Let’s face it: Today’s dating world is rough. It’s hard enough finding someone that meets all our standards for looks, values, personality and financial stability and then having to navigate the ups and downs of getting to know someone new; but, finding the time and making the effort to seek out a potential other half adds to the challenge of finally meeting someone you connect with or even “the one.”
Online dating has become just as commonplace as going into a bar and sniffing out someone to spend next Saturday night, or even the rest of your life, with. As we see in all those cutesy Match.com and eHarmony commercials, love has been just a click away for many couples. While dating services still carry a bit of a stigma, it surely raises the question: What other ways can technology bring us closer to finding our next relationship?
Most online dating sites provide love-seekers with photos, extensive profiles featuring favorite movies and laundry lists of partner requirements, but the phone still remains as an efficient way of instantly connecting with others. Enter the trusty auto attendant, and we may have a recipe for a new type of match-making service.
With a competent menu formula, callers would be able to press numbers based on the criteria offered to them. For example, it could go something like this: Press 1 if you are seeking a male, or Press 2 for female. Once the gender is selected, the menu could prompt the user to press numbers based on looks, location, hobbies, values, and more. Once the individual reaches the end of the options, he or she could be placed into a database, or, better yet, be immediately introduced to another caller that matches those desired qualities.
While this auto attendant-based dating service is considerably a similar concept to those dating hotlines that TV viewers are invited to call into late at night, at least all the singles out there willing to give it a whirl wouldn’t be pooled into a random collection of other (potentially creepy or crazy) fish in the sea. An auto attendant system would simply eliminate those who don’t meet your expectations or standards – unless your standards are too high, of course.
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Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Jennifer Russell