|
Finding true love could be a TV remote click away, at least for single Mormons.
A new free service from LDSPromise, an online dating company, and Comcast Utah allows singles to create video profiles that can be posted on and accessed through the cable firm's On Demand feature.
Viewers sitting in the comfort of their own homes can scroll through a list of names, click on one and see a film clip three minutes or so long of the person who might be The One.
"You are actually able to see the personality, rather than reading about them," said Richard Laub, 23, of Midvale, one of the first singles to try the Dating On Demand service. "You get a better sense of who they are."
Each clip ends with a code a viewer can use to see a more in-depth profile on LDSPromise's Web site (http://ldspromise.com). There, you can fill out your own profile and request a match. Access is free for a week, then users must pay a $24.95 monthly subscription.
Comcast launched a national Dating On Demand service in February, first teaming up with HurryDate (http://www.hurrydate.com). HurryDate works the same way as LDSPromise, though HurryDate requires those interested in making contact to sign up for its fee-service. A one-month subscription is $19.95; it offers a six-month free subscription to anyone who films a video profile.
While Utahns can submit and view video profiles posted on HurryDate, there is a potential drawback That guy or gal who catches your eye could turn out to be from New Jersey or some other faraway state.
That hasn't kept people from calling on the listings, though, which prompted Comcast Utah to find a local online dating service as a partner.
"We had tens of thousands of viewers watching" HurryDate, said Ray Child, public relations director for the cable company. "By far, it is one of the most popular programs [on] On Demand."
And that is proving true for LDSPromise, too. "We had over 10,000 views in the first two weeks," Child said.
Laub is one of a dozen or so single Mormons in Utah who have filmed video profiles so far, though Scott Johnson says interest is growing.
"Those who've done it are surprised by how easy it was and are really happy with the results," said Johnson, LDSPromise's marketing director.
Singles have several options for creating the video clips: do-it-yourself with a Webcam or home camcorder and then e-mail or mail the clip to LDSPromise; visit its office in Orem; or attend one of its single events where profiles are taped free.
Clips are edited to fit time constraints and a TV-14 rating -- no bad or suggestive language or innuendos allowed. The company will provide questions to help the tongue-tied or camera shy: More About You, What I'm Interested In, and so on.
LDSPromise, which debuted a year ago, is trying to distinguish itself in the online dating world by requiring subscribers to fill out a 250-question compatibility test it believes helps narrow the search for an appropriate match.
The test "is designed to filter out those who might not be there to take it seriously, but also to create a greater chance for Sally and Bill at compatibility than picking names off a site," Johnson said. The company also has clients follow a step-by-step process to get to know someone who has been identified as a potential match.
The company, founded a year ago by Brigham Young University psychologist A. Lynn Scoresby, has collected 15,000 finished tests so far, according to Johnson. He said LDSPromise is averaging 12 to 15 engagements or marriages a month.
Laub is counting on that success rate. Between work and school, he has little time to get out in the dating world. That's why he was willing to give the layperson's reality TV a shot.
"It's another way to meet new people, to broaden my horizons," he said.
Sign-up event
LDSPromise's next event is Oct. 29 at Jordan Commons, where it will host a free screening for members of the movie "The Work and The Glory: American Zion." %%Ken Mounarath monitoring videos from LDS Promise dating service on Comcast Cable's On Demand playback servers in Sugarhouse. Singles can record a video profile with LDS Promise and Comcast Cable plays them on the On Demand service.
| 
