An improved version of the quite known online dating software and social network SkaDate was launched these days.
SkaDate 7  is a completely new business software solution with a full set of up-to-date features for online dating and community web sites.

Now users may embed codes of favorite clips from any video sharing sources such as YouTube, Yahoo video, FaceBook, Metacafe, and others – it will save bandwidth and disk storage of a website, import contacts from popular email services like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, track replies in forum topics, use new interface for creating blogs and so on.
SkaDate 7 introduces the new core engine with excellent performance which makes uploading a web site’s pages on average twice as quick then before.

In the new version customers and their users will find a number of general improvements and several features rewritten from scratch.You can test the demo here.

Just as they launched the new version the company already has an update: SkaDate 7 Update – Build 7.941  (improvements for News Feature, Text Formatting, Smilies, Ajax IM, Profile Notes, Rate Photos, Photo Approve tool, Site Suspend and added three new templates).

SkaDate is a PHP/MySQL web software and it’s running best on a Linux server (some additional software – for video processing – is required). See the server requirements here.

To get a glimpse of their new version watch this screencast presented by Natalie Antonova.

Skalfa eCommerce  is the company behind SkaDate dating software and it’s based in Indiana, USA and Czech Republic (although some people say they are from Kyrgizstan actually).

©2010 MyTestBox.com :: web software reviews, news, tips and tricks. All Rights Reserved.

SkaDate is a social networking and online dating software platform supporting videos and photo albums. It can be seen here: www.skadate.com

Ska Date has been developed by Skalfa eCommerce, employing 18 dedicated programmers and support staff. They recently opened their representative EU office in Czech Republic instead usual UK. Besides dating software their other product line is Chuppo rich media applications, which are actually part of SkaDate.

Sites features are customizable from administration module, like Press, Search, Photo, Multimedia, Profile view, Events, Messages, Virtual Kiss, Friends Only Photos, Flash chat, Instant messenger, Photo rate, Profile Rate, Friends Networking, Polls, Ads, Tags, Bookmark, Blocklist, Chuppo Recorder, Forum, Blogs, Password Protected Photos, Profile comments and HTML usage in profiles.

They also offer a hosted version of this software. Check it out here

From administration module was possible to assign cost for each event or leave it as free service. The software supports unlimited membership levels allowing setup events for each level and limiting even the event usage per day or month.

SkaDate supports several payment gateways like PayPal, ccBILL, SecurePay, Authorise.net, SecPay, etc.

The navigation menu was customizable to each member level group so members will see only functions allocated to the membership level.

The administration module allows customization of multimedia and photo parameters, limiting the number of invitations, creating virtual kiss templates, enabling the friends’ network and customizing the profile fields which can be even dependent to each other.

Customizable watermark can be added to photos and videos to protect copyrights.

The product becomes with 18 layout templates and the customer can get additional templates free of charge from their website when those will become available free of charge. I assume that knowing little bit CSS the programmer can write their own templates for the site.

The site management has enough features including site statistics. Administrators can manage Events, Press releases, Featured Members, Polls, Tags, Affiliates, Forums, Blogs and Links page.

The ads can be setup separately to each activity page and are they appearing in top, bottom, middle, and sidebar or between the profiles.

The affiliate management system supports up to three types of affiliates with any combination of percentage or fixed fees.

The sign up process was simple steps of questionnaire and after validating the code, new member is able to search matches or invite friends.

Each profile page supports profile rating, bookmark or blocking the profile, adding to my friends, sending a message or virtual kiss and sending this profile for somebody else by email.

Users are able to customize profile by adding or removing objects like my photos, profile stats, friend list, comments, etc including four additional HTML objects. User is able to setup the profile background colour but not profile object background colours, which was odd. Repositioning the profile objects was only possible when removing the object and putting it back to screen.

Each user can setup their preferences like allowing only friends to comment profile and do blog posts have commenting option. Also notification settings, like all new messages and virtual kisses to be notified to by email.

Besides photos, there was possibility to upload multimedia files, record webcam or write a blog.

Video upload was easy and the system was converting perfectly FLV and MPEG files. Videos can be rated and commented, like in any video networking platform.

User can seek matches by filling questionnaire information and what kind of characteristics ideal match should have.

There was possibility to search members by those criteria’s, online, with pictures only or just visit the featured members section where members can be listed as details or gallery view having banners between lines.

From search results, user is able directly bookmark a member, add to friend list or block a member. When entering to member full profile, there was a possibility to go back search results or start to browse members again, which was nice feature not loosing the search results.

Users are able to create their own blog categories which can be active or hidden. Besides rich text, blog entries support pictures and links. Those entries can be commented even using the smiles but HTML code was not allowed in comments restricting spamming by SEO specialists.

Blog entries will be visible only from member profile and there where no blog Dashboard or blog entries search by tags.

Forum categories can be setup only by administrator, but users can reply to posts or create a new topic. Forum posts allow smiles but again no HTML code.

How many posts will be shown in page was customisable for each page view.

Forum content was searchable by categories with nice search box.

Videos where listed by most popular per views and from video page there is possibility to rate and comment it. Previous comments and person other videos where listed also with embedded video share code to use this video somewhere else.

For online users you are able to initiate instant chat when this user is online with audio and webcam support. Webcam and audio quality was extremely good even those where in small boxes. The chat starts with “Ping” notification on so you should go setting and check “Sound notifications” off if you do not want to hear “Ping” all the time somebody have typed something to chat box.

Chat room was using same Chuppo Chat software for several users and rooms. Even video boxes can be initiated between users in chat room for private discussions.

Users are able to setup font colour and style (bold, italic) but not the font which was the feature I loved and send smiles in the chat room. This restricts somebody to enter in with Gothic size 26 or 36 font or talk with icons only.

Sending message to someone can be done from the person profile and besides text; users are able to include smileys. It has been implemented as small pop up box and after pressing “Send” I got a verification “Readable message has been sent”?

Users are able to manage posts from their mailbox, including blocking users but unable to sort posts to folders.

Conclusion
SkaDate is a working online dating software platform with rich multimedia features. I found it sometimes too technical for novice internet user but in same time it was enough powerful to provide lot of functionality and restricts misuse. From developer you can either purchase the managed solution ($295 setup and $95 monthly) or source code license for $795.
———————————————
Veiko Herne is lifetime entrepreneur, currently working as Independent Consultant with over 30 years experience in IT and starting his activities in Internet since 1993. After establishing and managing one of the most successful IT companies in Estonia after the collapse of Soviet Union, he later managed worldwide interest to his analytical financial accounting and HR management software packages from New York until September 11th. He is currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
———————————————
SkaDate PHP Dating and social networking Software

©2010 MyTestBox.com :: web software reviews, news, tips and tricks. All Rights Reserved.