Matchmaker.com

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Matchmaker.com is an internet (and, prior to the internet, dial-up) dating service. It was founded in 1986, making it one of the oldest of the current online dating sites. From 2000 to January 2006, it was run by Lycos. In January 2006, it was purchased by Date.com.

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Unlike many dating sites, Matchmaker.com aligned members into one of several demographic or geographic communities, with only limited communication between members of different communities.

Members would complete a questionnaire which consists of several multiple-choice items as well as some essay questions where you can fill in more specific information about yourself such as "What are your hobbies and interests?" or "What would you ideal first date be like?" When one searched for a potential match, matches were ranked according to the percentage of identical responses you have to the responses in someone else's profile in the multiple-choice section of the questionnaire. You could also sort your match list by distance from your zip code to the zip code of the matches.

[edit] History

The original site started in 1986 was in the form of a Dial-up Bulletin board system. Each system catered to a geographic area (code) allowing users to find like interests. The original BBS based system only catered to local computer savvy users within a local telephone area code. However, exchange of email between systems and profiles was later implemented using sendmail and uuencoding making the internet the Matchmaker network backbone.

In the early to mid 1990s, the ASCII BBS style was extended to also be a telnet-based service, allowing access from anywhere in the world without the need for telephone long distance charges. Quickly thereafter, the web based front end was created. The first Matchmaker system to receive the new version was the largest of the communities at the time, "Christie's Matchmaker" (see below). Other Matchmaker franchises quickly also adopted the web based front-end.

In the late 1990s, each of the franchisees agreed to consolidate, centralize, and combine their resources. In 1998, Matchmaker incorporated and relocated all of the Matchmaker servers to Bedford, Texas.

In mid-2000, Matchmaker was purchased by Lycos for $44 million, and all Matchmaker related assets (including fourteen employees) were moved to Waltham, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the site subsequently has declined in popularity (due in part to competitors with more "modern" systems, such as eHarmony and Match.com, as well as a decrease in advertising following the acquisition.)

In January 2006, the site was purchased by Date.com. (As of March 2006, they still use the Matchmaker name.)