This is the email interview between Rob of aLoveLinksPlus.com and Jamie of Heart2Heart.com
-
Heart2Heart.com was first reviewed
August 2005. Read
the review here.
Rob:
How long has your service been bringing people together?
Jamie: The Heart2Heart
Network is owned and operated by First Media Group Inc., an established
leader in interactive technologies. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada and
operating in the United States and United Kingdom, First Media's
strength lies in their passion for their business and strong commitment
to providing unsurpassed customer care. We have bringing people together
since 1988.
What is your current membership and how fast
are you growing?
Currently over 1 million
active members and boasts over 100,000 unique visitors and gains
thousands of new members daily.
How will you maintain/increase your
membership?
We increase our membership
through proactive recruitment campaigns. We currently advertise online
by offering an affiliate program. We also advertise offline with
newspaper ads and television campaigns.
What feature(s) separate you from other
online singles services? Why?
We are innovators of dating
industry. We have introduced cell phone notifications, video and text
messaging, voice and video greetings. We also encourage our members to
get involved in their communities. We do this by promoting single events
in their communities.
Describe the
most popular feature members use at your service:
The most popular features
that our members use are video chat, text chat and profile matching.
There
is a definite difference between the most viewed, most popular profiles
on your website and the least viewed. Can you tell us what makes a
profile successful? What should someone be sure to in their profile
include to get the most out of their membership?
Make a commitment: You've
decided to dabble in online dating. Although it's easy to sign-up for
the service, attracting the attention (and dates!) you want is another
story. Create your profile with the same attention you normally reserve
for writing a c.v., completing a bank application or any other written
document that will determine your future. Your dating success depends on
it!
Market the unique you: There are literally thousands of other profiles
competing for attention online. How do you separate yourself from the
competition? Sell yourself to your audience. Put yourself in their shoes
think about what makes you unique and desirable.
Seven words or less: What is the first thing you see when you conduct an
online dating search? Your potential mate's headline or pick-up
line—whatever you want to call it—appears front and centre attracting
your attention like a beacon. Now, imagine this area doesn't exist? For
many online daters this is the reality. Oh, and here's another: no
headline, likely no response. Take the time to create a compelling,
unique headline that attracts attention.
Be confident and precise: What are the top three criteria a date must
have to make your cut? Make sure any "must have" criteria are published
at the beginning of your profile. Your ultimate goal is to attract their
attention. So, tell them what you want and make it clear for your
potential date(s).
Share the personal scoop: Be honest, clear and direct about who you are;
share some of your past experiences; divulge your interests or passions.
Give your potential date some personal insight into who you are, what
you want and whether they have what it takes to be your date. Maybe
you're a runner training for a ½ marathon or an auto buff rebuilding
vintage cars…whatever your interest, this is the time to share it!
Avoid lonely hearts syndrome: Think about your audience: do they really
want to hear confessions about past a) relationships b) lovers c) your
mother. We all cart baggage from relationship-to-relationship (hopefully
reducing the bulk along the way)—don't enlist your date as a porter. Be
positive and witty in your profile and show them what you've got.
Tease them, please them: You're writing an ad about yourself, apply the
KISS principle: keep it short and simple. Include fun facts about who
you are; what interests you and allude to things you've done (a little
mystery is always appealing). Another tip: in professional writing we're
challenged to "show, not tell." Instead of telling your audience how
funny, sweet and charming you are write a short story that demonstrates
these qualities.
And you ...: Open your profile with the three "must have" attributes you
need in a date. Follow this with a short snapshot paragraph of the real
you—using the "show, not tell" philosophy. In the next paragraph, take
the time to outline what you're looking for in a date. Use this
paragraph to capture, filter and qualify your date.
Close the deal: Let's say you're in the market for a new pair of shoes.
Likely, the sales person will close the pitch with a comment about the
designer, cost, durability etc. This close is tailored to the client and
plays to his/ her sense of fashion or budget. No, I am not saying in the
game of love we're shoe salesman. Fact is we have a much better product
to sell: ourselves. Close with an invitation to contact you. Simple
profile closers include: "Drop me a line." "Are you interested in
learning more? Let's chat."
Act like an editor: You've gone to the trouble of writing a captivating,
witty and engaging profile...and you're just about ready to hit
"submit"...when you remember to proofread your copy. Yes, this is
perhaps the most important step in creating your profile. I recommend
writing your initial profile in a word document, saving it and reviewing
it the next day. You'll be amazed how many errors you'll discover on
second review.
Remember when choosing a photo pick one that is current, appealing and
flattering.
Through an informal survey at
aLoveLinksPlus, two thirds of people that use online services believe
that member submitted profiles contain inaccurate or untruthful
information. Do you feel this affects your service? Why?
We can not offer a 100%
guarantee that some of our members give accurate information. We have
protocols in place designed to weed out those fraudulent members. To
activate our features you have to be a full paying member. We find that
this discourages members from being dishonest.
The
online dating world is continually in a state of flux as new
technologies emerge, such as wireless, social networking, video and
such, how will you compete?
We currently offer members
video greetings and webcam interaction. As for social networking, we
advertise public events on our websites to get our members to meet in a
safe environment. We also provide dating content across all mediums
including telephone, web and mobile (SMS).
What emerging technology do you feel will be
your key to success?
The keys to our success is
mobile SMS and video chatting.
What
is your customer service turn-around time?
We respond to customers
questions within 24hours.
Do you feel your service is a target for acquisition or merger?
No, we are owned and operated by First Media Group inc. We have been in
the industry for over 15 years.
What
does the future hold for Heart2Heart.com and First Media Network?
We anticipate the changing
needs of our loyal customer base, applying new technologies like web
video, television and mobile platforms to our product offerings. We
provide the best customer experience through quality products and
superior customer service.
Our market share continues to grow and strengthen from our continued
investment in technology, the leveraging of our existing and new
strategic partnerships, and our strong commitment to success.
For present and future
members I'd like to remind them to just have fun and treat people the
way you would like to be treated.
Visit
Heart2Heart.com - One of the best services we've ever
reviewed!
500+ Dating Service Reviews 
