The world and his brother — well…the media, at least — has gone Bitcoin crazy in recent times, and the latest company to cash in on that attention ride that wave is dating site OKCupid, which is now accepting payments in the digital currency.
The newest addition to the growing list of companies to support Bitcoin — which includes Reddit, Mega, WordPress.com, Expensify, Namecheap, the Internet Archive, and countless others — the dating site has partnered with Y-Combinator-backed Coinbase, a platform for buying and selling the digital currency, to expand its payment options.
The basic OKCupid service is free, but its 7 million users can now buy the $10-per-month premium ‘A-List’ subscription using Bitcoins.
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OKCupid’s user base isn’t exactly the kind that you’d think is familiar with or already dabbling in Bitcoins, and there’s a real irony in allowing an anonymous currency to be used on a dating site — where trust is a big factor — but the fact that OKCupid is making this move demonstrates the mainstream attention that digital currencies are receiving right now.
Coinbase is, unsurprisingly, doing rather well from this focus. It was selling more than $1 million-worth of Bitcoins per month back in February and, with more sites supported by its exchange, and more attention given to the currency, that number is sure to have risen significantly; though it remains to be seen whether the interest in Bitcoin will remain, or if this is a passing fad.
If you’re still not sure exactly what Bitcoins are, or didn’t know about its recent fluctuations in value, you may wish to take a little time to read our primer from earlier this month: Explained: Bitcoin and its dramatic plunge in value today.
Equally, this in-depth post from September last year (yes — we’ve been keeping an eye on things for a while) is another good point of call for those wishing to learn more: Bitcoin: Alive and here to stay? Or slowly fading away?
Headline image via zcopley / Flickr
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