony the extra clicks and combine nine-page essays with WineSnob45’s black-and-white profile picture.
Got another suggestion? Suggest away in the comments.