In the wonderful world of Facebook APPs one has risen to the top of the pile – Zoosk.com. Zoosk, based in San Francisco, calls itself a social dating community and has grown more than 16.5 Million users since its launch in December of 2007. With over 1,500 Facebook dating applications it is a pretty crowded vertical for Apps. I can see how website applications like Hot or Not took off on Facebook Apps but I just don’t get how Zoosk made such a run out the gate in such a small amount of time. Zoosk was funded by Amidzad, a technology startup incubator for over 100 companies in Silicon Valley. The Zoosk Platform runs as an application, widget, and embedded feature inside social networks like Bebo, Facebook, Hi5, Friendster and Myspace.
After launching on December 21, 2007, Zoosk boasted 1.8 million installs, with daily traffic ranging in the neighborhood of 200,000 users and 2.5M uniques per month. A lot of growth came on the social networks from the viral mechanisms like invites, access to news feeds, share app to a friend, etc.
In January 2009, nearly 100,000 new users have joined Zoosk each day. New user growth was driven largely among the Facebook community. In addition, 20% of new users joined Zoosk through its website at http://www.zoosk.com. Zoosk is one of the only social dating sites that allows users to seamlessly connect across multiple networks, meaning a Facebook user can interact with a MySpace or Bebo user. Zoosk claims to have made more than 228 million connections for its users already. Users can send messages to others through a wink or a flirt for free. When users send a flirt, they also have the ability to attach a virtual gift, such as a rose or flower bouquet. Virtual gifts are available for purchase with “Zoosk Coins,” which users can buy through Zoosk’s online store.
Zoosk’s Premium Membership allows you the unlimited ability to respond to any flirt, be contacted by any Zoosk member, and can see who has viewed their Date Card. Upgrading members also get premium placement throughout the network, which results in more visibility and ultimately more connections. A Premium Membership will cost you $24.95 per month, with 3-month and 6-month memberships available at discounted rates.
“We receive stories everyday from users who share with us how Zoosk has made it easy for them to meet and connect with someone special for a date or long-lasting relationship,” said Mehr, CEO of Zoosk. “Many never expected they would find a love interest through a social network, but Zoosk’s unique ability to connect people within the context of their online social networks makes it not only possible, but fun, to meet others in that way.”
Zoosk won the 2009 People’s Choice Open Web Award in the “Dating and Romance” category. The application is very easy to use and to search through thousands of photo profiles with their zip code search which shows how far in miles each user is to you. Let us know if you have had any positive or negative experiences with the application and if you have met quality people on the site. I found it to be a very addicting site almost as much as Hot or Not when it first launched years ago. Visit the official Zoosk.com website or Zoosk Facebook App or Zoosk on MySpace (need to be logged in to view).
-Brian R.
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32 responses so far ↓
1 shittu yisa // Mar 25, 2009 at 10:24 AM
zoosk administrator closed my site without any notice or give reasons for their action.i believe this not good enough. i urged them to reopen my site and educate me on offences committed
2 loginrogerwilco // Sep 14, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Heh. I had no idea about these apps. Thanks!
3 Al Joulson // Jan 9, 2010 at 10:58 PM
Its metoric rise probably has something to do with those “big boob” advertisement banners they stick everywhere. Gawd, have ya seen those things!?!?
4 jonathan frodsham // Feb 26, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Zoosk can be a bit of a rip off. You have to be very carful if you have premium membership as it will automatically renew and you will be charged. On most sites that have a membership you can cancel on the same day that you signed up and the benefits of you membership will continue until the date expires. Not so with Zoosk: By canceling your premium membership now, you immediately forfeit all your premium membership benefits. If you wish to continue taking advantage of premium membership benefits before the next payment is due, cancel at a later time (before the next payment is due.) So you have to remember to cancel as close as possible to the cut off date. This is outrageous; I view it as a scam. Zoosk says this about it: We hate worrying about paying bills as much as you do. That’s why we automatically renew your membership so you have one less thing to worry about. Remember that you can always cancel your membership by visiting the settings page and if you are paying via PayPal, it is a one time charge and will not automatically renew. The above statement from Zoosk is crap, it is only another way to extract money in a sneaky way, but they can not do it with pay pal for technical reasons, if they could they would. They could easily change it so benefits of your membership will continue until the date expires, but they do not as extraction money from you in anyway possible is the goal. The other things to look out for is coins, it will top up automatically if you don’t turn the function off. Zoosk should have the auto-refill set at off, so it you wish you can turn it on. Zoosk say this: We want to make it easy for you to send gifts, unlock conversations, or send a special delivery to that special Zoosker. That’s why we offer the option to automatically refill your Coins balance when it reaches 10 or less, so you have one less thing to worry about. Remember that you can always un-check this option when you purchase Coins by credit card, or by visiting Settings, and then Coins to turn this option off after your purchase. If you are paying for Coins via PayPal or bank transfer, it is a one-time charge and will not automatically refill. One less thing to worry about, what crap, they are hoping you will not notice that you have to turn it off. The price of gifts is outrageous, some gifts are 750 coins, which could cost at the cheapest rate .106 cents per coin would be 750 x .01067= $80. At the high end it would be 750 x.1578= $118.42 that’s eighty dollars for a virtual gift at the cheapest rate. How zoosk can justify such an outrageous price for a virtual gift is beyond me. Its just click spend money, click spend more money. On premium membership all gifts should be free, and charging up to $1.58 for delivery conformation and special delivery up to $2.37 is another rip off. In short Zoosk is a money extraction machine. I sent them an email asking to explain but all I got back from them was a copy paste answer, which did not answer ANY of my questions.
5 Nora Saunders // Apr 2, 2010 at 4:25 PM
wow. sounds like a rip-off. I was going to check it out but never mind. Im not even going to waste my time.
Thanks for taking the time to review and post. You never know how many people you help.
Hey- why dont you start a “I Hate Zoosk Blog” or “Zoosk is a rip-off” blog. There are probaby thousands and thousands of you. Throw some ads up of BETTER services after expolring their payment terms & co. Become an affiliate of them and make some quick money….cha-ching!!!
Capitalize on that crappy ass service.
Nora
6 Oliver // May 9, 2010 at 5:22 AM
I couldn’t Agree more with Jonathan. Everything he said is true. The worst thing is there is no come back with the organisers. I was cut off without explanation but no doubt they will still try to continue my membership after the few months are up from my initial membership and I am now going to contact my bank to ensure zoosk can’t extract any more money from me. Nothing but a big scam. Do not waste your time!
7 Ann // May 9, 2010 at 1:12 PM
“some gifts are 750 coins, which could cost at the cheapest rate .106 cents per coin” which if you do the math is 80 cents… NOT 80 dollars.
I’m not a zoosk member but I just wanted to point out the typo before more people bought into the rant without checking the math themselves.
8 C Johnston // Jun 2, 2010 at 3:03 PM
I think this company is very greedy, After all they don’t do anything that facebook do for free, but charge you $24 a month! On top of that they censor your emails to make sure your not giving out your facebook address. It used to be good value a few years ago but greed has taken over!
9 ryan // Jun 20, 2010 at 5:01 PM
It amazing this site is in business and that facebook is a partner with them. This company is purely in it for the money and offers it members nothing to take advantage off. Please, everyone boycott it and maybe there will be change when there are no users left on the dam thing. No support for basic users as if there not good enough, those basic user if treated right might actually paid for membership. And then there bs scanning program (my guess gender basis) does not allow you to post fb, but yet it allows others. What a load of horseshit, is that another acceptable term of paying money to be on the site.
10 Steve D // Jun 22, 2010 at 12:04 PM
Zoosk is a ripoff. Going month to month, Zoosk is TRIPLE what Singlesnet is, and singlesnet let you have all the features for a few weeks, and you can cancel any time. The TV ads are very very very misleading.
Sure it is free. You just cannot do anything on it without paying exhorbitant money.
They will not allow you to put any identifiers on, teasing you, so you cannot read your emails. I am getting out, if they let me. I read on another website you have to pay them to cancel your membership.
You want a site just as good and 100% FREE? Better matches even? Go to OKCupid.com . Millions there, too.
Bottom line, do not believe everything you hear. On facebook there are pages and pages on Zoosk page congratulating all these couples who are engaged. I do not believe it.
11 Rich // Jul 2, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Yep, rip off! I found the add on Words With Friends. I thought it was free but then it asks me to pay when someone sent me a message. sneaky bastards. F Zoosk ! if you single hit me up..
12 James // Jul 6, 2010 at 10:27 PM
Wow, imagine someone in bussiness to make money, who would have thought of that? If you want something for free, go to craigslist people. I checked it out and read all the information they provided. A rip off is when you are sold one thing and delivered something else. Of course there is marketing hype, but all those of you who think it’s a “rip off” really just don’t like the terms of their service. Fine, find something that better suits you for the price you want.
13 Gandalf the Wite // Jul 12, 2010 at 5:56 PM
As already pointed out so well, not only is it pretty much a rip-off money-wise, but Zoosk violates personal privacy – at least as far as the facebook app is concerned.
I have not read through the fine print in the initial agreement when you sign up, but the privacy violation includes the following:
1) Impersonating you
2) Sending unsolicited emails on your behalf
3) Still using your profile when you have already removed their app
4) Targeting your facebook friends with emails saying you “suggest” they should use Zoosk because you are “so happy” with it. Most of my friends that received such emails unbeknownst to me were married and seriously wondered why I would think they would like the dating service!
5) The fact that they are sending emails to my facebook friends indicates that they steal the contact information to reach your friends and keep it even if you remove their app. I uninstalled the app about half a year ago. About a week ago, all of a sudden I am contacted by about a dozen of my friends wondering why I would think they would love Zoosk!
6) It is probably through shady practices like this that they are doing so “well” financially:
http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/20/zoosk-hits-40-million-members-eyes-20-million-in-revenue-this-year/
I highly doubt that 40,000,000 people signed up. I know some friends that believe an IQ test they took on facebook installed the Zoosk app. Once that happens, you don’t even have to be aware of the fact that they have full access to your information and can spam your friends as they please.
7) If you have installed Zoosk on Facebook, when you finally figure out what is going on, it is almost impossible to get rid of it. One friend of mine in trying to not allow Zoosk access found out that it had then installed itself. The only solution that I think works is to block it altogether. Go to the Zoosk page (just do a search in facebook) and on the left hand side is a link to block it.
14 larry fritz // Aug 4, 2010 at 4:29 PM
Yet another rip off site…They send women from hundreds of mile away.. They gather photos and profiles of people who do not have memberships and just keep taking your money..They do not answer emails and you can not get in contact with any one in billing
15 sean // Aug 6, 2010 at 3:32 PM
very helpful comments about scam aspect of this. I WAS a member of Zoosk and couldn’t figure out why nothing positive was happening. Try match.com or plenty of fish. sean
16 that one guy // Aug 18, 2010 at 2:03 PM
you know you can send messages to people for free and as long as you spell out the @ and the . in your email then they wont delete it. loopholes my friend.
17 Bill Compton // Aug 27, 2010 at 10:33 AM
I agree…a total rip-off. I was “recruited” from Facebook for $11.99 a month. I tried to cancel before the first month was out. This was not easy to do. When I saw the $100+ charge on my credit card statement, I redoubled my efforts to contact them and to cancel.
After a week a got a robot-generated e-mail, telling me that “a real person” would contact me in 1-2 business days. Another lie!
My credit card company told me there was nothing they could do, because Zoosk clearly stated that “moneys paid to them were non-refundable.” What a scam!
I intend to fight however I can.
18 Christopher // Aug 30, 2010 at 10:23 AM
A total waste of money. The site doesn’t work i.e. it looks and feels totally amateur and it’s (most importantly) totally ineffectual. Don’t waste your money.
Shame on Facebook for being associated with Zoosk.
19 Cheersbob // Sep 11, 2010 at 4:45 PM
Is Zoosk a scam? Are the advertisements or replies fake?
The jury is still out for me whether zoosk replies are for real or some of the profiles that i get responses from a real. I’ve bee a unpaid trial member and I am suspicious about scam dating sites that bait you with good looking girls and messages to just get you to subscribe. The practice would seem logically common sense to do.. after all if the member cant make up their mind lets do some underhanded practice such as bait them to join. At the rate these sites charge .. after 500 of these you will see the numbers stack up. Redhot pie an australian site http://www.redhotpie.com got caught out baiting members http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/325344/accc_takes_redhotpie_owners_court/ .. Heres where i think zoosk do the same thing.
1. I’m an unpaid member
2. I get replies – Flirts and messages from so called other members
3. surprisingly these are unlocked where others i see genuinely are locked (eg. their profile)
4. many times within 24-48 hours after not responding these “replies” become non members or disappear. I found the profiles moved to my trash box with “no longer a zoosk member”. Why?? so many times?? A new member ive never seen before comes on and 2 days later GONE?? C’mon guys .. these women cant be that quick .. time and time again.
5. The responses I received from so called “local” ladies staying in the same city .. the picture presented and the standard of English didnt match up. Lots of Gramma need changing, and never addressed my questions. Yes, one was linked to a Nigerian 419K dating email list I found.
6. The weirdest thing is ALL of the replies i have my doubts about NEVER appear on the list of people who have viewed my profile? yet other replies do. Is that strange
Anyone with other experiences of zoosk?
Theres some better free dating sites out there…
20 lb // Sep 12, 2010 at 2:19 PM
Zoosk claims new scientific matching similar to EH. Which to me = just as crappy. Also, shortly after I start conversations all of a sudden the other person is no longer a subscriber. What the what? Yeh, BIG money waster. Bye-bye Zoosk!
21 mervin // Sep 15, 2010 at 5:27 PM
You can actually cancel your zoosk account though (guy below said you can’t) just go to settings then deactivate, hale the people on zoosk haven’t paid and can’t reply I canceled mine yesterday. Oh well, thanks for nothing Facebook! Don’t download the chat thing it slowed down my PC!
22 Kamili // Sep 23, 2010 at 1:32 AM
You can deactivate your account yes but it still does not stop them keeping your details and using your pictures. Make sure to delete everything from your account before you leave! They have been using my details after I deactivated my account and a year later I am still receiving flirts and emails from them. How can this be so if the account is cancelled? They have stolen my identity and used it to make money. This is a scam!
23 Anna // Oct 19, 2010 at 7:06 AM
I believe the site is a scam as well. I am SO GLAD I didn’t pay. I am going to delete my profile. I believe they are sending me bogus profiles in response to my profile in order to get me to join. Then once it’s done, the “person” disappears. Heck no! I believe it’s a scam! All the comments have helped me to make a decision TO NOT JOIN THIS SITE!
24 motherofjessy // Nov 1, 2010 at 10:10 AM
I am a former Zoosker that received a full refund of all membership monies paid when company changes to the site left me unsatisfied after being a member for over 2 months. My refund was against company policy but when I presented my complaint, I received complete satisfaction and a full refund.
25 Karen // Nov 3, 2010 at 6:59 PM
I read the FAQ’s and it said a non paying member could receive and reply to messages sent by a paying member. This is not true. IF I receive notification that I have received a message – then a paying member had to have sent it… BUT it then says I have to subscribe to read it!
Zoosk is a rip off. I will stick with Match… at least it has a reputation and you can actually see the pics. Zoosk quality is total crap!
26 Allan // Dec 1, 2010 at 12:56 AM
When you send a wink you might get what is supposedly a reply which you have to subscribe to read. To subscribe for a month is $29, but when you click to pay, you find there’s another fee of $24 added to that….not fair.
After you pay your money, the reply turns out to be just a request for an email rather than a wink, so you write an email but probably won’t hear anything anyway….
I regret joining.
27 Sam // Jan 3, 2011 at 12:47 AM
I was attempting to buy just one month for $29.95, but right before you confirm the purchase, it said there is a $24.99 activation fee, which would then double the price. I also saw everywhere it being advertised that you can see messages for free..which u cannot.
28 Bubba // Feb 12, 2011 at 11:34 PM
One thing you can do as far as the activation thing that I’ve figured out… go in and fill in your card info and stuff but don’t actually confirm the order. Zoosk will then send you an email waiving the activation fee for a limited time if you were a subscriber before. Kind of shady, but it works! Then I just unsubscribe right after that and the month subscription keeps working until the end of your time, at least in the past it has.
29 richard // May 11, 2011 at 9:42 PM
the instant chat ‘add friend’ feature doesn’t work as i added SO many people and got less than half a percent accept rate. i also agree with the comment about the automated wink reply that can get you to initially subscribe thinking that you have a genuine email when in actual fact you don’t.
30 shaun // May 21, 2011 at 5:23 PM
they don’t even take money orders?
31 FlaniganCorcoran // Aug 27, 2011 at 7:26 PM
After reading some of the comments, I find that I am not alone in my dissappointment with the website Zoosk.com.
It is a rip-off. The customer service is terrible. They will bounce you for reasons they make up and yet others continue to exist which are obvious violations to their policies. I should have read the reviews before I signed up 7 days ago and now I am regretting ever signing up. Classmates.com was sued in a class action lawsuit. Maybe it is time for the same thing to happen to Zoosk.
Please, anyone reading this, if you haven’t already signed up for Zoosk DON’T. For those of you who have, I am sorry. But just think, someone, somewhere will file a lawsuit and all those who were unsatisfied can join in to bankrupt the owners of the site.
32 phil // Sep 16, 2011 at 9:00 PM
zoosk sucks i clicked 10 profiles one after another off my search and got 6 messages within 2 minutes all computer generated, most all of them said thanks for the wink tell me more, and when i winked i made sure they were not online but still got responses within 2 minutes, i called for a refund and after telling them that nobody will return my call
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