Google online dating service: Google Romance for real?
Google Base is amassing a database of “people profiles.” I discuss a future Google.com classifieds strategy based on Google Base classifieds listings surfacing in Google.com in my "Google.com 'refinement boxes': future classifieds 'complete solution'? " The same analysis applies to Google Base people profile listings; Google is using the free “people profiles” it obtains from users at Google Base to fuel “refinement box” search queries for online networking and online dating (see also my Google Base obtains the world's content for free, Google.com capitalizes on it .)
Below is a screen shot of a Google Base people profiles listings page with a refinement box at top asking for “gender,” “age” and “location”.
While Google’s latest April Fools “joke” presented an "unfathomable" Google Romance product, Google undoubtedly has its sights set on competing, for real, against online dating and business networking services such as Match.com, eHarmony, LinkedIn...
As Google released to the world April 1, 2006:
Our mission, as you might have heard, is to organize the world's information," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's senior vice president, product management. "And let's face it: in what area of life is the world's information more disorganized than romance? We thought we could use our search technology to help you find that special someone, then send you on a date and use contextual ads to help you, ya know - close the deal…
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every second of every minute of every hour of every day...Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for those users who haven't tuned out of online commerce altogether.
Here is the Google Romance beta "April Fools":
Pin All Your Romantic Hopes on Google
When you think about it, love is just another search problem. And we’ve thought about it. A lot. Google Romance™ is our solution. Google Romance is a place where you can post all types of romantic information and, using our Soulmate Search™, get back search results that could, in theory, include the love of your life. Then we'll send you both on a Contextual DateTM, which we'll pay for while delivering to you relevant ads that we and our advertising partners think will help produce the dating results you're looking for.
With Google Romance, you can:
- Upload your profile – tell the world who you are, or, more to the point, who you’d like to think you are, or, even more to the point, who you want others to think you are.
The Google Romance April Fools "joke" is on a path to realization:
Uploade your profile; possible now at Google Base.
Search for love; possible now at Google Base, and, quite possibly, through the main Google service in other parts of the world.