I just read a really interesting article about match.com today. While match.com is most definitely a secular dating website, it is also a very popular site with among the most subscribers out there. We don’t recommend match (stick with Christian Mingle or Christian Cafe), but we can also learn something about online dating in the process.
The article makes a few interesting points about online dating. The first one is pretty important. Our initial description of an ideal date can be pretty superficial… and sometimes not even correct. Match.com noticed (and has started building algorithms) that base matches on your clicking behavior and not on your stated description of the right date.
For example, someone might state that they are seeking a college graduate who is taller than 5’11″. In fact, this person might be looking at profiles of non-college graduates. Their behavior indicates that they are considering someone who is technically out of their dating parameters.
The second point I liked from the article is the prevalence of online dating in our culture today. It is everywhere and lots of people are taking part.
Christians should look beyond this site because it’s frankly a little bit too much like a meat market on Match.com. Casual hooking up is not the intent of most Christian dating participants, at least if you are truly serious about meeting someone of faith. In any case, it’s very interesting to see how advanced the algorithms of online dating sites are getting. We will keep you posted if we read about anything like this specifically applied to Christian sites. My guess is that the top sites will incorporate behavioral matching at some point in the future.
