Online dating and real-time search sittin’ in a tree, t-a-l-k-i-n-g. 2009-09-20
The other night I was watching Project Runway. (Ok. I admit it. I know I’m a dude, but I really like that show.). As I often do during the commercials, I flipped over to Twitter to see what other people were saying about the program. And as is often the case, some of the Twitter comments were really funny and insightful.
Sometimes I’ll join in and post a comment and someone I don’t know responds back or retweets it. I love it. I feel connected. And being able to connect with people while events are happening is truly the power of the real-time web.
Gelato is bringing the real-time web to dating. I might add a filter to my Gelato search that says “show me women, 25-35, near Austin, politically liberal, that have recently mentioned ‘Project Runway’”. I could then see what women on Gelato meet that criteria engage with one of them in a dialog while the show is actually going on. The equation is simple: shared interests + real-time web communication = immediate connection and conversation.
Maybe you don’t like Project Runway like me, or, maybe you’re a woman. So instead you could type in, ‘show me men within five miles who have mentioned animal rescue’. Or gardening. Or Twitter. Or whatever. If they have mentioned your interest in their Gelato lifestream then this is who will show up in your filter.
One of my frustrations with the other dating sites is how static they can be. The profiles hardly ever change. Like me, I wrote my profile on Match.com two years ago and I’ve only added a picture or two since then. When I went out on dates, I found again and again that we pretty much started at a very basic level of conversation, like, “So what do you do?” Dating aside, the great thing about Twitter and Facebook is that they allow me to have conversations at a more personal level with my friends when I see them in person. No more - “hey, what have you been up to?” Instead it’s- “hey, how was that trip to Europe?”
Gelato brings that more personal conversation to dating, right from the start. If you have just listened to the new Yo La Tengo album, your date will know that if you have added Last.fm to your Gelato lifestream. On your first date, you’re able to talk about the album instead of - “so what kind of music do you like?”
The realtime web allows for better dates and better conversations. Gelato is making that happen.
