Facebook will begin testing its new feature for dating and relationships in Colombia today.
Originally announced in F8 last May, ‘Facebook Dating’ will be available for users who are 18 and above. Unlike Tinder, it’s free of cost, and doesn’t include any advertisements or premium features.
Facebook Dating will be available within the mobile app and won’t be available for desktop.
Facebook executives say that there’re 200 million people on Facebook who identify themselves as “single.” That’s a relatively small percentage of Facebook’s 2.2 billion total monthly users, but a huge potential audience for a dating site.
This is a bad news for Tinder.
Tinder has 3.8 million paying users. Making $800 million a year from Tinder Gold subscription service. Facebook could top that number if they open for monetization. With just 2 percent of its 200 million “single” users, Facebook could be the world’s number one dating site.
Facebook makes $40 billion from advertising, represents 99% of the company’s revenues. Will that change soon?
How Facebook Dating Works…
Facebook Dating allows people to create a dating profile that is separate from their Facebook profile — and potential matches will be recommended based on dating preferences, things in common and mutual friends.
They’ll have the option to discover others with similar interests through their Groups or Events. However, what people do within the dating feature will not be shown to their friends.
