Abstract:
A system and method for profiling users of a service generally comprises a database including a plurality of records, each of which describes an experience of the users within the service, means for rating each of the plurality of records which relates to the experience, and means for remotely accessing the database. In such a manner, users can pick service provides bases upon the quality of service provided by such service providers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention is directed generally to online services, and more particularly to systems and methods for profiling members of online dating services.  
         [0002]     According to the U.S. population survey “How America Searches” (by icrossing and Harris Interactive), 88% of online adults who purchase online conduct research at least sometimes prior to completing their purchase. Only 3% of online adults who purchase items online never do any type of online research before making online purchases, and only 9% of respondents say they rarely research products and services online. Sixty-five percent said they often/always rely on the Internet to research unfamiliar products, while 60% always or often research to find the best price.  
         [0003]     An overwhelming 42% of participants, who indicated that they use at least one online tool or service to research products, cited search engines first, well ahead of the 17% who turn to retailer/seller web sites first. When search engines are the first tool to which people turn to find more information, 54% of respondents use search engines to find a web site from which to buy or 53% search to investigate where to purchase. Forty-three percent indicated they use search engines to find an offline retailer from which to buy.  
         [0004]     Eighty-two percent of men ages 18-34 and 80% of men age 55 years and older, of the 74% who use search engines to research products/services look to learn more about their intended products. Sixty percent of adults who use search engines to research products/services before buying online said they click on sponsored links at least sometimes, and 16% indicated they do so always/often. Just 9% indicated they never click on sponsored links when looking for a specific product or service.  
         [0005]     The report also showed that older shoppers are more likely to click on sponsored links. Forty-eight percent of adults aged 18-34 click on sponsored links at least sometimes, 61% among those aged 35-44, 64% in the 45-54 age group, and 75% among adults over the age of 55. Finally, the report also noted that, although blogs have had a dramatic effect on arenas such as current events and politics they remain a negligible source of information for adults conducting product research before making a purchase.  
         [0006]     What this data shows is that online consumers overwhelmingly like to find out more about the products they are about to buy. What it does not show, however, is that users of services (e.g., online dating services) are similarly predisposed.  
         [0007]     In previous years, online dating services saw massive double-digit percentage gains in business. That, however, is expected to change this year. The online dating industry grew by 73% in 2002 and 77% in 2003. In 2004, however, those high numbers began to drop—the 2004 online dating market grew by only 19%. According to an online dating research report from Dublin Research and Markets, the online dating industry will grow by just 9%, to $516 million, in 2005.  
         [0008]     Because of the decline in industry growth, dating sites have focused on increasing conversions of viewers into paying subscribers in order to keep growing. The report states that conversion rates in the online dating industry have increased about 25% in the last year. Many dating sites are also paying more attention to serious daters rather than casual daters to increase their site revenue.  
         [0009]     Serious daters, the report shows, are those people who go online hoping to find long-term relationships or marriage. Serious daters convert 20% more often, are twice as likely to purchase long-term subscriptions and pay up to twice as much per month as casual daters.  
         [0010]     While online dating leaders Match.com and Yahoo! Personals are struggling to grow revenues, relationship-focused eHarmony has drawn increased attention from consumers, the media, and venture capitalists. It is this relationship focus that many dating sites are turning toward in order to increase their financial success.  
         [0011]     A recent study by Dr. Jeff Gavin, of the University of Bath, has also revealed several interesting facts about the online dating industry. The most intriguing discovery of the study is that online dating has become a much more successful way to find long-term romance and friendship than was previously thought. The study of online dating service members found that 94 percent of those surveyed saw their “e-partner” again after first meeting them, and the relationships lasted for an average of at least seven months, with 18 percent of them lasting over a year.  
         [0012]     Other findings of the study include: 
        men online were significantly more likely to be committed to the relationship than women and were more dependent on their “e-partner”;     the more the couple engaged in simultaneous online chat before meeting rather than simply e-mailing one another, the more they were found to depend on one another emotionally and the more they understood one another;     those who exchanged gifts before meeting had a more committed and deeper relationship;     the more the couple talked on the telephone before they met, the deeper the relationship; and     people using the Internet rarely used webcams, which allow computer users to see one another, because they preferred the greater anonymity of writing and using the telephone.        
 
         [0018]     For the study, Dr Gavin, with Dr Adrian Scott of the University of Bath and Dr Jill Duffield of the University of the West of England, carried out an online survey of 229 people, aged 18 to 65, who have used UK Internet dating sites, asking them about their main relationship that they had had online. Of the relationships, 39 percent were still going on at the time of the survey, and of these 24 percent had been going for at least a year, and eight percent for at least two years. Of the relationships that had already ended at the time of the survey, 14 percent had lasted over a year, and four percent had lasted over two years.  
         [0019]     What this data shows is that online dating services have been successful in the past, but are somewhat struggling now. They are using interesting if not unusual marketing ploys to remain competitive. However, they are not necessarily using systems or methods of profiling their subscriber base to assist them in growing their business.  
         [0020]     For example, two top online dating services firms have recently been taken to court by frustrated online daters who say they were victims of fraud. Match.com, a unit of IAC/Interactive Corp., has been accused in a federal lawsuit of goading members into renewing their subscriptions through bogus romantic e-mails sent out by company employees. In some instances, the suit contends, people on the Match payroll even went on sham dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy. The company has about 15 million members worldwide and 250 employees.  
         [0021]     In a separate suit, Yahoo Inc.&#39;s “Yahoo! Personals service has been accused of posting profiles of fictitious potential dating partners on its Web site to make it look as though many more singles subscribe to the service than actually do. The suits, which both seek class-action status, came as growth in the online dating industry has slowed, although Web matchmaking still remains a big business.  
         [0022]     The Match lawsuit, in particular, was filed by a plaintiff, who contends he went out with a woman he met through the site who turned out to be nothing more than “date bait” working for the company. The relationship went nowhere, according to his suit. The plaintiff says Match set up the date for him because it wanted to keep him from pulling the plug on his subscription and was hoping he&#39;d tell other potential members about the attractive woman he met through the service.  
         [0023]     What these and other anecdotes about the perils of online dating services underscore is the extent to which users of such online services need and want more information.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     The present invention is dedicated to improving the online relationship experience. Online dating has now grown well beyond the “computer dating” stigma once attached to it. Internet dating is now a mainstream means of meeting and dating.  
         [0025]     While meeting over the Internet may have achieved mainstream status, this medium carries with it inherent risks. Almost everyone involved in this form of relationship searching knows that while each service offers a brief description or profile of the person of interest, the information, unfortunately, is only as good as the person who authored the profile. There are virtually no means offered to verify the identity, character, marital status, or any other aspect found in the profile.  
         [0026]     Some studies have shown that up to 20% of the membership of these services are married or otherwise seriously involved in relationships, while others have been very generous with regard to describing their height, income, employment status, education level and more.  
         [0027]     The objective of the systems and methods disclosed herein is to keep singles from wasting valuable time, when a simple search allows the user to spend that time on more productive dating experiences. The user will create “credit reports”, giving the user the opportunity to pass on accurate information regarding the user&#39;s experiences with particular Internet dating members. This information will be available to those using Internet dating services. Through user cooperation, an expanded searchable database gives members of the online dating community the ability to use these reports to make an informed decision before communicating with members of dating services. Singles can limit distribution of their personal contact and other information to those do not meet their dating goals. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]     Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in connection with the associated drawings, in which:  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  depicts a first graphical user interface for searching and filing a report;  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  depicts a second graphical user interface detailing a drop down menu for selecting one of a plurality of dating services;  
         [0031]      FIGS. 3A through 3D  depict portions of a third graphical user interface for filling a report according to embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0032]      FIGS. 4A through 4C  depict a flowchart illustrating methods according to embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  depicts a fourth graphical user interface for reviewing one or more particular reports returned on a search conducted with the first graphical user interface according to  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  depicts a fifth graphical user interface for displaying an overview of a particular report linked from the graphical user interface according to  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0035]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  depict portions of a sixth graphical user interface for detailing the particular report having been overviewed by the graphical user interface according to  FIG. 6 ; and  
         [0036]      FIG. 8  depicts a block diagram of a system according to embodiments of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0037]     In the following description and claims, the terms “connected” and “coupled,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. In contrast, “coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other or that the two or more elements are not in direct contact but still cooperate or interact with each other.  
         [0038]     An algorithm is here, and generally, considered to be a self-consistent sequence of acts or operations leading to a desired result. These include physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.  
         [0039]     Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computing system&#39;s registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing system&#39;s memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.  
         [0040]     In a similar manner, the term “processor” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. A “computing platform” may comprise one or more processors.  
         [0041]      FIG. 1  depicts a first graphical user interface (GUI)  100  for searching and filing a report in accordance with aspects of the present invention. GUI  100  includes an edit box  110  for entering the profile name of a member of an online dating service, a drop down menu  120  for selecting all or one of a plurality of online dating services to be searched, and a button  130  for initiating the search. GUI  100  also includes a menu  140  for navigating the website, which provides the systems and methods according to various aspects of the present invention, including means to “File a Report”. For the purposes of making broader searches based on location, or to browse reports, GUI  100  further includes another edit box  150  and a browse button  160 .  
         [0042]      FIG. 2  depicts a second graphical user interface (GUI)  200  detailing the drop down menu  120  for selecting one or more of a plurality of dating services  135 . One or more of such services  135  can be viewed for selection by using a scroll bar  125  or similar such means. While any online dating service may be incorporated within the systems and methods according to the present invention, the plurality of dating services  130  may include eHarmony, American Singles, LavaLife, Udate, Match.com, DreamDates, Romantic Planet, FriendFinder, MatchMaker, AgeMatch.com, KissyKat, PerfectMatch.com, Dating Direct, Date.com, ePersonals.com, MetroDate, Yahoo!Personals, Platinum Romance, Europe Singles, True, Singles4You, SingleMe, Love.com, Mingles, or GreatBoyfriends.  
         [0043]      FIGS. 3A through 3D  depict portions of a third graphical user interface (GUI)  300  for filing a report according to embodiments of the present invention. GUI  300  includes an edit box  310  for entering the username of a user intended to be profiled and drop down menu  120  for selecting the online dating service to which that username may be associated by way of membership. Some usernames may be used with more than one online dating service. As a result, and in the event that the profiler knows such information, drop down menu  120  may be adapted to select more than one of the plurality of dating services  135 .  
         [0044]     GUI  300  also includes a plurality of questions  320  to be asked of the profiler and a corresponding number of radio buttons  330 , which indicate the response to such questions  320 . As shown in  FIG. 3D , GUI  300  may also include an edit box  340  to be used as an essay section to describe the profiler&#39;s experiences with this particular date in the profiler&#39;s own words. In such a manner, a text-based search of submitted reports may be accessed according to embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0045]      FIGS. 4A through 4C  depict a flowchart illustrating methods according to embodiments of the present invention. Users of the system and methods according to the present invention may access the first user interface shown in  FIG. 1  at step  402 . A determination whether the user might just want to search for a particular username would then be made at step  404 . If so, the user would then select that username at step  406  by entering it into the edit box  110  shown in  FIG. 1 . If not, a determination would then be made whether the user might just want to search for a particular location at step  408 . In that event, data (e.g., any given area code, city code, country code, postal code, or ZIP code) could be entered by the user at step  410  into the other edit box  150  shown in  FIG. 1 . If not, a determination would then be made at step  412  whether the user might just want to browse reports. If so, the user would then select the browse button  160  shown in  FIG. 1  at step  414 . If not, the user would proceed according to embodiments of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 4B and 4C .  
         [0046]     Assuming that the user had either selected a username at step  406 , selected a location at step  410 , or selected “browse” at step  414 , the next step  416  would be a determination whether the user might want to search in one or more of the online dating services  135 . If so, the user would then select at step  418  particular ones of the plurality of online dating services  135 . If not, the default “Search All” would select all services at step  420 . In either case, the user would then at step  422  search the database of the system according to embodiments of the present invention. The results of such search would then be displayed at step  424  in the manner shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0047]     Referring now to  FIG. 4B , there is shown a continuation of a program according to embodiments of the present invention. In the event that the user did not want to search for a particular username, search for a particular location, or browse reports in the database, a determination would then be made at step  426  whether the user might just want to enter a report on a particular username. If not, the user would be prompted to exit the site at step  428 .  
         [0048]     If so, the user would then select a particular username at step  430  by entering that username in the edit box  310  shown in  FIG. 3A . Thereafter, the user would be prompted to answer a plurality of questions  320  by selecting one or more of the plurality of radio buttons  330  shown in  FIG. 3A .  
         [0049]     For example, the user might first be asked at step  432  how many dates/meetings he or she had had with the person identified by the username entered into edit box  310 . A response might then be indicated at step  434  by the user&#39;s selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to 0, 1, 2-4, 4-7, or 7 or more dates/meetings.  
         [0050]     Then, the user might be asked who made the initial contact at step  436 . In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  438  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to “he/she did” or “I did”.  
         [0051]     Next, the user might be asked what method was used for the initial contact at step  440 . In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  442  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to “?Wink? or site generated ?hello?” or “I did”.  
         [0052]     Then, the user might be asked at step  444  how the user generally communicated, after the initial contact, with the person identified by the username entered into the edit box  310 . In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  446  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to “primarily e-mail”, “e-mail and telephone”, etc. as shown in  FIG. 3A .  
         [0053]     Referring now to  FIG. 3B  in conjunction with  FIG. 4B , the user would then be asked at step  448  how they would rate the person&#39;s communications. An appropriate response would then be made at step  450  by the user&#39;s selecting one of the radio buttons  330  shown in  FIG. 3B .  
         [0054]     Then, the user might be asked at step  452  how honest they would consider the person&#39;s profile. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  454  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3B .  
         [0055]     Next, the user might be asked at step  456 , if applicable, which aspects of the profile the user felt were incorrect. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate aspects at step  458  by selecting one or more of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3B .  
         [0056]     Referring now to  FIG. 4C  in conjunction with  FIG. 3B , the user would then be asked at step  460  how they would rate the person as a date. An appropriate response would then be made at step  462  by the user&#39;s selecting one of the radio buttons  330  shown in  FIG. 3B .  
         [0057]     Then, the user might be asked at step  464  how they would rate the person&#39;s sense of humor. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  466  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0058]     Next, the user might be asked at step  468  how they would rate the person&#39;s general appearance. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  470  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0059]     Then, the user might be asked at step  472  how they felt with regard to their own safety with that person. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  474  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0060]     Next, the user might be asked at step  476  whether the person discussed exclusivity with regard to their dating. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  478  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3C . There also might be one or more follow-on exclusivity related questions as shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0061]     Then, the user might be asked at step  480  whether they would like to see the person again. In response to that question  320 , the user might then indicate the appropriate answer at step  482  by selecting one of the radio buttons  330  corresponding to the answers shown in  FIG. 3C . In either case, the user might then be asked at step  484  to describe in their own words their experience with the person being profiled. Such comments might be added in the edit box  340  shown in  FIG. 3D  at step  486 . The user would then be prompted at step  488  to submit the report by pressing the “submit” button  350  shown in  FIG. 3D . If so, the report would be saved in the database at step  490 . If not, the user would exit the site at step  492 .  
         [0062]      FIG. 5  depicts a fourth graphical user interface (GUI)  500  for reviewing one or more particular reports returned on a search conducted with the first graphical user interface according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0063]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the user might enter “SexyandGiggling” as the username in edit box  110  of  FIG. 1 . In response, GUI  500  would be displayed showing the profile name  510  (e.g., SexyandGiggling), profile service  520  (e.g., Yahoo!Personals), and the number of reports available to review.  
         [0064]     The user might then select the hyperlink to “SexyandGiggling” under the profile name  510 . Thereafter, a fifth graphical user interface (GUI)  600  as shown in  FIG. 6  would display an overview of a particular report linked from the GUI  500  according to  FIG. 5 . Such overview may include a rating  610 , means  620  for accessing a detailed report, and means  630  for entering an additional report on the particular username in the manner just described. The rating  610  as shown in  FIG. 6  runs from a minus five to a plus five, indicating worst to best. Other systems for rating the profiled username might include a zero to ten, also indicating worst to best.  
         [0065]     By selecting the means  620  for accessing a detailed report, the user may access a sixth graphical user interface (GUI)  700 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , for detailing the particular report having been overviewed by the GUI  600  according to  FIG. 6 . Such detailed report not only provides the questions  320  and answers  330  provided by previous users who had profiled the particular username, but also the means  710  to return to that username&#39;s overview profile and rating  610 .  
         [0066]     A simple system  800  according to embodiments is shown in  FIG. 8 . System  800  generally comprises a plurality of clients  105 , which may be wirelessly coupled by a first coupling means  110  to a wireless network  115 . The wireless network  115 , in turn, is coupled by a second coupling means  120  to a large-scale network such as the Internet  125 . It should be understood that the foregoing use of the term “Internet” is not intended to limit the present invention to a network also known as the World Wide Web. Embodiments according to the present invention may likewise include intranets, extranets, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and the like. Such clients  105 , in turn, may suitably comprise one or more conventional personal computers and workstations, operating either as a “fat” client or a “thin” client. However, other clients such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), Web-enabled hand-held devices (e.g., the Palm V™ organizer manufactured by Palm, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. U.S.A., Windows CE devices, and “smart” phones) which use the wireless access protocol, and Internet appliances.  
         [0067]     Such second coupling means  120  may also be used to couple communications from the plurality of clients  105 , through the wireless network  115  and Internet  125 , to an enterprise control center  130  containing the database and means for accessing the database as described herein before. In turn, the enterprise control center may comprise a local area network of computers coupled together by way of an Ethernet  135 . Such computers may comprise a desktop computer or workstation  140 , a tower computer or server,  145 , a laptop computer  150 , a personal digital assistant (PDA)  155 , or a pen-based notebook  160 .  
         [0068]     The database may be structured as a flat file database or as a relational database. A flat file database is a relatively simple database system in which each database is contained in a single table. In contrast, relational database systems can use multiples tables to store information, and each table can have a different record format.  
         [0069]     Tables for the database may include:  
                                                     Table Structure for Table Answers                Field   Type   Null   Default                       answer_id   int(4)   No               Question_id   int(3)   No   0           answer_weight   int(1)   No   0           answer_text   varchar(255)   No                      
 
         [0070]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Dumping Data for Table Answers 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 0 
               
               
                 2 
                 1 
                 2 
                 1 
               
               
                 3 
                 1 
                 3 
                 2-4 
               
               
                 4 
                 1 
                 4 
                 4-7 
               
               
                 5 
                 1 
                 5 
                 7 or more 
               
               
                 6 
                 2 
                 0 
                 He/she did 
               
               
                 7 
                 2 
                 2 
                 I did 
               
               
                 8 
                 3 
                 0 
                 “Wink” or site generated “hello” 
               
               
                 9 
                 3 
                 1 
                 E-mail 
               
               
                 10 
                 4 
                 0 
                 Primarily E-mail 
               
               
                 11 
                 4 
                 1 
                 Email and Telephone 
               
               
                 12 
                 4 
                 2 
                 Primarily Telephone 
               
               
                 13 
                 4 
                 3 
                 Primarily E-mail 
               
               
                 14 
                 4 
                 4 
                 Face to Face 
               
               
                 15 
                 5 
                 0 
                 Excellent, a pleasure 
               
               
                 16 
                 5 
                 1 
                 Good 
               
               
                 17 
                 5 
                 2 
                 Fair, pleasant and polite exchanges 
               
               
                 18 
                 5 
                 3 
                 Poor, not much to say 
               
               
                 19 
                 5 
                 4 
                 Bad, better to delete rather than open and read 
               
               
                 20 
                 6 
                 0 
                 A nearly perfect description, very honest 
               
               
                 21 
                 6 
                 1 
                 Close, a little exhaggerated, nothing to worry about 
               
               
                 22 
                 6 
                 2 
                 Puffed up, not what I expected 
               
               
                 23 
                 6 
                 3 
                 False, profile was more fiction than description 
               
               
                 24 
                 6 
                 4 
                 Absurd, not even remotely close 
               
               
                 25 
                 7 
                 0 
                 Relationship or marital status 
               
               
                 26 
                 7 
                 1 
                 Age 
               
               
                 27 
                 7 
                 2 
                 Height 
               
               
                 28 
                 7 
                 3 
                 Weight 
               
               
                 29 
                 7 
                 4 
                 Body type 
               
               
                 30 
                 7 
                 5 
                 Hair 
               
               
                 31 
                 7 
                 6 
                 Employment 
               
               
                 32 
                 7 
                 7 
                 Dating goals 
               
               
                 33 
                 7 
                 8 
                 Location 
               
               
                 34 
                 7 
                 9 
                 Other (explain in essay section) 
               
               
                 35 
                 8 
                 0 
                 Fantastic, the night went too fast and ended 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 too early 
               
               
                 36 
                 8 
                 1 
                 Very good, nice company 
               
               
                 37 
                 8 
                 2 
                 Good, polite 
               
               
                 38 
                 8 
                 3 
                 Fair 
               
               
                 39 
                 8 
                 4 
                 Poor 
               
               
                 40 
                 9 
                 0 
                 Hilarious, should be doing stand-up 
               
               
                 41 
                 9 
                 1 
                 Funny, quick-witted and entertaining 
               
               
                 42 
                 9 
                 2 
                 Cute 
               
               
                 43 
                 9 
                 3 
                 A little annoying, doesn&#39;t know when to quit 
               
               
                 44 
                 9 
                 4 
                 Torturous, should stick to facts and figures 
               
               
                 45 
                 10 
                 0 
                 Stunning, a joy to have within visual range 
               
               
                 46 
                 10 
                 1 
                 Attractive, pleasant on the eyes 
               
               
                 47 
                 10 
                 2 
                 Average 
               
               
                 48 
                 10 
                 3 
                 Below average 
               
               
                 49 
                 11 
                 0 
                 Completely secure, wouldn&#39;t hurt a fly unless 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 protecting me 
               
               
                 50 
                 11 
                 1 
                 Safe, normal, nice and polite 
               
               
                 51 
                 11 
                 2 
                 Unsure, would think twice before giving my home 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 number 
               
               
                 52 
                 11 
                 3 
                 Unsafe, would rather leave alone than walk 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 unescorted with this person 
               
               
                 53 
                 11 
                 4 
                 In danger, would like to have had a friend present as 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 an escort 
               
               
                 54 
                 12 
                 0 
                 Yes 
               
               
                 55 
                 12 
                 1 
                 No 
               
               
                 56 
                 13 
                 0 
                 Yes, I saw no signs that there was anybody else 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 in the picture besides us 
               
               
                 57 
                 13 
                 1 
                 Most likely, we spent lots of time together and the 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 person&#39;s profile was promptly removed from view 
               
               
                 58 
                 13 
                 2 
                 Not sure, the person&#39;s profile remained viewable 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 on the dating website 
               
               
                 59 
                 13 
                 3 
                 No way, this person was obviously a casual web 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 dater 
               
               
                 60 
                 14 
                 0 
                 Absolutely, cannot wait 
               
               
                 61 
                 14 
                 1 
                 Most likely, could be fun 
               
               
                 62 
                 14 
                 2 
                 Maybe, but I am not waiting by the phone 
               
               
                 63 
                 14 
                 3 
                 Probably not 
               
               
                 64 
                 14 
                 4 
                 Noway 
               
               
                 65 
                 15 
                 0 
                 Absolutely, not for me but would be great 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 for somebody else 
               
               
                 66 
                 15 
                 1 
                 Most likely, nice and polite 
               
               
                 67 
                 15 
                 2 
                 Maybe 
               
               
                 68 
                 15 
                 3 
                 Probably not 
               
               
                 69 
                 15 
                 4 
                 No way 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0071]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Table Structure for Table Blurs 
               
             
          
           
               
                 blur_answer 
                 int(4) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                 blur_question 
                 int(4) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Table Structure for Table Questions 
               
             
          
           
               
                 question_id 
                 int(4) 
                 No 
                   
               
               
                 question_weight 
                 int(2) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                 question_type 
                 Enum(‘single’, ‘multiple’) 
                 No 
                 single 
               
               
                 question_text 
                 varchar(255) 
                 No 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0072]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Dumping Data for Table Questions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 2 
                 Single 
                 How many dates/meetings with this person? 
               
               
                 2 
                 4 
                 Single 
                 Who made initial contact? 
               
               
                 3 
                 5 
                 Single 
                 What method was used for initial contact? 
               
               
                 4 
                 6 
                 Single 
                 After your initial contact how did you generally 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 communicate with this person? 
               
               
                 5 
                 8 
                 Single 
                 How would you rate this person&#39;s communications? 
               
               
                 6 
                 10 
                 Single 
                 How honest would you consider this person&#39;s profile? 
               
               
                 7 
                 12 
                 multiple 
                 If applicable, which aspects of the profile did you feel 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 were incorrect? 
               
               
                 8 
                 14 
                 Single 
                 As a date, how does this person rate? 
               
               
                 9 
                 16 
                 Single 
                 How would you rate this person&#39;s sense of humor? 
               
               
                 10 
                 18 
                 Single 
                 How would you rate this person&#39;s general appearance? 
               
               
                 11 
                 20 
                 Single 
                 How did you feel with regard to your safety with this 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 person? 
               
               
                 12 
                 22 
                 Single 
                 Did this person discuss exclusivity with regard to your 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 dating? 
               
               
                 13 
                 24 
                 Single 
                 If exclusivity was insinuated, do you feel this person 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 abided by it? 
               
               
                 14 
                 26 
                 Single 
                 Would you like to see this person again? 
               
               
                 15 
                 28 
                 Single 
                 If you were not going to see this person again, 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 would you recommend this person to a friend? 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0073]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Table Structure for Table response_answers 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 response_id 
                 int(7) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 question_id 
                 int(3) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 answer_id 
                 int(4) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0074]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Table Structure for Table Responses 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 response_id 
                 int(7) 
                 No 
                   
               
               
                 response_stamp 
                 timestamp 
                 Yes 
                 CURRENT_TIMESTAMP 
               
               
                 subject_id 
                 int(7) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                 subscriber_id 
                 int(6) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                 response_text 
                 text 
                 No 
               
               
                 response_approved 
                 enum 
                 No 
                 no 
               
               
                   
                 (‘no’, ‘yes’) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0075]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Table Structure for Table Services 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 service_id 
                 int(2) 
                 No 
               
               
                   
                 service_name 
                 Varchar(255) 
                 No 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0076]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Dumping Data for Table Services 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Yahoo! Personals 
               
               
                 2 
                 Match.com 
               
               
                 3 
                 eHarmony 
               
               
                 4 
                 Other 
               
               
                 5 
                 UDate.com 
               
               
                 6 
                 JDate.com 
               
               
                 7 
                 PerfectMatch.com 
               
               
                 8 
                 True.com 
               
               
                 9 
                 AmericanSingles.com 
               
               
                 10 
                 MSN Dating and Personals 
               
               
                 11 
                 Friendster.com 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0077]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Table Structure for Table Subjects 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 subject_id 
                 int(7) 
                 No 
                   
               
               
                   
                 service_id 
                 int(2) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 subject_name 
                 varchar(32) 
                 No 
               
               
                   
                 subject_uuid 
                 varchar(6) 
                 No 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0078]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Field 
                 Type 
                 Null 
                 Default 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Table Structure for Table Subscribers 
               
             
          
           
               
                 subscriber_id 
                 int(4) 
                 No 
                   
               
               
                 email 
                 varchar(255) 
                 No 
               
               
                 stamp 
                 timestamp 
                 Yes 
                 CURRENT_TIMESTAMP 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Table Structure for Table Views 
               
             
          
           
               
                 subject_id 
                 varchar(6) 
                 No 
                   
               
               
                 views 
                 int(11) 
                 No 
                 0 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0079]     Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses for performing the operations disclosed herein. An apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose device selectively activated or reconfigured by a program stored in the device.  
         [0080]     Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. Embodiments of the invention may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by a computing platform to perform the operations described herein. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.), and others.  
         [0081]     The invention has been described in detail with respect to various embodiments, and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The invention, therefore, as defined in the appended claims, is intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention.