Dating online is notoriously difficult for African-Americans. They’re the least likely person to be contacted on a dating app in most situations. There is a slim market, and it isn’t easy to find a match online.
Many apps have tried to solve this problem, limiting their members only to African-Americans. However, while for most people, there are dating apps suited uniquely to their interests. It’s easy to find a dating app for geeks, the LGBT community, pet lovers, and farmers; the list goes on and on.
Meld attempts to solve a deeper problem, dating for professionals who are African-Americans. This service provided by Meld is one of a kind. Now let’s dig into what makes it unique and what are the problems with this concept.
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Meld Dating App Review
Based in America, Meld has been in operation since 2014. It managed to make its way into some big new sites likes EbonyFlirt. They aim to focus on building long-lasting relationships rather than a hookup culture in the app.
The idea behind it as stated as African-Americans have the lowest response rates; they have aimed to create an even playing field. However, one recent development with this app is that it was taken off Google play and is available only on the Apple app store.
Professional Vetting
The process of joining this application isn’t as simple as Tinder or any of the other similar websites. First off, the app collects as much information as possible from Facebook, which some might find unsettling.
It also looks at all your connections. However, this is part of the process of weeding out the ones who are working professionals. Once it is done searching, you need to give it your Linkedin account information.
To check if you are working, Meld requires access to your Linkedin profile. If you don’t have one, this app won’t allow you to join. This process is to make sure the person meets the requirements.
The necessary conditions to be part of this community are that you are African-American, have at least a bachelor’s degree, and you’re currently employed. This process works to ensure the site has what you are looking for in a partner.
For security, Meld only does this to ensure you are a professional. It will never post or change anything on your Facebook or LinkedIn profiles.
Melding
Once the system has gathered all the information, the app automatically creates a profile for you. Now then it is time to mingle or ‘meld’ with the other members.
Much like most other online dating sites, it works around the like or swipe system. The only difference with this application, is it exchanges swiping for buttons with pass or meld on them.
It does display the right amount of information for a dating app. True to its words, Meld shows your work connections and work history alongside your personal information. The design is well made and uncluttered.
Preferences
Unfortunately, there isn’t much here in choices, which is one thing that could be said to be a weakness of the system. This is because of how specific of a niche this dating website fills. It can distinguish location, age, and gender. However, there isn’t a massive pool of people to choose from, due to the vetting process.
Pros
- The specific range of people
- Serious dating
- Simple to use
- Unlimited chat with the free version
Cons
- A small selection of people
- High level of information required
- No Android app
Paid vs. Free Membership Options
Meld has a unique relationship between paid and free subscriptions. The free members can view as many people as the random algorithm assigns to them. From what we can tell, it can range from 10-25 people per day based on the activity in the area.
However, if there are mutual likes exchanged, chatting is unlimited. Premium does have several significant advantages. The VIP Members can search for any number of people.
Other perks are they can see ten profiles of people per month who liked them. The final benefit is as a premium member; the person can turn off their visibility in the search in case of being too busy for a period.
Verdict
The idea is excellent, providing an excellent way for African-Americans professionals to connect. Unfortunately, this app hasn’t picked up that many people, and only in well-populated areas can many matches be found. If you are interested in the app, spend some time checking out if there are many matches in your area before paying for the premium version. However, if you are an African-Americans professional, Meld is the app for you.
