Since we launched SCRUFF more than one year ago, many members have been eager to learn more about our feature road-map, supported platforms, and business model. With the release of our 2.0 version for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, we'd like to share a little more about the dynamics of our business.

First, thank you to everyone who has contributed to the launch of our new iOS version. Whether you posted to our Facebook page, submitted a support ticket, offered a suggestion on our Get Satisfaction forums, chatted with us on SCRUFF, or introduced yourself and shared your ideas in person, your feedback has helped us make SCRUFF better. This release is by no means the last--we have exciting plans for the service and a lot of great features to build--so please keep the feedback coming! A special thanks to the members who participated in our beta program, and who helped us translate SCRUFF into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Many of the featured members you see in SCRUFF have helped us in these efforts. 

Second, we are currently hard at work bringing our iOS 2.0 release features and more to Android. Android is a huge platform for us, and we’ll be starting a new round of beta testing very shortly. One of the nice features of the Android platform is that anyone can be a beta tester, so we encourage everyone who is interested to watch for announcements in the coming weeks and to contribute. 

Many of our members have inquired about expansion to additional mobile platforms, such as Windows Phone, or about a web-based version of SCRUFF. We plan to expand to new platforms in Q4 2011 or Q1 2012. The effort required to bring SCRUFF to new platforms increases as the service evolves; we want to be sure we bring an outstanding SCRUFF experience to each new platform. 

Finally, we'd like to provide some insight about our business model. To understand SCRUFF, one should first understand that there are two basic kinds of apps on the app store: applications and services. Applications provide you capabilities and features directly on your device. To-Do lists, wallpapers, or games like Angry Birds are examples of applications. In almost all cases, applications work even when your device has no Internet connection. Services are a bit different. While they look and feel a lot like applications, they also give you ongoing access to content that exists off of your device on the Internet. Pandora and The New York Times are both examples of services. 

Because of these differences, applications and services have different business models. In general, applications charge a one-time fee, like $0.99 per download, because applications have no additional costs and no additional obligations to their customers. Services charge subscriptions because they have recurring hosting and infrastructure costs that are necessary for delivering new content and keeping customers connected to one another long after the app is downloaded. 

SCRUFF is a service. At the time of this post, we connect nearly 700,000 gay guys worldwide, transfer more than 20 terabytes of data every month, and send nearly 25 messages every second. Given these demands, SCRUFF relies on some of the most powerful hosting infrastructure offered by Amazon.com. We actively manage, improve, and invest in an infrastructure that runs 24/7, and scales with a member base that grows by thousands of members per day. 

As a service, SCRUFF now offers two subscription feature packages for members with iOS devices: Messaging Pro, which enhances and extends the messaging experience; and Browsing Pro, which enhances and extends the browsing experience. SCRUFF delivers significant value at a price much lower than those charged by the previous generation of gay dating websites. 

We recognize that not all members are interested in or capable of affording a monthly subscription, which is why we are committed to maintaining an ad-supported* free version. We want SCRUFF to be accessible to as many guys as possible. 

We are humbled and privileged to have the opportunity to grow this community and to watch it evolve. The support and encouragement we have received from SCRUFFers worldwide in the past year has been tremendous. We deeply thank everyone who has been rooting for SCRUFF, and we look forward bringing you even more great features, events, and connections in the months and years to come. 

Cheers, 
Johnny, Eric, Jason and the gang at SCRUFF 

* Many members have been inquiring about an ad-free version of SCRUFF. We already offer an ad-free version on Android, and we have plans to offer a subscription-based, ad-free version of SCRUFF for iOS. At this time, App Store policy prohibits SCRUFF and other services from offering subscription features that remove advertising. We are working to come up with a solution that complies with this policy, aligns with our business model, and meets the expectations of our members.