OKCupid
Encyclopedia
OkCupid is a free dating
and social networking
website that features member-created quizzes. The site supports various modes of communication, including personal blogs, public forums, instant messages, emails, and "winks." OkCupid was listed in TIME's 2007 Top 10 dating sites.
relationships. OkCupid claims 3.5 million active users as of September 2010. According to Compete.com, OkCupid attracted 1.3 million unique visitors in February 2011.
The site boasts a highly active journal/blog
ging community as well. Journals are not easily available to new members; the feature is stated as "retired." Members have the option of saving favorite users' profiles, which displays the favorited person's new journal entries as well as comments on others' entries on the member's front page.
OkCupid is entirely free to use and does not place any restrictions on messaging or searching for non-paying users. The registration process is quick with no restrictions on who may join the site. A-List members see no advertising and have more filtering options, the ability to separate photos into photo albums, and preferential placement in an "A-List Matches" section of search results. A-list members can also browse openly while choosing whether or not their profile is displayed to those they visited.
OkTrends, the official blog of OkCupid, shows statistical observations from OkCupid user interactions, to explore the data side of the online dating world.
OkTrends articles have had over a million unique readers since July 2009.
Users can search for potential matches based on their match percentage, as well as other features, such as age, religion, and location. Some features are not searchable, such as weight. The site also uses a "Quickmatch" feature, which displays user images and information, but not user names, and contacts a member via email if they were "4 or 5-starred." The site notifies a user if both parties gave 4 or 5 stars.
In 2010, articles in the Huffington Post (see reference link below) and Consumerist.com revealed and decried that OkCupid members rated as unattractive have their match results altered in the same way (users ranked as more attractive are hidden in match results), although OkCupid makes no official contact to inform users that they have been rated as unattractive. This controversial method of secretly rating members' looks has been criticized as invasive, and is currently not known to be used by any other dating sites.
, Sam Yagan and Max Krohn) were students at Harvard University
when they gained recognition for their creation of TheSpark and, later, SparkNotes
. Among other things, TheSpark.com featured a number of humorous self-quizzes and personality tests, including the four-variable Myers-Briggs style Match Test. SparkMatch debuted as a beta experiment of allowing registered users who had taken the Match Test to search for and contact each other based on their Match Test types. The popularity of SparkMatch took off and it was launched as its own site, later being renamed OkCupid. The current OkCupid Dating Persona Test is still largely identical, in question and text blurb content and order, to the original Match Test. In 2001, they sold SparkNotes to Barnes & Noble
, and began work on OkCupid.
In 2007, OkCupid launched Crazy Blind Date
.
In 2008, OkCupid spun off its test-design portion under the name Hello Quizzy (HQ), while keeping it indelibly linked to OkCupid and reserving existent OkCupid users' names on HQ.
Since August 2009, OkCupid has included an "A-list" account option that provides additional services for a monthly fee.
In February 2011, OkCupid was acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp
, operators of Match.com
, for $50 million. Editorial posts from 2010 by an OkCupid founder criticizing Match.com and pay-dating as exploiting users and as "fundamentally broken" were removed from the OkCupid blog at the same time. In a press response OkCupid's CEO commented that the removal was voluntary and that "some of the conclusions we drew are not quite as exaggerated as we made them out to be".
Online dating service
Online dating or Internet dating is a dating system which allows individuals, couples and groups to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet, usually with the objective of developing a personal, romantic, or sexual relationship...
and social networking
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
website that features member-created quizzes. The site supports various modes of communication, including personal blogs, public forums, instant messages, emails, and "winks." OkCupid was listed in TIME's 2007 Top 10 dating sites.
Overview
OkCupid facilitates both heterosexual and same-sexSame-sex relationship
A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The term is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people...
relationships. OkCupid claims 3.5 million active users as of September 2010. According to Compete.com, OkCupid attracted 1.3 million unique visitors in February 2011.
The site boasts a highly active journal/blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging community as well. Journals are not easily available to new members; the feature is stated as "retired." Members have the option of saving favorite users' profiles, which displays the favorited person's new journal entries as well as comments on others' entries on the member's front page.
OkCupid is entirely free to use and does not place any restrictions on messaging or searching for non-paying users. The registration process is quick with no restrictions on who may join the site. A-List members see no advertising and have more filtering options, the ability to separate photos into photo albums, and preferential placement in an "A-List Matches" section of search results. A-list members can also browse openly while choosing whether or not their profile is displayed to those they visited.
OkTrends, the official blog of OkCupid, shows statistical observations from OkCupid user interactions, to explore the data side of the online dating world.
OkTrends articles have had over a million unique readers since July 2009.
Matching
To generate matches, OkCupid applies data generated by users' activities on the site, as well as their answers to questions. When answering a question, a user indicates his or her own answer, the answers he or she would accept from partners, and the level of importance he or she places on the question. The results of these questions can be made public. OkCupid describes in detail the algorithm used to calculate match percentages based on answered questions, and has applied for a patent on the process.Users can search for potential matches based on their match percentage, as well as other features, such as age, religion, and location. Some features are not searchable, such as weight. The site also uses a "Quickmatch" feature, which displays user images and information, but not user names, and contacts a member via email if they were "4 or 5-starred." The site notifies a user if both parties gave 4 or 5 stars.
How user attractiveness influences match results
Users who receive high ratings may be notified by email that they are in the "top half of OkCupid's most attractive users". This email states that they "will now see more attractive people in [their] match results", but A-List users can search by star rating as well. The email includes the line, "And, no, we didn't just send this email to everyone on OkCupid. Go ask an ugly friend and see."In 2010, articles in the Huffington Post (see reference link below) and Consumerist.com revealed and decried that OkCupid members rated as unattractive have their match results altered in the same way (users ranked as more attractive are hidden in match results), although OkCupid makes no official contact to inform users that they have been rated as unattractive. This controversial method of secretly rating members' looks has been criticized as invasive, and is currently not known to be used by any other dating sites.
History
OkCupid is owned by Humor Rainbow, Inc. OkCupid’s founders (Chris Coyne, Christian RudderChristian Rudder
Christian Rudder is an American musician, humorist, and entrepreneur.Rudder is primarily known as the creative voice of TheSpark.com, which was the viral content arm of SparkNotes during the site's early rise to popularity...
, Sam Yagan and Max Krohn) were students at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
when they gained recognition for their creation of TheSpark and, later, SparkNotes
SparkNotes
SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by Harvard students Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin in 1999 that originally provided study guides for literature, poetry, history, film, and philosophy...
. Among other things, TheSpark.com featured a number of humorous self-quizzes and personality tests, including the four-variable Myers-Briggs style Match Test. SparkMatch debuted as a beta experiment of allowing registered users who had taken the Match Test to search for and contact each other based on their Match Test types. The popularity of SparkMatch took off and it was launched as its own site, later being renamed OkCupid. The current OkCupid Dating Persona Test is still largely identical, in question and text blurb content and order, to the original Match Test. In 2001, they sold SparkNotes to Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, and began work on OkCupid.
In 2007, OkCupid launched Crazy Blind Date
Crazy Blind Date
Crazy Blind Date was a no-cost dating service that set people up on blind dates with little to no notice. The site served people in Boston, San Francisco, Austin, New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles....
.
In 2008, OkCupid spun off its test-design portion under the name Hello Quizzy (HQ), while keeping it indelibly linked to OkCupid and reserving existent OkCupid users' names on HQ.
Since August 2009, OkCupid has included an "A-list" account option that provides additional services for a monthly fee.
In February 2011, OkCupid was acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp
IAC/InterActiveCorp
InterActiveCorp is an American internet company with over 50 brands across 40 countries headquartered in New York City...
, operators of Match.com
Match.com
Match.com is an online dating company which reportedly has more than 20 million members, made up of a 49/51 male/female ratio, and Web sites serving 25 countries in more than 8 different languages. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas and the company also has offices in West Hollywood, Tokyo, Rio,...
, for $50 million. Editorial posts from 2010 by an OkCupid founder criticizing Match.com and pay-dating as exploiting users and as "fundamentally broken" were removed from the OkCupid blog at the same time. In a press response OkCupid's CEO commented that the removal was voluntary and that "some of the conclusions we drew are not quite as exaggerated as we made them out to be".
External links
- OkCupid.com
- Interview with OkCupid co-creator Christian Rudder on alt.NPR's Love & Radio
- Feature on OkCupid co-creator Sam Yagan, Boston Globe, September 5, 2007
- Difference between OKCupid and Plenty of Fish
- Interview with Sam Yagan, CEO of OkCupid, Online Personals Watch, September 2009