Inside Social Games

To those on the outside, Twitter is a free social network and micro-blogging service used for online communication and sharing. To those on the inside, however, it is a whole new way of life – and one that can be very time consuming. Users write tweets, play new Twitter games, and follow thousands of people, celebrities, and companies. Consequently, the site has evolved into the Web’s new hotspot for social interaction.

As Twitter chips away at your time 140 characters at a time, developers have been finding new and interesting ways to exploit this limitation into short — but effective — applications. The latest trend to hit big on this social platform came as a surprise to ISG: The emergence of dating applications for Twitter.

There are three applications of particular interest that come up when talking about “Twitterdating:” bubble, Twitcrush, and Radaroo. Each one takes a slightly different approach to this online dating trend.

Bubble

Bubble, by @twitbubble, is perhaps the most curious of the three, since it’s invitation only. Although it’s not like trying to get into the hottest downtown nightclub, you do have to enter your email address and await your digital invitation to use Bubble.

The wait seems to be worth it, however. While it is no Match.com or eHarmony, Bubble attempts to help you match up with someone based on your tweets, friends, and followers, making it what Online Dating Insider dubs a “semantic dating engine.”

Twitcrush

Twitcrush from @missburrows helps break the ice, too. While it doesn’t locate people for you or match you up with anyone, it enables harmless flirting. In its cutesy fashion, Twitcrush lets you declare a crush on “three tweeple [you] <3 most.” And, of course, you can always find out who has a Twitcrush on you, too.

Radaroo

Finally, there is Radaroo. Similar to Bubble, this application has a semi-matchmaking feature based around its “profile” setup. Users send a tweet to @radaroo with their sex, location, and what they would like to do on a first date. This tweet serves as an example: “!FM, 90210, sushi, beach, movie, star wars convention.” The app then lets you search for singles that have sent a tweet based on your country or area code.

Are you going to find the love of your life on a Twitter dating app? Probably not. But they are interesting for some casual flirting and light dating.