Matchmaking Goes Mobile with MatchMobile

Apparently singles looking for matches are starting to want more mobility and freedom. According to M:Metrics, 3.6 million cell phone users in the United States made use of a mobile dating service in May 2007 alone, a number that is expected to continue to rise.

To meet this demand, online dating service Match.com is launching a mobile matchmaking application for cell phones, which will allow its website subscribers to find singles and stay up-to-date while on the go. The dating service previously offered a limited version of the site for mobile phones which was used by nearly 500,000 subscribers.

To start out, Match.com will make the new service, called MatchMobile, available only in the United States, UK and Canadian markets. By the end of the year though, it plans to extend to nine more countries.

The service will cost users an extra $5 per month and MatchMobile subscribers will be able to receive and reply to e-mails from others on their cell phones. Subscribers will receive a text message on their phone when another Match.com member sends an e-mail. Another main feature is access to a search function that allows subscribers to find potential matches directly on a cell phone. Whether it is worth $5 a month will probably depend on how much a subscriber uses the site and how often they use it to communicate.

In an interview with Reuters, Match.com's Thomas Enraght-Moony stated, "If you are having a conversation with someone and want to continue it on the go, you can. It cuts out the waiting… As people become more and more accustomed to being able to do things while they are on the go, this becomes a more natural part of what they do."

Now, with over 15 million people using the online dating service, Match.com is expecting an even larger following of mobile users than its previous offering was able to generate.

With the world increasingly becoming more and more fast-paced and everyone always on the go, I can see this being a viable option for those individuals who are single and busy, but would like to start developing a relationship. What do you think?