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Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

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Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#11

Post by bravura »

In college, my friend coded an official "somebody likes you" webapp for the senior formal.

I had the email addresses for 1/2 the senior class (through an email that wasn't BCC'ed), so I wrote a program to war-dial his webapp.

I found out that, of the "somebody likes you" messages I got, three of them were guys who entered all their guys friends, to make sure they weren't being messed with. (And inadvertently messing with their friends in the process.) The other message to me was from a person I didn't want to date, and had to politely decline.

A few friends caught wind of this technology, so I ran the program for them too. Results were similar. I don't think there were any true romantic matches made.

My friend who coded this app never fails to tell this story when he recommends me to investors, with the best intentions. I hope it reads as YC-style creative rule-bending.

Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#13

Post by robgibbons »

gzavitz wrote: post #7
Yaggo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Yeah me too". Solution: "I'm serious" button after first match a.k.a two-step matching.

Problem: "I only marked the 'I'm serious' button to see if you were serious, I wasn't really serious."

Solution: "I'm REALLY Serious, and I'm an Asshole" button

Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#14

Post by InclinedPlane »

joe42 wrote: post #2

Not the first Facebook app to do this. For example (link now deleted, though), http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2334990 , which I remember because I posted this comment: "Oh, I just marked you/everyone to see if you had marked me, I wasn't being serious."

This is a fundamental problem in this area. Flirting exists for a reason, and that reason is because relationships are smooth curves not step functions. And the seriousness of relationship issues (which can easily be as heartbreaking as losing a family member) means that it's typically necessary to begin only with the most tenuous of bonds between people who might love each other.

Trying to force this subtle and enormously complex social interaction into a clunky machine is just asking for disappointment and failure.

Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#15

Post by InclinedPlane »

jessriedel wrote: post #10

Is there any evidence that this problem really exists? In my experience, it's only in the movies.

Do you not have friends? I have had friends who I came very, very close to telling them that they liked each other (fortunately they worked it out themselves, but it was a close thing). Sometimes people don't even realize they have romantic feelings for someone and sometimes people don't have the ability to recognize when someone else shares those feelings.

Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#16

Post by paulse »

I think it would be cooler if this could be done programmatically.

Write a matchmaker system/app? that users could allow to process their data and find patterns (likes, comments) tying them to people they were interested in. This could then anonymously contact the matched individual and prompt them to run the app.

This would avoid some abuse issues and because each partner has no control over the matches made, makes the whole thing less awkward.

Might also include: - Textual analysis of comment text throughout a users 'graph'. - Privacy issues. - Business plan.

Re: Like Secret Finds Romance Within Your Social Circle

#20

Post by tnicola »

paulse wrote: post #16

I think it would be cooler if this could be done programmatically. Write a matchmaker system/app? that users could allow to process their data and find patterns (likes, comments) tying them to people they were interested in. This could then anonymously contact the matched individual and prompt them to run the app. This would avoid some abuse issues and because each partner has no control over the matches made, makes…

This reminds me of that joke from long time ago where there was a machine that recommended potential mate. A woman requested a man of shorter stature, who likes water and cooler climate, dresses formally most of the time and loves to eat fish. The machine recommended her a penguin.

The problem is, no matter how you slice it, there's nothing more effective than a good old fashioned cup of coffee and one of the interesting parties taking a bit of a risk. It's just the way it has always been and I highly doubt that it's possible to do this with an app or a program that works perfectly. No matter what you try, someone will try and game it.

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