Go, go speed dater!
A few observations about SpeedDate.com
My impression
SpeedDate.com is a really interesting site. It’s a little broken, based on the number of “Date ended for unknown reason” - they can’t ALL be hanging up on me on the first second, right? 
I do hold a solid 7.6 on Hotornot for my non-pro pictures, so I am not that hideous looking.
SpeedDate.com decided to create a very advanced site that functions more like a desktop application, but that also makes it a bit more difficult to use with hefty technical requirements. Take this from a computer expert.
While my gaming rig (P4, 2.8GHz, 3GB RAM, Windows Server 2003 SP2) had no problem with the site, my bedroom laptop (P3, 700MHz, 384 MB RAM, Windows XP Pro SP2) literally choked on their buddy list feature by consuming 100% of my CPU. It didn’t choke on flash, as one would erroneously assume. It choked using Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0.0.13, and Firefox 3b4 with latest flash on all of them! In other words, no matter what I used, my bedroom computer would essentially die as soon as I logged in and activated the buddy list, which happens automatically upon login.
When it works, however, the site works very nicely. If you setup your audio and video in the flash settings correctly, the other person will be in for a treat. Some webcams come with built-in microphones and you need to know how to select it in flash microphone settings.
The site lets you see your audio performance through its display of blue squares. You will be heard if your blue bar reaches at least 3/4 of the way. If she has a microphone active, you’ll see blue squares on her screen as well.
I think it is the way of the future and once the site matures we’ll be having even more fun.
This totally free site does not censor member-to-member offsite communication. I can actually share my Myspace, Facebook, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM, ICQ, etc. information without having to resort to obnoxious anti-censorship techniques.
How to succeed on SpeedDate.com
You really just need to know a few things. When you are connected, the person’s profile is not always entirely visible on the screen. This is one site where having a long-winded profile may not work to your best advantage. It’s also complicated to see the person’s profile and chat at the same time because the profile is shown as a DIV overlay on top of everything. It’s a case of too much technology and not enough UI expertise.
Put your most valuable information in the top part of the interests section. If you want to highlight that you cook well, for example, put that information near the top. If you say it at the bottom, chances are it won’t be read. It’s hard to both read the profile and chat with the other person in real-time.
Scrolling the screen while attempting to keep up with the conversation can be tricky. Most girls do not have webcams. While the site features a way to send messages to members, that basically adds them to your buddy list and not much else.
Video is a powerful way to make a connection, but really you should make a quick connection using the site and then switch to Skype. Skype makes videochatting painless and setup-free. The on-site chat is… Not up to the par of Userplane’s offerings.
I’ve only run into fewer than 10 girls with a functioning audiofeed and a couple with working webcams. My sample size is over 100 and my current buddy list is about 40 girls globally. That’s pretty good odds. Out of those 40, I would go out with a few if they were local enough. A couple are worth a quick flight.
Attempting to text chat in under 3 minutes is tricky. Get done with pleasantries quickly and take control of the conversation. Ask open-ended questions that require thought. I love to ask “What is your idea of fun?“. It focuses the conversation on her, which is good. She’ll give me enough information to ask a few more related questions. “So, how did you get started playing water polo?” If the answer to the “What is your idea of fun?” question bores me, I’ll say “Thanks for your time” at about 2:50 on the clock. I do not recommend hanging up on your dates before 3 minutes are up. That really destroys self-esteem and we don’t want to contribute to that problem now, do we?
No censorship is good! Do yourself a favor and get out of their web chat interface as quickly as possible. It served its purpose to get your acquainted, but staying in it for hours at a time without chat history and other standard features of today’s IM technology is simply not optimal. I strongly recommend Skype for video conversations, but just ask her if she hangs out on other IM networks or has Myspace or Facebook.
The site doesn’t have a lot of users yet, but it has a Facebook application and is growing nicely. Expect the numbers of users to increase. Be an early adopter and enjoy!
Flirting
The site features a “flirt” feature. It’s still fairly crude, but more effective than clicking “skip” on your short list of matches. Click on “Members - All members” or “Members - online members”. It’ll be sorted by distance.
You will have the option to ask the girl to add you to her buddy list without going through a speed date with her first.
As always, good pictures are key. I think the aspect ratio on this one is either 3:2 or 4:3. I’ll correct this post when I measure that. The ratio is indeed 4:3 for your profile picture and 1:1 for your icon at the top of your own buddy list.
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