Zoosk.com - Behavioral Matchmaking System

Zoosk began as a Facebook application in December 2007 and is now a global dating site with millions of users. Zoosk is an online dating company that seamlessly integrates social networking and online dating.

The dating site and app offer singles an intuitive dating experience along with affordable and customizable communication tools. Zoosk draws a fairly young crowd of singles looking for casual dates and serious relationships in a fun online environment

Here are some fun facts about Zoosk.com to get you started.

Fun Facts About Zoosk.com

  • Started in December 2007
  • Has an active user base in 80 countries
  • Site is available and translated into 25 languages
  • More than 40 million singles worldwide
  • 48% of these are men
  • 52% of these are women
  • About 30 million people visit the site on a monthly basis
  • On a daily basis, members collectively send an average of 3 million messages
  • Since 2018, 2 billion messages have been sent thru Zoosk’s platform

Pros and Cons of Zoosk.com

Pros

  • Several ways to access your Zoosk account, including the website, iOS and Android apps, and Facebook
  • Members can respond to emails sent by premium members, which means that premium/paid members can contact ANY member and receive a reply
  • For easy profile creation, Zoosk can pull information from your Facebook account
  • Mobile app available for both iOS and Android users

Cons

  • Zoosk profiles are not as detailed as other dating sites’ profiles
  • The profile does not contain very detailed information, so search options are also limited
  • Zoosk charges a one-time activation fee of $24.95 in addition to the subscription fee when you upgrade

Sign Up Process

Zoosk can be accessed through a number of different means, including their website at Zoosk.com, their Facebook app, and their Android and iOS apps. If you create an account, you can use it on any device or medium. In order to search for members and browse profiles on Zoosk, you need to create a free account. Zoosk will ask for the following information when you first create your account:

  • Enter your Gender and Preference, Birthday, and Email Address
  • Select zip code and city (it will auto-detect)
  • Upload your photos. You can upload photos directly from Google / Facebook Photos
  • About You. Answer the following: Your body type, Do you have children?, Highest level of Education, Your Ethnicity, Height, Religion, Smoking Habits
  • You can confirm your account (depending on the device you're using) via email, text, Facebook, or Twitter

As soon as you have created your free account and confirmed it, you can start using Zoosk. You can fill out further profile information by visiting 'My Profile' located under the account menu. In order to use certain features like the Carousel, Zoosk will only allow you to do so once your profile contains the required amount of information and a photo.

Search For Matches

The first item on the main menu of Zoosk is Search. When you click or tap it, your first result will be shown using your default search settings. The search returns one result at a time, showing you the main profile picture (a green check mark next to it means it has been verified), first name, age, location, and height.

You will see a light green solid circle icon when the person was online recently. A dark green solid circle icon indicates that they are currently online. From here, you can view their full profile, send them a smile, like, or message. If none of these options appeal to you, you can move on to the next profile. Alternatively, you can switch to an image gallery view if your display is large enough, displaying up to 28 profile summaries per page.

You can modify your search filters by clicking or tapping on 'Edit Search'. Here you can change the basic search filters and enable the advanced search if you wish. Search settings can be saved for later viewing.

You can view just online members by visiting the "Online Now" section of the Zoosk main menu. Similar to the search, this lists all members online, but you can only view one at a time. As with the search, it displays all of the same information, and you can access their full profile, smile or like them, as well as send a live chat message.

Exploring Member Profiles

On Zoosk, profiles emphasize personality over looks, with sections explaining one's interests, story, basic details, perfect match, and ideal date. With Zoosk's app, users can add credibility to their profiles by verifying their photos, social media accounts, phone numbers, and military service.

How Zoosk matches people is what makes it stand out as a dating site. Only five questions are asked by the dating site including dating someone with a child or have your matches be part of certain religions only, etc.

After that, the system uses user behavior to determine a single person's dating preferences. The Behavioral Matchmaking system takes into account profiles the user clicks on and likes and then finds similar profiles to recommend.

Navigating The Website/App

Zoosk has a unique platform which uses different ways to match members with one another. We’ll walk you through what to expect from each matching tool. We’ll be highlighting the Carousel, SmartPick, and Dating Insights part of Zoosk.com.

Carousel

  • Easily connects like-minded singles. The Carousel has three sections, Play, Interested, and Mutual
  • You are shown a picture of a member and their age, and asked if you would like to meet them. You can answer "Yes," "Maybe," or "No."
  • Choosing 'Yes' or 'Maybe' will inform the other member that you are interested in meeting them and ask them if they are also interested in meeting you. Choose 'No' if you are not interested in meeting the person and move on to the next one.
  • In the Interested section, you can view anyone who has said "Yes" or "Maybe" to your profile photo but you have not yet answered the question about them.
  • You and the member have both said 'Yes' in the Mutual section. This is considered a match between both of you.
  • When you and another member say yes to each other, you can then use Zoosk coins to unlock each other's profiles and begin interacting
  • Instant Crush
      - You can let someone know you have a crush on them rather than just         saying  "Yes"
      - Because of this, you will be highlighted in their search and 5 times more likely to start a conversation
     - Only allowed five a day
     - A subscription is required
  • With a subscription, you also get Undos, which allows you to go back and change a 'No' into a 'Yes'
  • You can earn Zoosk Coins by saying 'Yes' or 'Maybe' as you use the Carousel. You can earn up to 40 coins per day this way.

SmartPick

  • Zoosk's Behavioral Matchmaking technology lets you view singles one at a time which Zoosk thinks you'll really like
  • The potential matches SmartPick shows you are based on your votes. Tap or click on the Heart icon to approve the match or on the X to reject it. The more information SmartPick gathers, the better matches it can recommend in the future
  • SmartPick Survey
      - You must complete a short survey about your match preferences before receiving any smart picks
      - You are asked five questions about who you would date.
         - Someone who smokes
         - Someone who is divorced
         - Someone who has a child
         - Someone of a certain ethnicity
         - Someone who is of a certain religion

Dating Insights

All your matches from a range of Zoosk tools in one place. This includes the SmartPick automated matches that use Zoosks behavior-based matching technology along with the Carousel matches

In addition, you will find matches based on your search patterns (Who You Like) and matches based on the search patterns of other members (Who Likes You).

The more you use the service, the better your matches will be

Membership Types

Zoosk members who viewed your profile, send likes and smiles, use the Carousel and send messages to paid members with a premium messaging feature added.

The other type of membership is the Paid Plan. As a Paid Plan member, you get to enjoy all the benefits of free members PLUS read messages from other members, see the people who have sent you Smiles and Likes, use SmartPick introductions, send as many messages at once (also called Super Send) and see the member profiles who have viewed you.

Paid
 Members

1 Month

3 Months

6 Months

12 Months

Cost Per Month

$29.95/month

$19.98/month

$12.50/month

$12.50/month

Membership Add Ons

Upgrades are premium features not included in a standard subscription. Adding each of these features will cost you extra, and you will be asked if you want to include them when you pick your subscription plan.

Premium Messaging

Free members can reply to your messages without subscribing. Up to 7 times more people can respond to your messages and free members are able to initiate conversations with you.

Instant Crush

Using the Carousel to find matches, you can select 'Instant Crush' and tell the member you have a crush on them. A crush is five times more likely to initiate a conversation than a regular "yes" to a match in the carousel. Your profile is also highlighted on that person's searches so you get more chances of exposure than others. Take note, this can only be used up to 5 times a day.

Hide & Seek

Allows members to control the attention they receive with three levels of visibility

  • Hide
     - Hide your profile so that only those you message can see it
  • Seek
     - Make yourself fully visible and let people know when you are viewing them
  • Sneak
     - Check out people without letting them know when you are looking at them

Coins

For a cost, Zoosk also provides a virtual currency called Coins that allows you to unlock and access premium features that will help you stand out. Some of these features could be enjoyed by free members by purchasing the virtual currency.

You may also earn Zoosk Coins for free when you invite friends to join Zoosk, follow and like the Zoosk Facebook page, install their mobile app, participate in special offers such as trial memberships, subscriptions, and surveys, and sometimes you earn Zoosk Coins by saying “Yes” or “Maybe” to matches in Carousel.

Here are some of the Premium Features you can purchase using Coins:

Boost

  • Boost highlights you in search results, messages, and the Carousel of other people who are interested in you
  • Members receive an average of three times more views when they Boost
  • The more you boost, the more you will be highlighted

Invisible

  • View and browse other members for 30 minutes without them knowing
  • Unlock Carousel Matches
  • If you want to connect with a match from Carousel, you can unlock his or her profile with Zoosk Coins

Virtual Gifts

  • With Coins, you can give someone a virtual gift. This is an image that is included with a message and the images include a box of chocolates, flowers, a kiss, jewelry, etc.

Message Confirmations

  • When your message is sent, you'll receive a notification letting you know when it is opened.
  • This is only available for paid subscribers

Zoosk Great Dates

Zoosk Great Dates, launched in late 2021/early 2022, is a pretty innovative concept in virtual live dating. Zoosk lets you connect with someone through video chat when you want to go on a virtual date. In addition to seeing the other person on the screen, you are also shown a unique place in the world. You can both decide where you want to go on this virtual date and what you want to see next.

It might sound a little strange, but it actually works pretty well. You check out unique parts of the world virtually while talking about what you're seeing with your new partner.

  • Interactive dating, first of its kind
  • Japan, Italy, and Greece are all possible destinations
  • Launched on December 6, 2021
  • With a regular subscription, it's free
  • A unique way to connect with someone new from the comfort of your own home

Zoosk Live

Following recent world events, video dating has become the latest craze, and we're starting to see it integrated into platforms directly. It was first done by eHarmony, but Zoosk has now joined the craze with Zoosk Live!

Zoosk claims that their Live feature is used by more than 10,000 users every day! Zoosk Live lets you 'go live' by sharing a live feed from your phone or computer where other people can watch, chat, and send messages. If you love TikTok, Facebook Live, or any other major streaming platform, you'll probably love this feature.

Conclusion

In terms of a good dating option that perfectly balances effectiveness and affordability, Zoosk is the best choice. There are plenty of tools available to help you find that special someone. It should be enough to make you excited about the site that there are over 35 million members sending over 3 million messages a day.

Take advantage of the free membership and the features that come with it. Sign up and start searching for singles in your area. Upgrade to a paid account if you see people you may be interested in. Mingle and date with like-minded people and give Zoosk's new features a try. They have a lot to offer.

Visit Zoosk.com