18 - Matching.

Sorry to keep wibbling on about online dating and all that guff, but it is somewhat on my mind. The thing that annoys me about many dating sites is what they call a “match”.

So, I'll put in my requirements, which just for the sake of an example are “must look like either Diane Morgan or Danai Gurira”. Which I'm sure you'll agree is an entirely reasonable list of requirements. One or the other. I'm not fussed.

I'll hit the search button... and the site will give me a host of ladies who look either like Diane Morgan or Danai Gurira. I click on the first match to come along and start to read her description and wait... it'll say something like

“Must be called Sven, and be able to juggle hedgehogs whilst yodelling the Guatamalan nation anthem.”

Hang on. I'm not called Sven. And whilst I can juggle, it's only with balls and not hedgehogs. And I don't even know the Guatamalan national anthem...

You see, whilst the site gives me a wealth of ladies who meet my entirely reasonable requirements, it doesn't bother to check their requirements to see if I match theirs. So I'll be wading through all these lovely ladies who look either like Diane Morgan or Danai Gurira, and get increasingly disappointed that I don't meet their entirely reasonable demands.

OK Cupid tries its best with this with its match percentage, but this is still far from perfect as there are certain questions there which are complete dealbreakers, which can still be answered in the “wrong” way and not have that much of an effect on overall percentage as there are so many other questions answered in the “correct” way.

All I want is for there to be at least one place that will only show me matches where she matches my requirements and I match hers. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Well, either that or a date with the real Diane Morgan or Danai Gurira...