Matchmaking Is On An Upswing

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- Sep 30 -- People burnt out by the lies and lack of privacy found on dating sites are turning to one of this country’s 1,600 matchmakers who prescreen potential matches and focus on long-term compatibility rather than short-term chemistry. Mark Brooks of Online Personals Watch has pointed out that the problem for matchmakers has always been casting a wide enough net; for online sites the problem has been narrowing the pool. He advised both to find common ground. The latest crop of hybrids (online dating sites that offer matchmaking services) seems to suggest some are doing just that. Elove.com, one of the larger New York-area hybrid offerings, is an Internet service that gives each participant a 90-minute in-person interview, and then follows up with criminal background and marital status checks. Once approved, photographs and videos are taken and posted by the matchmaking service. Subscribers are then given a password to search elove’s database. FULL ARTICLE @ THE NEW YORK TIMES