/24-7PressRelease/ - TORONTO, CANADA, April 11, 2008 - In old-fashioned dating days, a woman sitting at home on a Saturday night would be sure to pull the curtains and dim the lights. Today, she may be meeting and dating dozens of men on OmniDate.com, right in her bedroom, where she keeps the computer, of course.
The computer dater is more likely to win the relationship prize, according to studies on virtual dating. A recent Harvard Business School study showed that virtual dating created favorable impressions of the other person and easier first meetings in the real world.
"People are intrigued by the idea of using technology to meet other people. Our goal is to create real life relationships," said Igor Kotlyar, Ph.D., CEO and founder of OmniDate.
In a time of notoriously short attention spans, OmniDate finds its pioneering new technology mesmerizing to members. The typical length of a virtual dating session is between 20 and 40 minutes. Some extend to over 2 hours. Many users take multiple virtual dates with partners before meeting in person.
"Virtual dating is a terrific icebreaker and a fun way to get to know each other," explained Kotlyar. "And, with that fun come users who are more engaged and thus more likely to be successful meeting others."
Those interested in virtual dating can join the free OmniDate site, post a picture and profile, choose an avatar to represent them, peruse the other profiles and invite someone interesting on a "date." When the invitation is accepted, the two can meet in a variety of virtual settings. The concept is to create as natural a setting as possible to give daters a chance to get to know each other. If the two people click, they can arrange to meet in real life.
"It is a safe way for people to screen potential partners. The virtual setting makes it fun, much more so than trolling inanimate profiles," said Ravit Abelman, vice president of OmniDate, co-founder and happily married herself, to Kotlyar.
The site serves a diverse demographic, with 51 percent women and 49 percent men. One third are 35 years old and older. Nearly half of those registered are in their 20s, with 30 percent in their 30s and 20 percent 40 and up. Of those registered, two-thirds post photos along with their profiles.
"Virtual daters are serious about finding real life relationships," said Kotlyar.
About OmniDate
OmniDate utilizes the latest in virtual technology to create dating scenarios to introduce people to each other. The setting may be a lounge, a restaurant or a resort, with games to help further the mission of getting to know someone new. The goal of OmniDate is to take the dating experience from the small computer screen to the bigger screen of life. The company was founded by husband and wife team, Igor Kotlyar, Ph.D. and Ravit Abelman. The beta site launched in 2008. Based in Toronto, OmniDate has members across the U.S. and Canada.
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