Brittany Lawson is a mid 30s woman who moved to Charlotte a decade ago as a medical professional, and found herself, like almost every other QC newcomer every time, trying to meet friends, date, and hopefully find a significant other.
And also like almost everyone else, Brittany was disillusioned with the typical swipe style dating apps.
After dating in Charlotte for years, I found many drawbacks to the typical swipe style dating applications.
Dating on the “apps” often means talking about meeting for months until the whole conversation slowly fades away. Or spending weeks or even months conversing with someone only to realize you’re not compatible in person?
So many factors, other than appearance, affect compatibility and attraction. But these can’t be displayed with most online dating applications.
Brittany Lawson
Challenge Accepted.
Brittany spent the last two years working to create a new and unique dating app, LINKED Dating, which launched in Charlotte as its beta market this month. LINKED acts more like a facilitator than a visual match-maker. It’s designed to let you know when other like-minded, interested folk are in the same area and place of business as you are.
Life is busy after all, so why not meet potential partners when you’re already out with friends at an event or restaurant, working out, running errands, etc.?
Brittany Lawson
The Linked Dating app is designed to point you to locations where you are most likely to meet someone with similar dating preferences who is looking to connect with someone like you.
How Does LINKED work?
LINKED is an apple/android application with a live action map (retail and commercial locations only i.e. bars/restaurants, breweries, gyms, stores, etc.) showing active users who fit the preferences you’ve set. Instead of focusing you on various prospects to swipe, the LINKED dating app helps you find people who share your interests when they’re out and about just like you are.
You and other LINKED users will fill out your profile in a similar fashion to other dating apps ~ photo, birthdate, gender (if you choose), seeking what gender (if you choose), religion if you want, and what type of relationship you’re looking for ~ friend, friend with benefits, life partner, etc.. When you use the app and swipe right, you’ll see a real-time map of the QC with other LINKED users who fit your set preferences out at various businesses around town. Not at home of course. But say at Freedom Park, or the Harris Teeter (wine bar?), the Y, or a neighborhood bar or eatery.
You can also swipe left on the map to access a “hot spots” map that will show the same map but will reflect historical data of the last 30 days instead of a live view. The “hot spots” map will show total number of users, within your set preferences, that visited that location within the last 30 days. No user information will be shown on the hot spots map just total number of users within your set parameters.
This is how you can decide how many times a week to visit the grocery. Which restaurants and bars are worth the crowds and the wait. And whether Barry’s or Orange Theory is the better choice 🙂
Safety First
✦ Linked Dating will never show your location when you are in your home or residence.
✦ Your location will only be visible when you’re at a place of business
✦ You’ll be asked whether your location should be shared each time you open the app
✦ IF YOU CHOOSE TO SHARE IT, your user information will only show on the live map; user information is never shared on the “hot spots” map.
✦ There is a 20 minute delay between when your location is pinged and when it is shown on the “live” map
✦ Shared information including location can be turned off at any point with a click quick of the toggle “Hide my profile”
✦ Your user profile picture can be blurred by toggling “Make it Private”.
Security will be taken seriously and so will complaints of behavior that do not align with our mission, our terms and conditions and/or privacy policy. Any users violating the aforementioned will be blocked from using the application.
Brittany Lawson
Why a Charlotte Launch?
In the study of dating app successes and failures over time, one thing has become clear ~ in order for a dating application to be successful, density is imperative. The experience really only works when there are thousands of clients actively using the app in an area.
The reason I’m focusing on Charlotte, is so I can personally participate in local outreach efforts in order to introduce Linked to potential users in the area.
Casting a smaller net will allow for a healthy user population to develop, which is needed for the application to function effectively.
Brittany Lawson
What Happens Next?
The app launched so you can check it out and download it from the app store.
LINKED has a 30-day free trial period and after that costs $3.99 a month for basic and $9.99 a month for premium subscription services.
Brittany is offering a special charter membership of a year for free for the first 30 SCOOP users who register and complete their profile.
To get your year free on an iPhone, use the custom offer code “SKIPTHESWIPE23” for free access for a year after you sign up (last day to sign up for this year free offer is 9/1/23)
(On Android use the same promo code; however, Android’s max offer code duration is 90 days so you’ll need to request additional promo codes as yours are about to expire, every 3 months.)
I see Linked Dating turning into a multi-use dating application that aids in interpersonal connections whether that is romantically, friendly or business related.
After the initial coding is completed and the application success is gauged on a dating level, plans for a phase II build will commence in order to include a “find friends” focus map.
Brittany Lawson
