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 …

The Economics of Love, from NPR’s Planet Money

NPR’s Planet Money is a wonderful podcast. Their most recent episode is on matters of the heart. In the first part, NPR reporter Lisa Chow shares her online dating approach. The second half is economist Tim Harford answering questions about matters of the heart. And the whole episode was SO GOOD, you guys! You should totally go listen (or better yet, subscribe; …

Another math/data genius who “hacked” online dating

Remember a few months back, when Amy Webb’s TED Talk about how she hacked online dating went viral? Well I sure do; I still get tons of clients from my analysis of her strategy. And now we’ve got this Wired article about a mathematician dude who “hacked” OkCupid over the course of several years. You can’t blame me for analyzing …