There is a reckoning coming for all of these technology companies and platforms that are making business decisions without considering [their] moral implications.
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In that sense, it's interesting that Grindr has been running a campaign called "Kindr," or other social awareness campaigns that have been trying to shed a spotlight on members of the community who are typically disenfranchised on the platform. This kind of dating discrimination or sexual discrimination that happens on Grindr is certainly not unique to them; it also happens on Scruff. What kind of initiatives are you guys working on to make sure that Scruff is a safer place in the same way that Grindr has?
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I am pleased that our industry, more broadly, is shining a light on the issue of racism and sexual discrimination. I think if you look closely at what Grindr announced back in September, you will note that there are no actual differences in the app from the day before to the day after. That doesn't mean that there isn't more we can do, which is why this year, Scruff became the first gay dating app, and I believe possibly the first just overall dating app, to actually remove ethnicity as a default from our profile.
When you launch Scruff right now today, ethnicity is not listed on any profile.
It can still be included if you choose to as a member, but it is not listed by default. I can tell you that that change has been well-received by our community, and there have been no negative repercussions thus far, but we didn't just stop there. We have also been analyzing profiles here in the United States that include racial language, both "I don't date" and "I only date We've started looking at our profiles that include this kind of language and begun some initial tests where we actually send in-app notifications to profiles that include racial language and invite them to take a moment and to consider how that language affects other people.
It's not a warning — we do not imply that they have violated anything. It really is about taking a moment to consider the ramifications of your words in the same way that a close friend of yours, a brother or a sister, might when they see you perhaps saying something carelessly. It aims at educating users on behaviors that are not allowed within our platform, and it makes it easier for users to submit reports.
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We are also actively working to update our new user onboarding experience which will guide new members through their first steps of using Grindr, highlighting the importance of positive behavior when communicating with others in our platform. So you said, just to clarify, that you guys don't send a warning, but it's more of an invitation for them to reconsider language used in their profiles.
Does that mean that any racially exclusive language used on the platform is technically not a violation of your Terms and Conditions? So our Terms and Conditions are very clear that if you use language that is threatening, harassing, or discriminatory, we absolutely can and do take action to warn you and potentially remove the language or suspend the profile. We do it all it the time. I just also want to be clear: We regularly enforce those policies, okay?
We have made a very concrete product decision by removing ethnicity as a default option, and we are also trying to use our platform to encourage more conversation so that as a community, we can figure out the kind of world we want to live in. I imagine you have community managers who review these things. Is that right? We're a software company at our core. We use technology to enable this as well, and we've been using more technology to enable us to manage not only this issue but also spammers, bots, you name it. Another critical input to this is our community.
We follow up on the harassment flags. If you open a ticket with Scruff, we put that front and center in the app. It is easier to reach Scruff Support than any other support team on the internet.
And your support team is comprised of people of color as well as white folks? It's very important to us that we get a diversity of perspectives and opinions in our app and in our support team. In your opinion, why is Grindr so big? Can you provide any context to their kind of growing success? They were first on the market. They were simply first to market. Full stop. I imagine that some of the VC funding that they've received, including this acquisition in China, has only helped them, and that's a different road than you've taken.
No, I think it's actually going to be an albatross around their neck. At the end of the day, I believe this not just in our competition with them, but in our competition with all of the social platforms that people use: VC funding and the investor funding that they have received is leading them down a very, very dangerous and toxic path. It's causing them to be tone deaf to the business decisions that they're making and will ultimately undermine their users' confidence in their platform.
It enables us to make difficult decisions, like ripping out banner ads. When we did that, we lost money overnight. Scruff just cut off a revenue stream. If we were a publicly-held company, if we had received VC funding, we could've never done that. I would've been fired the next day! But it was the right decision to make for our community.
11 Gay Hookup Apps To Try Out On Your Next Travel Adventure…📱
It aims to be a safe and friendly environment where you can live your queer life to the fullest. The app is free and it just takes creating a quick profile to get you in touch with tonnes of guys all over the world. Wait, what? This is the largest gay social network in the world? Well, it was developed in China and the majority of its 27 million users are there.
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Internet censorship is rife in China and Blued is a way of getting around the banning of sites like Grindr. Its founder is a former policeman and committed to LGBT rights and we love that the network is now in partnership with Hornet. Although it might have been set up as a Grindr for straight people, there are now lots of gays using it; just set your preferences and enjoy the wealth of choice there.
Calling all bears, or fans of bears; this is the gay hookup app for you. Businesses might even use their Growlr HOT! Spot feature to give app users Pro features. This works in a similar way to Grindr and Scruff — you get matched with someone who catches your eye and then the two of you take it from there. What makes it a bit different is its aim of avoiding bigotry and negativity that can be found on other apps and there is subsequently more diversity here.
Surge is another like-Tinder-but-not app that proves useful when traveling again because it dodges the censors due to its generally low profile. The app actively encourages people to use it when traveling and wants to create a community worldwide, so why not be part of that? Right, Mr. Right Now or Mr. Traveling is a time to get out of your comfort zone, right? So download a hookup app and get exploring!
Take home a hot guy or a hot memory, not an STD.
Besides, you never know what other fun surprises your trip might have in store for you Now you're all set and prepared to explore our big queer world, why not sort out everything else out all in one go? If necessary for your travel plans make sure you have brought proper travel insurance , protected your privacy by getting a secure VPN , compared all the top hotel booking sites to find just what you're after, reserved an unbeatable rental car price and - of course - booked the best flight deals!
Or maybe just forget it all and go for a last minute cruise or effortless tour instead? Many gay travelers including us indulge in worldwide airport lounge access and pre-arrange airport transfers to take the stress out of travel. Just add an adventurous attitude and plenty of smiles - they go a long way - and that about covers it all!