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September 23, 2008 2:54 PM PDT

WooMe wants you to watch other people date

by Josh Lowensohn
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Social dating site WooMe has launched a new video service that is so amazingly hard to watch it's bound to be a hit. It's called WooMe.tv, and it takes recordings from the site's speed dates and hosts them for all to see.

Not every video is available. Both users must opt in to have the session shared post-date, and only then does it go into the public directory. What makes it an attractive proposition is that the videos are only 60 seconds long (or less), so you can watch two or three of them in rapid succession. Better yet, each video is linked up to the members' profiles, so if someone catches your eye you can message them, or view some of their other social interactions.

User ratings have been employed to weed out the good from the bad using the same five-star system that's found on YouTube. WooMe's creators are also highlighting especially watch-worthy videos in a special featured section. If you find something you like you can share it with friends either through a direct link or with an embed, which is what I've done below.


I think you'll agree that this has the makings of a really watch-worthy service, however, there are a few things that could make it better. For instance:

 Give me an annotation tool. I spent countless hours watching Blind Date back when it was on TV, and seeing little moving notes on the videos was wonderful. I can imagine that someone, somewhere can do as good a job as that production team, especially if they're limited to just 60 seconds. Better yet, team up with Veeple to do it and make some cash.

 Make inter-network sharing more functional. I just found a video of someone who seems like a good match for my friend. Let me recommend it to him or her with a customized message.

 Let me filter the videos by age group and location. The current system is a good start for exploring, but not as much for meeting other people nearby.

See also WooMe competitor SpeedDate.com, which has made certain member dates public for the sake of promotion.

Josh Lowensohn writes for Webware.com, CNET's blog about Web applications and services. E-mail Josh, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Josh.
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by annie21212 September 23, 2008 3:19 PM PDT
ha, this is pretty cool, some funny videos from crazy users on there... not sure if i'm ready to throw my onw up there yet though ;-)
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by toosday September 23, 2008 5:23 PM PDT
That's pretty awesome. Of course, the cynic in me says "She's been playing for 15 years?!" as well as "Bro, EVERY guy is trying to learn to play the guitar. The Oboe is where it's at!"
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by sbroomfield September 24, 2008 2:59 PM PDT
Hi Josh -

Thanks for the Veeple mention in your first bullet. We launch our v2 VaaS (Video as a Service) all 'in-the-cloud' solution tomorrow. Have a look at the new stuff. Really cool.

Best,
Scott Broomfield - Veeple CEO
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