Finally, a TED Talk about online dating that I wholeheartedly endorse! I actually heard this talk first on NPR’s How to Do Everything podcast; I’m glad to see it’s getting a wider audience. Hannah Fry has done an amazing job of presenting online dating data in a realistic and fun way. Her TED Talk “The mathematics of love” is seriously …
Some pre-Valentine poetic advice
Hi y’all! Ready for your annual reminder of my thoughts on Valentine’s Day? 🙂 1) Valentine’s Day is a made-up corporate bullshit holiday that puts enormous unnecessary pressure on both single and non-single people! [icon-heart] 2) It’s really fucking hard to get a reservation! [icon-heart] 3) As Dan Savage likes to point out, it’s kind of high stakes to go …
Ye Olde Tyme Usernames
Over the weekend, Grant was Googling something random and came across this PDF of Old English trade names and descriptions. I’m a linguistics BA who loves geeky creative portmanteaux and playfully pretentious references, so I immediately proclaimed that these would be a fantastic source of online dating username inspiration for a certain geeky set. I think they’d work best on OkCupid, …
OkCupid removed unpopular questions
Tons of my clients use OkCupid, and sometimes I have access to their profile backends for when we’re working on new writing, or when I need to see detailed info on their messaging or browsing history. The other day, I was working with one such client and I noticed something weird. Two specific questions seemed to be missing from his profile: …
Seth on the name “OkCupid”
Haven’t we all pretty much thought this since we first heard about OkCupid? 😉
The mere myth of compatibility
When I saw the latest blog post from OkCupid yesterday, I eagerly devoured it along with most of the internet. This isn’t just personal for me, obviously—understanding and dissecting how major dating sites function is a core part of my business. Let’s start with some links, shall we? You know, for those who like to be over-informed. 🙂 We’ve got …
Online dating coaching vs. outsourcing
”Last week my pal Kate tweeted me this delightful link: I told you it was really gross dating tech guys in Seattle (cc: @askvirginia) http://t.co/cf7h2bYjhY — Kate K. (@kateseventy8) July 11, 2014 For now, let’s ignore Gawker’s weird graphic, and also put the issue of dating tech guys in Seattle on hold. I can guarantee that they’re not all gross—after all, …
NYC’s ‘most popular’ straight gal weighs in on OkCupid
Remember that piece a couple months back about NYC’s most messaged singles? The straight gal from that roster wrote a thoughtful follow-up post on xoJane. Lauren Urasek was forthcoming about the ups and downs of being popular on OkCupid. She, like anyone, winds up going on first dates where she wishes there was a second one but the other party …
Learning from NYC’s most popular singles
NY Magazine ran a fascinating interview with NYC’s four most popular OkCupid members—a straight gal, a straight guy, a gay gal, and a gay guy. Check out these (clearly highly stylized) swanky portraits: I urge you to read the entire piece. It’s fun! But if you want to skip right to the practical takeaways, here are the tactics we can …
“Not OK, Cupid”
Did you guys hear the most recent episode of This American Life? The first act is called Not OK, Cupid. It’s an excerpt from BJ Novak’s new book of short stories, One More Thing. This was a terrific piece of fiction, with excellent acting from Alison Brie and Tunde Adebimpe. My only complaint is that I get a little sick …