The dating service industry is worth more than $2 billion and is constantly growing. Yet the stigma attached to the word “online dating” never seems to diminish.

There are some good points made by those who disapprove online dating. Here is an article that lays out why online dating is a mis in providing people with chances for true romance, mainly based off an interview with Eli Finkel, an associate professor of psychology at Northwestern University.

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1. Online dating sites pours out TOO MANY profiles of people that lack information, and you end up “shopping” for a future lover
2. Questions the accuracy and reliability of the algorithm online dating sites are using, and believes the algorithm does not produce any better results than meeting someone in random. 

I think Finkel has a point here. Coming through endless lists of profiles that may or may not come with long essays about their lives and personalities (self-reflected…i really question how accurate that is in some cases) can get nauseating and time consuming. It’s already off to a bad start when you feel drained even in the process of getting started before the actual date.

That’s why we pride so much in what we are and what we do. Coffee Meets Bagel cuts down the time and work our members have to do. We too strongly disapprove the idea of “shopping” for your potential romantic interest and even more so of being drained out and discouraged during the process of meeting someone.

As for the algorithm aspect, yes people may say they want one thing and indicate that on their profiles but when they are matched with the person with all the points they may not have chemistry and have nothing to do with each other. Yet we added something more to just what people put on their profiles. CMB connects people through their mutual friends, helping them to have a better judgement on what the person is like and automatically gets rid of that fear factor, “what is this dude is creeper..I don’t even know him.”

That is why we would rather be called as an online social gaming platform where people meet, build their network, and hopefully find love on the way. We’re not an “online dating site” where people shop for love. We make it happen by connecting people quickly as possible and allowing them to SPEAK  and COMMUNICATE with each other to find out who they really are. No lingering behind profiles and guessing.

So at the end of the day I guess Finkel and CMB do come to the same conclusion. “There’s no better way to figure out whether you’re compatible with somebody than talking to them over a cup of coffee,” said Finkel and we absolutely agree. Hence our name, Coffee Meets Bagel :)