Dating System Matching via Social Graph Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dating systems face challenges in adequately connecting users due to self-reported information and the difficulty in determining user activity, leading to stilted interactions and reluctance in blind dates, as static profiles do not reflect current activities or interests.
Innovation Solution
A computerized dating system uses sparse social graph data to identify common interests between users by analyzing interactions with social networking objects, generating compatibility scores, and suggesting matches based on shared interests, activities, and geographic proximity, while incorporating degree of separation and promoting interactions through suggested messages and activities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users self-report information about themselves in static profiles, then the system can store and display user information, but the profiles do not reflect current activities or interests and users are reluctant to go on blind dates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces social graph data as an intermediary to bridge the gap between static self-reported profiles and dynamic user activities. This intermediary data source provides objective information about user interests and activities without requiring direct user input, thereby resolving the contradiction between information reliability and adaptability to current user state
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring and analyzing user interactions with social networking objects. This feedback loop allows the system to update compatibility scores dynamically based on current user activities rather than relying solely on static self-reported information, addressing the need for profiles to reflect current user state
2Measurement precision
If the system uses vast amounts of social networking object data to identify user interests, then it can identify specific interests, but it becomes difficult to identify general interests and common interests with other users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vast social graph data into two distinct layers: specific interests (individual social networking objects a user interacts with) and general interests (categorized groupings of similar objects). This segmentation allows the system to maintain precise identification of specific interests while simplifying the matching process by operating with aggregated general interests when evaluating compatibility between users
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimension approach (matching based on specific individual objects) to a multi-dimensional approach by introducing general interest categories as an additional dimension. This allows the system to match users both on specific shared interests and on broader categorical interests, reducing the complexity of finding common ground in the vast social graph
3Productivity
If the system generates compatibility scores based on common interests, then it can suggest matches, but the system cannot determine whether a user is still active because profiles are static
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and caching user interaction data with social networking objects before match suggestions are generated. This preliminary data collection and updating ensures that when compatibility scores are calculated, the system is working with current user activity information rather than stale profile data, thereby determining user activity status reliably
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that track user interactions with social networking objects over time. This continuous feedback loop provides real-time information about user activity status, allowing the system to distinguish between active and inactive users when generating match suggestions, thus resolving the contradiction between matchmaking efficiency and reliable activity determination
Data Source
AI summary
A social dating system selects matching users for a viewing user based on common interests between the matching user and the viewing user. The social dating system accesses information related to users from a social networking system, indicating relationships between users and social networking objects. The social dating system determines common interests between users by determining a relatedness of social networking objects. The common interests are used to determine compatibility between users and to select matching users. Suggested messages are also selected for the viewing user to initiate a conversation based on common interests. The suggested messages may be based on promotions by an advertiser.