Match.com is the world’s leading internet dating website. In an article from the Financial Times that appeared in Slate Magazine, a journalist decided to find out more about how the site had now evolved beyond its origins to the point where it can make recommendations for the types of relationships that individuals should pursue. Some of the highlights from the article include:

• Match’s algorithm takes into account both your preferences and your behaviour. If the types of profiles you check don’t match your stated requirements then the software will take that into account.
• Software engineers at Match compare the algorithms they use to the same algorithms that Amazon , Pandora and Netflix use to come up with recommendations for their users. They note, however, that unlike other websites, the attraction to the ‘product’ has to be mutual and this makes the process more complicated.
• Empirical data shows that men care a lot about hair colour when selecting partners.
• It’s estimated that between 15-20% of relationships and marriages begin online.
• Diet ads are popular on the site.

Read more about why the site was initially designed with women in mind and how the founder of the site had his girlfriend leave him…for a man she met on Match.com over here.

Source: Slate