Twoo Review
Twoo was launched in 2011 by Massive Media, and quickly grew to be one of the biggest sites in the world in the Personals category (according to a Comscore 2012 report). Twoo features matchmaking algorithms that connect users to others based on both location and interests. Users are worldwide, and the site is available in 38 languages. Twoo is also available as an Android, iPhone and Windows Phone app.
Most recently, Twoo has partnered with OkCupid in the U.S., but the sites still appear to be separate. When you go to the Twoo.com site in the U.S. to join, you are required to state whether you’re male or female; gay, straight or bisexual, and then if you press “continue” you are taken directly to OkCupid’s site. If you want to join Twoo instead, you have to scroll down to the bottom of the screen where it says “Continue to Twoo.com,” which can be confusing for users not familiar with either site.
More than just a dating or Personals site, Twoo encourages people to join who are also interested in meeting friends. In fact, one of the categories each user profile includes is relationship status – including those who are married or seeing someone. This widens the reach and user base of the app, but it also makes the intentions of why members sign up for Twoo a little murky. Are they there to date, find a relationship, to make friends, or is it a place for casual hook-ups to flourish?
Another potential problem for users of Twoo is that it has been labeled by some as a “scam site” for collecting emails and Facebook contacts, as detailed by an in-depth report from TechCrunch. The reason for this reputation is all in the sign-up process. When you join Twoo, you also agree to give the company access to your contacts, including all of your emails or Facebook friends (depending on how you decide to join – through Facebook or with an email address). It is a little confusing during the sign-up process to prevent Twoo from reaching out to all of your email contacts or Facebook friends. When I signed up with an email, all of my email contacts were listed and selected with checkmarks on the next screen, and if I clicked “next” instead of scrolling down to choose “skip,” I would give Twoo permission to send email invitations to join to all of my email contacts (though it didn’t explicitly state this would happen). I would need to deselect each contact first before continuing. There are several complaints about this on the iTunes and Google Play sites for the mobile app as well, though overall the app tends to get high marks from users.
As you can imagine, if people in relationships were using Twoo to hook up with others, this could be a potential problem if say, a member’s girlfriend or boyfriend were listed among the user’s email contacts. If your significant other got an email from Twoo, he or she might wonder why you have joined. While the site does state that it is intended for friendship as well as dating, the amount of men I encountered already in relationships or married was a bit surprising, especially when many of them had shirtless pictures or reached out to me knowing I had listed myself as “single.” This sends a signal that maybe these guys aren’t looking to be just “friends.”
What sets Twoo apart from the others? The sheer number of people on the site which keeps growing - especially considering the amount of people joining in such a short time since the site launched. According to their website, there are twelve million monthly members, and every day, over a million new connections are made “between real people.” It’s relatively easy to sign up, and members are encouraged to complete their profiles as much as possible to increase their visibility to other members on the site. Other options to increase visibility come with purchasing an unlimited Twoo account (giving you the ability to see other full profiles and communicate freely with members), or by purchasing credits to put your profile in the spotlight or to send a “message in a bottle” out to the Twoo community, for example.
The “Discover” feature works kind of like Tinder in that you are shown photos one at a time, and can decide whether or not to “like” someone. The more people you like, the more visibility you get in the process. “Search” allows you a little more control, where you can see members who are close by (you pick how many miles), your preferred age range, education, and whether or not photos matter to you.
Boosting your visibility is all-important when it comes to Twoo, and they do make you put some effort into it. For instance, when you press the “boost” button, it shows your visibility from “low” to “high” and offers suggestions for how to increase it. One of the ways is inviting your “friends” (on Facebook or email) to connect. Another way is to verify your photo by posing in front of the camera while making the “twoo” sign with your fingers to show you’re a real person and not just a photostock image. You can also answer messages, complete more of your profile, or purchase an unlimited account to boost your profile. While you can use Twoo for free, the real benefit comes from purchasing credits to help you reach more people.