Why dating apps can't beat the personal touch in the search for long-term relationships

First came the websites. Then, with the spread of smartphones, came a slew of mobile dating apps, from Blendr a couple of years ago to Tinder and Paktor, which were all the rage this year. But as popular as they've been, the apps operating on rudimentary data such as age, gender and proximity or location, have served primarily as platforms for young singles seeking to kill time and broaden their dating pool.

Despite the proliferation of sites and apps, some singletons find they don't quite measure up to traditional dating services, which act as coach, image consultant and event organiser.

An African graduate student at a local university has mixed feelings about Tinder. The 28-year-old signed up with the service about six weeks ago as he had yet to find his feet socially after arriving in Hong Kong in August.

"I wanted to branch out from the international students circle to build a network of local friends," he says.

He met a Chinese girl on Tinder and they chatted online for about a week before meeting in person. But rather than hang out at a cafe, she insisted on going to his place, he says. "One thing led to another. In the end, she was saying something about liking black guys and stuff.

"Tinder is good when I can meet nice and interesting people. But it's bad when I wind up with gay men and nymphomaniacs asking uncomfortable questions."

The hit-and-miss results from basic apps have prompted consumer research consultant Chow Yu-yan to come up with her own version, TagDates, which she describes as a more refined way to bring people together.