Written By: Tina Samuels
Thanks to the Internet and algorithm software, romance can be computed like any other mathematical problem. We might believe that love and sex is all emotional, but the people behind the largest and most profitable dating sites know otherwise.
They banked on the fact that romance could be calculated and so far, they've been correct. To the tune of more than a billion dollars a year. Singles have turned to the Internet to find love; so far it seems to have worked in favor of the happy couples and padded pockets of dating site owners.
Algorithms and Profiling
Sites like eHarmony use a detailed profile that allows people to input minute details of what they enjoy.
This can include everything from food preferences to favorite author. Profiles are scoured by the matching software to determine the personality aspects which will best match others on the site.
To help singles decide to stay and become paying members a few matches are usually shown shortly after profile completion.
In order to communicate with these matches a visitor must become a subscriber. The cost of subscription depends on the number of months the subscriber chooses.
During the time of subscription some sites guarantee members will end up on at least one date with a match. Enhanced profile matching has created happy marriages for many people on the sites, though there has not been long-term relationship studies determining average length of marriage.
The profiling and matching system depends on the site.
Some use a very complicated method, such aseHarmony and require a very in-depth registration process. Others, like PlentyofFish have a simple registration and profile. The cost of subscription seems to relate directly to the matching process.
Winnowing the Chaff
Sophisticated methods help keep spammers and scammers out of dating sites, though some do slip through.
Many women cite the reason they avoid video chats as some men try to turn the video chats sexual. Some people will turn on their camera and be in the nude. Some dating sites will 'boot' users that misbehave for a period of time and for the worst offenders – ban for life.
The video chats are often monitored so that deviant behavior and threatening behavior is kept to the lowest amount possible. There are horror stories, though the vast majority of 'bad' users are removed from the sites.
Online dating can be viewed as an advanced form of social networking.
It is a very specific type of social media where all users understand that the others are looking for some sort of relationship. This helps cut out the awkwardness of trying to flirt with someone on a social site that may be married or otherwise involved.
A sense of accountability is enforced by the need to provide credit card information and home addresses for the subscriber sites.
As technology advances, virtual dating may be the wave of the future.
About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on social media, small business, business reputation management, and marketing.
