A 'Clippy'-Style Chatbot -- and Other Creepy Online Dating Innovations

An anonymous reader quotes Yahoo Finance: The dating site eharmony is hoping to launch a chatbot to stop people from ghosting, or cutting off communication with potential matches, CEO Grant Langston exclusively tells Yahoo Finance. The would-be feature, which eharmony has yet to start development on, would pop up in the user interface after an online conversation with another user drops off after several days or weeks. The dating bot could analyze information on both users' dating profiles and recommend they reinitiate contact by prompting them to "Say something" or suggesting something more helpful... . "It's astounding really how many people need help. We think we can do that in an automated way..."

Langston acknowledges the business has a lot to troubleshoot with the feature before it eventually rolls it out, including addressing possible user concerns around user privacy. While having a feature like the date bot could hypothetically increase the odds of a user scoring that first date, it could also unnerve some other users wondering how their prospective suitor knew to ask about their favorite musician, movie or music to begin with. Such concerns could theoretically call for privacy options regulating what kind of profile information the bot can grab and serve up as an icebreaker. The dating site could also decide to generally reign in what the dating bot suggests based on user testing. "Just because you can doesn't necessarily mean you should do," adds Langston.
Meanwhile, a Michigan-based startup has launched what one alternative newsweekly describes as a "Yelp for humans" -- a new browser extension that syncs with a user's pre-existing dating profile on sites like Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOf Fish, eHarmony, Zoosk or Badoo. "Once installed, a user can leave anonymous comments regarding someone's profile based on dates or interactions gone wrong and those comments can be viewed by other DateAha! users to better inform whether or not the person is a total creep."

And of course, Facebook is testing a new dating app in two more countries, People reports. In order to use the new online dating service, Facebook users will be tasked with creating a new profile that will exist separately from the one that all of your friends and family can see... The dating service will send you suggested matches based "on your preferences, interests, and things you do on Facebook," but the app won't try to make a love connection with any of your Facebook friends (or anybody you have blocked), Facebook promises... You will also have the ability to block or hide anybody -- including specific friends of friends -- from your suggested matches.

Re:

[Applehu Akbar]

"Yelp for Humans" will lead to....

In a dating app, we wouldn't call it Yelp, but Moan.

Needs to leverage Amazon or eBay

[bobstreo]

"i see you're trying to get laid"

"Have you tried sending flowers? She likes tulips."

Re:

[Tablizer]

"I see you're trying to get laid."

"Humans are outside of your likely candidates,"

"Would you like to order a Roomba?"

Re:

[mentil]

More like: "Would you like to order a vibrator?"

Re:

[dgatwood]

Not to mention web searches, e.g. "Encourage her to have that mole checked."

Even better, do product tie-ins between all of the above:

People who had sex with [person] also bought [condoms], [penicillin].

Re:

[azcoyote]

"It looks like you’re writing a ransom note..." [democratic...ground.com]

Re:

[grep -v '.*' *]

Even better: give it access to your A/e account and have it ship the flowers FOR you. It could write and sign the card for you, too.

Want a romantic supper? It could set up a delivery of takeout for two -- to two seperate addresses. And then she could automate her responses and gifts, and pretty soon we've got internet connected remote control fleshlights and dildos for NetFlix movie night, once again at two seperate addresses. Cameras for visuals? NAAA, that'd break the romance if you know what they

Ladies night

[Arzaboa]

It is a shame that so many people feel they can not simply be normal fools when trying to date. Some of the best lines come from people that feel uncomfortable, but are as normal as anyone else. It is those uncomfortable moments that people share together that help them feel closer. If you can both get through them together, it's certainly worth the date.

--
Dating is about finding out who you are and who others are. If you show up in a masquerade outfit, neither is going to happen. -- Henry Cloud

Re:

[azcoyote]

Very true. I met my wife on the night when I was taking a break from trying to impress; I had hurt myself playing capture the flag the night before so I was feeling very lazy. I wore old sweat pants and a cheesy joke t-shirt that didn’t really match. And it worked anyway!

Re:

[DMJC]

Try moving cities. I was in a position like that when I was living in the town where I grew up. I moved interstate and things were a lot better. Sometimes you have to break yourself out of the mindset/culture of the location you're in to find success. That might mean moving to a larger city with greater choice/range, or downsizing to a city that's smaller/more intimate.

Date Night

[mentil]

Clearly, there are so few comments thus far because it's a Saturday night and Slashdotters must be out on dates.
Either that, or playing Red Dead Redemption 2.
But in the end, aren't those one and the same?!
No, no they are not.

Re: Date Night

[dunkelfalke]

Nope, they are not. Red dead redemption 2 is a console exclusive title, hence I am replaying the Battletech campain.

Encourage answers

[rundgong]

When one party has been ghosted, that means there is an unanswered question. They should encourage answering that question before trying to get more questions.
On the other hand there is room for some automated coaching without being creepy. Like advice on how to ask better questions and how to answer questions in a way that drives the conversation forward and not stopping it.

If you want to give conversation topics it might work in the form of announcing it to both parties. Like "do you know you were both to

Re:

[StormReaver]

When one party has been ghosted, that means there is an unanswered question.

When one party has been ghosted, all relevant questions have already been answered: the ghoster is immature, and the person being ghosted has dodged a bullet.

how much more?

[AndyKron]

Is there an incredulous emoticon? Something more then annoyed will do.

Different bot for ghosting.

[fahrbot-bot]

The dating site eharmony is hoping to launch a chatbot to stop people from ghosting, ...

They have "ghostbot" for that - or, if you *really* want to ignore them, you can use "catbot".

Trust them for privacy

[manu0601]

Facebook users will be tasked with creating a new profile that will exist separately from the one that all of your friends and family can see.

Sure, that will be true until Facebook leaks it one way or another.