Friday, June 17, 2005
Bright Idea
There are a number of websites that provide crucial social outlets. However, none fully maximizes its potential. Leave it to me to connect the dots. Your feedback can help fine tune my ultimate proposal.
OnlySimchas has served to connect the Jewish community by providing an online bulletin board of individual special occasions. It draws a wide audience, is fairly interactive, and is updated regularly.
The Facebook serves as a casual place for a person to present themselves to others on the internet. It allows for basic personal information to be shared, and while it isn't updated regularly, allows personal networks of friends to be maintained.
FutureSimchas, the brain child of the OnlySimchas team, this site allows for singles to widen their potential dating pool by exploring others around the world. Each user maintains a profile with more personal information about themselves. Users can interact freely with each other. Many people are hesitant to use this site, as they fear being viewed as pathetic for needing to resort to such an "extreme" dating tactic. Alternatively, they fear the real nature of the people that may attempt to contact them.
I, therefore, have the perfect solution to creating the most perfect online dating site. Combine all three. OnlySimchas already has widespread use amongst the target audience, the 20-30 year old single. Use of the site comes with very little stigma. Add to that the ability to maintain and search user profiles, like FuturSimchas, would allow people to be exposed to a wider pool of people. Each user would have a basic profile with information such as age, location, education, and other general categories. Linked to the profile would be all the person's posts. They could also add links to pictures and other simchas. But the key would be duplicating the Facebook technique of creating friend networks. Users could link to their friends' profiles. This would allow interested parties to know who to ask about being set up with somebody, and more basically, to find out about whether a person is realistically a good match.
The site would pretty much operate as Onlysimchas does now. However, in the background would be the ability to look up information about users, and even to search them. Hopefully, the success of the Facebook would rub off on the site, and people would include more information on themselves because it is perceived as fun. Because it isn't overtly a dating site, people wouldn't avoid putting up their profile's. And direct contact could be discouraged between non-"friend" parties, thereby removing any fears of unwanted contact. But the essential profile would be a great source for getting a feel for a person and providing a contact circle.
The question is, why hasn't this already been done. I'll leave this up here until July 1st. Then I'm sending this to the OnlySimchas/Futuresimchas team to get their feedback. But you first. Help me fine tune this proposal.
OnlySimchas has served to connect the Jewish community by providing an online bulletin board of individual special occasions. It draws a wide audience, is fairly interactive, and is updated regularly.
The Facebook serves as a casual place for a person to present themselves to others on the internet. It allows for basic personal information to be shared, and while it isn't updated regularly, allows personal networks of friends to be maintained.
FutureSimchas, the brain child of the OnlySimchas team, this site allows for singles to widen their potential dating pool by exploring others around the world. Each user maintains a profile with more personal information about themselves. Users can interact freely with each other. Many people are hesitant to use this site, as they fear being viewed as pathetic for needing to resort to such an "extreme" dating tactic. Alternatively, they fear the real nature of the people that may attempt to contact them.
I, therefore, have the perfect solution to creating the most perfect online dating site. Combine all three. OnlySimchas already has widespread use amongst the target audience, the 20-30 year old single. Use of the site comes with very little stigma. Add to that the ability to maintain and search user profiles, like FuturSimchas, would allow people to be exposed to a wider pool of people. Each user would have a basic profile with information such as age, location, education, and other general categories. Linked to the profile would be all the person's posts. They could also add links to pictures and other simchas. But the key would be duplicating the Facebook technique of creating friend networks. Users could link to their friends' profiles. This would allow interested parties to know who to ask about being set up with somebody, and more basically, to find out about whether a person is realistically a good match.
The site would pretty much operate as Onlysimchas does now. However, in the background would be the ability to look up information about users, and even to search them. Hopefully, the success of the Facebook would rub off on the site, and people would include more information on themselves because it is perceived as fun. Because it isn't overtly a dating site, people wouldn't avoid putting up their profile's. And direct contact could be discouraged between non-"friend" parties, thereby removing any fears of unwanted contact. But the essential profile would be a great source for getting a feel for a person and providing a contact circle.
The question is, why hasn't this already been done. I'll leave this up here until July 1st. Then I'm sending this to the OnlySimchas/Futuresimchas team to get their feedback. But you first. Help me fine tune this proposal.
# posted by Josh : Friday, June 17, 2005
