Review our startup: FlowMingle - Online Dating for the Social Internet

Get rid of the b&w stock image on the homepage.

Keep wording consistent: change "Complete our simple registration" to "Complete our simple sign-up form". On the registration page, change the "register" button to "Sign Up!"

Keep your logo in the top left corner of all your pages. It's nice that it gets out of the user's way after moving off of the homepage, but it's confusing.

Use a feedback form like the one on slacker.com (i.e. omnipresent) -- you'll be much more likely to get good feedback that way.

I really like the homepage design, but the content in the center of the page should be simpler and draw in users' attention (e.g. http://pixtures.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/mingle-process.jpg). You can offer a detailed explanation of your service after the user signs up -- or on the "see how it works" page... Or even just a little lower on the homepage.

Your homepage actually convinced me to sign up, but the "On your way to the MingleWeek" page is just plain daunting. So much text. No images. No simple instructions. Too much work before I'm able to see a reward. After I confirm my email address I should be taken to a page titled "Upload Your Photo" (i.e. no "Create Some Portraits") and there should be a big "upload" button in the center of my field of vision. While the homepage is really inviting, the pages after sign-up are less than inspiring.

The "Make a First Impression" page is cool. Make it easier to submit content. Don't even bother having multiple fields under the "Music" tab (i.e. Song, Musician, Album). Keep it simple: "Song Name" is enough. People will write "Song Name - Artist Name" in a single text field if they're so inclined. I would also suggest making all of the tabs omnipresent (e.g. http://pixtures.s3.amazonaws.com/misc/getting-to-know-you.jp...).

"Terms and Conditions, coming soon!" heh :)

P.S. Try to find a way to encourage a friendly atmosphere and community. That's why people visit social websites: the community. I would invite some of my friends to your service if there was a more compelling reason than "As the FlowMingle community grows, so do the number of people you can choose from." It seems like what you're trying to do is make a site geared more towards friends casually hanging out, having fun, and getting to know each other -- and I think that's great. Formal dating is overrated.

Cool concept. Good luck.

1. Most players are paid services. I think there is a good chance that whatever winner emerges will be a free service or at least free for 90% + of active users. The service is essentially better if it is free (network effects but more then that: You can take it lightly if it's free. It's serious business if it's paid) so any paid service would be in constant danger of a free clone emerging.

2. Let non-singles get involved. Encourage meddling. Set other people up. Introduce, create polls on who should be together. I dunno, something in that area. Maybe think along the lines of 14 yr olds instead of 30 somethings using a professional dating service. The former have fun. The latter do not.

3. Let people approach this from an angle. Just like in real life. Meeting in singles bars, via introductions, pickups etc. is only one way. Most people prefer meeting someone at work, meditation workshops or University. Dunno how you'de do that online, but it would be interesting if you could piggyback on ways people interact with each other online already. Facebook/Myspace is an obvious path. But maybe Digg, blogs, wiki editing, amazon reviews or even HN might provide a thread to pull on.

4. Be un-sleazy & you have an immediate edge (design looks right for this). That feeling that half the users are fake, that they inflate women or men's numbers... That's will be on users minds (good reasons too). All that damage needs to be mended.

5. Try to build in dynamism. However this is gonna work, I doubt anyone can predict the whole picture. Find some ways to let users find ways of dating online rather then handing them a system.

6. Let the kids show you how to do it. Maybe you should try & focus on getting dates for 14 yr olds. They might pave some sort of a path.

7. Maybe focus on the non market. There's a tendency to focus on those people that are having trouble. They're very goal oriented. There is a problem that they're going to fix. So many services are tailored around filling that whole. But there it might be easier to get earlier successes with those that will probably get a date this month anyway. You just fill the 'how'.

My main thought: I have to do way too much work before I can see the benefits to using your site. I can't see pictures of people or anything. I'm not going to fill out all of this information, upload pictures, etc with no idea if there are any hot chicks on there. Try and show people the value before asking them to make a time commitment.

Good name too. "Mingle" sounds non aggressive, laid back and cool... exactly what I want in a dating site.

I really see this being a success. I'm not flattering, nor am I kidding. Good Luck!

Your information is presented cleanly and looks good. I wasn't sure about the background at first but after a few minutes looking at the site I've decided I like it.

Heres what I really love: "We want you to have a date next weekend" and "Start on Monday, have a date by Saturday". That's a very powerful message, almost a promise, and if I had come across the site whilst actually looking for a date it would definitely make me spend some time there.

I like your idea too - it seems to make sense that spending more time sharing messages etc with a small group of people over time is more likely to yield a connection than searching a database of thousands of people and spamming them with requests to hook up.

I have bookmarked your site and will refer back to see how you do over time. Good luck :)

If I go to a dating site, I'm looking for people. As it is, I look at your site and get the sense that it's all about web pages rather than about people. (I'd imagine this might be especially offputting to women.)

I know you don't have any users to show off now, but I'm sure you could find some suitable stock photos.

* Why do I have to sign up using my real name? I'm not sure I'd want that plastered all over a dating site.

* As someone living in Canada, I don't have a valid ZIP code.

Some of the art could use some changes, but the core idea looks like fun! Perhaps you could also add something along the lines of principle components analysis so that you don't only use random groups from your area - you want to have a netflix kind of thing going on mixed with some truly random ones.

Good luck guys!

i wouldn't worry about the background. for every person you find that doesn't like it, you'll find someone who will. people are visiting the site for a reason. they probably won't even notice the background.