Click here for love Video
Click here for love Video Transcript
[ Music ] ^M00:00:03
>> Hi!
>> Hi!
>> That's me, on a date, connecting through a webcam with Woo-man [presumed spelling] from Los Angeles.
>> What do I see outside? Is that a window or something?
>> Yeah, you see downtown San Francisco. It's beautiful huh?
>> You find a woo session and a woo session is basically, two guys and two girls or three guys and three girls who spend a minute a part talking to each other.
>> New as of October 2007, that's the jest of woome.com.
>> I'll do it in the afternoon. Open a session, take a little five-minute break and you can meet three new people.
>> Unlike more established dating sites, webcam sites like this one, SpeedDate.com and camlink.com require very little personal information to get started. First: A username.
>> Cali-k.
>> Cali-k. Then an email address, zip code and a picture.
>> That's pretty good.
>> Do you think that's okay?
>> We'll see.
>> And finally, your birthday and a brief description of your looks. I'm 22-years old and I'm smokin'.
>> Smokin' yeah?
>> You're making my day.
>> This is like, you know 56 of eHarmony. eHarmony takes about sixty-minutes. This takes 30 seconds and then you can spend the sixty-minutes meeting 60 people. I thought you'd like to think about it.
>> World-wide there are more than 1400 internet dating sites. Given the market saturation, online dating Consultant Mark Brooks says newer sites are forced to innovate, both with concepts and technology. Want your avatar to meet mine? Try out OmniDate.com. Now, let's find out if our voices are compatible. Log on to LoveDetect.com. Another one of those alternate online dating sites is Crazyblinddate.com. It's only in about four cities across the country, San Francisco being one of them. I have caught up with two brave guinea pigs here, Abby and Karena. Now, you guys, why did you decide to go on to this website to get a date?
>> We figured it would attract the more spontaneous kind of person and this would be fun.
>> There's no pressure 'cause -- unlike other sites you don't have to give them information beforehand or decide to go on a date beforehand. So, it's totally -- you've no idea what's going on.
>> And we're together, so...
>> Yeah.
>> Prior to the date, you only get to see a pixelated photo of your match and can only communicate through texting with the sites Cupid line
>> ... and I are here.
>> Good luck girls.
>> Thanks.
>> Last year, the online dating industry raked a $900 Million. In five years, expect that number to double according to a recent Jupiter Research Report. Okay, we're about half an hour into this date and so far, things seem to be going really well. Now, unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside, but thus far, we've seen some high-fives across the table, lots of smile and no end to the date in sight. Not bad for a totally random blind date. All right, an hour is up and our crazy blind date has come to an end. Girls, how did it go?
>> It was fun.
>> It was definitely fun.
>> But I like that it was -- there was no assumptions going into it. So, it was like meeting someone in the neighborhood anyways.
>> How are the guys, any love connections here?
>> You first.
>> Well, I don't know, I'd go out with one of them again.
>> So, what do you think? Love connection with either of these two girls?
>> Uhmm, possibly. We'll see. People these days seem to just be more open to meeting people in great ways.
>> By next year, nearly, 12 million people are expected to pay for online dating and according to experts, that figure is expected to grow despite a stigma or the proliferation of free social media sites.
>> 18-24 does not point at dating sites, yet. They're our biggest, you know core users.
>> Uh-hum.
>> Because, we've shed of that stigma pretty effectively.
>> Crazy blind date thing is like -- takes away even [inaudible] stigma because it's just so random.
>> As long as people out there are looking for love, there will be a website to cater to their needs, desires, fantasies, fetishes, but hey, if that doesn't work, might as well give it a go the old fashion way. I'm Kara Tsuboi...
>> Wow girl, you look fine. Here, come on this way, come, come.
>> Reporting for CNET News.com. ^M00:04:21 [ Music ]
Related Videos
More than 1,400 online dating sites are operating worldwide, giving love seekers endless choices when tapping the dating pool. To make their sites stand out, developers are testing new formats, such as third-party texting, and new methods, such as Webcams, to help people make connections. On the eve of Valentine's Day, CNET News.com's Kara Tsuboi put herself on the dating market for the sake of experiment and shares some results.
Free third-party firmware can give your old router all new features.
Microsoft solving system crashes
ZDNet's David Coursey talks with Microsoft Research about new software tools the company is developing to prevent third-party device drivers from crashing its Windows operating systems.
From camera phones to Webcams, more and more people are experimenting with these formats. Combined with video-sharing Web sites like YouTube, anyone can direct and star in a film. CNET News.com's Kara Tsuboi explores the shift toward 'disposable film.'
Quick Tips: Date and time stamping on your Canon A550
Here's a tip on how to put date and time on your photos only when you want it.
Add ringtones and more to the iPhone
Using App Tapp, you can add all kinds of third-party programs to your iPhone.
Quick Tips: Get the old address bar in Firefox 3
If you don't like Firefox's new 'awesome bar,' here's how to get back the address bar you love.
Facebook announces widgets galore
At the F8 event in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook.com's founder, announces that the social-networking company will accept third-party applications on the site. CNET News.com's Neha Tiwari talks with Glimpse, Attendio, Uber, Bunchball and Plum about how they plan to display their widgets on Facebook.
Set against the colorful bustling backdrop of modern-day Manhattan, "Prime" is a romantic comedy about the trials and tribualtions of two mismatched lovers. Starring Oscar-nominee Uma Thurman as Rafi, a 37-year-old photography producer reeling from a recent divorce, who meets David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old painter recently out of college, "Prime" explores what happens when love at first site meets the day-to-day realities of an adult relationship. Oscar-winning actor, Meryl Streep, portrays Rafi's therapist, who also happens to be the mother of the man she is dating.
Bebo CEO Michael Birch unplugged
ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind interviews Bebo CEO Michael Birch at Bebo's launch event in San Francisco. In this video, Birch talks about how Bebo has opened its network to third-party application developers and how any app that's written to run on
