Facebook Dating could change the landscape of the online dating world and put the other guys out of business.
During it’s annual F8 developer conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced the new feature and the news immediately had investors jumping ship on behemoth online dating site, Match. While investor knee-jerk reactions are generally short-term, they might be right to jump ship this time. Here’s why…
Data, Data, & more Data
The amount of data Facebook collects on its users is massive. With access to detailed data about people, Facebook has the potential to perform highly sophisticated matching.
Other online dating communities rely on specific dating profiles, while Facebook dating would have access to the data a user has provided through daily activity over many years.
Competitors simply can’t compete with the amount of data Facebook has at their disposal to match profiles.
More Potential Matches
In addition to the amount of data Facebook keeps on a single individual, the reality is they have more individuals to match you to. Over 1 billion people use Facebook – that’s an absolutely enormous pool of potential matches.
In comparison, the largest current online dating service, Match.com only has 7 million users. Facebook’s pool of users is almost 150 times as big.
Smaller dating communities like Plenty of Fish and OkCupid come in at less than half the size of Match.
Dynamic Personality Matching
Have you ever had a failed relationship? I have. The reality is most relationships don’t work out. And while there are a ton of great online dating tips available, sometimes the system just doesn’t pull great matches.
When long-term relationships end, in many cases, it’s due to personality changes. You’re compatible with someone initially, but then as the years go on and your personalities change, you become less compatible. It’s part of the human experience.
Facebook dating could change that.
Because most of us have had our Facebook accounts for many years, it knows who we were yesterday, the day before, last year, the year before that, and so on. More importantly, this information can be used to predict where we are going and who we might be years from now.
While most dating services can only match you with people who you might be compatible with today, Facebook dating could potentially match you with compatible individuals who you will still be compatible with for years to come.
Facebook Dating: Final Thoughts
Facebook’s foray into the online dating world simply makes sense. People have been meeting on the platform through mutual friends for years anyway.
Success isn’t necessarily a guarantee. Facebook is still capable of sabotaging themselves if they don’t implement it right. And they’ll have to get their privacy and regulation concerns in order first.
Finally, if Facebook dating turns out to be a success, expect Google to follow suit and become a major competitor.
Sharif Jameel is a business owner, IT professional, runner, & musician. His professional certifications include CASP, Sec+, Net+, MCSA, & ITIL and others. He's also the guitar player for the Baltimore-based cover band, Liquifaction.
