Online dating - through (my) history

Yesterday I was browsing Boston.com and came across this tease for "Dinner with Cupid." It looks like The Boston Globe Magazine is going to start a new column where people apply to be set up on a blind dates by the Magazine staff, the couple goes out, and then shares their impressions/experience with a reporter who writes about it.

I think this is going to be a great column. Personally, I can't get enough of dating stories.

When I worked at Boston.com (quite a few years now), I used to run the Boston.com Personals. I think I learned more from running that project than anything else I've ever worked on. My background at the time was mostly editorial/production, so it was a great experience to work on a project that actually generated revenue! We ran a bunch of great contests (remember Boston.com's Best Catch, anyone? Or Boston.Hotties?) and threw HUGE parties on The Odyssey. I loved meeting the readers of our website in person. I'm a huge believer in using online technologies to bring people together offline.

The best reader "feedback" I ever received was when I was covering the Santa Speedo Run (a whole other story!) and bumped into a couple who met through the Boston.com Personals and planned to get married. I believe Rena and Dave have a baby now.

Back in the day at Boston.com we also ran a contest called "The HookUp" where Boston.com Personals members pitched themselves to be set up on a blind date. We put up polls and Boston.com readers picked which folks should be set up with each other. Once the votes were cast, the winning couples met for the first time at the designated swanky restaurant.

What was my role in all of this? In addition to posting the polls and photo galleries, I actually CHAPERONED all the couples and took photos of them on their dates. It was fun meeting all the nice folks in person, but man it was also humbling to be very single (me) and be tagging along on someone else's date.

Speaking of online dating, I just came across this article on TechCrunch about how free dating sites are giving the paid sites "a run for their money."

The online personals space certainly has changed over the years and I've enjoyed being a part of it.