Stephen Nold

The Evolution of MatchMaking: Enhancing the Tool
August 24, 2007

First of all, the term ‘matchmaking’ is so last year. While matchmaking sounds like something from the time of Fiddler on the Roof, ‘social networking’ sounds enticing and interactive like something you’d find on MTV. In 2007, people are all about social networking. But what’s the difference? 

While traditional matchmaking tools group attendees based on their company, job title, interests, and offer people a chance to exchange contact information, social networking tools offer a fully interactive experience. Instead of filling out a fixed form with limited criteria, social networking tools create a personal profile and list whatever information about yourself that you want the world to know, whether it’s professional information, musical tastes or what kind of dogs you have. In addition, they let you upload a picture, show a list of other people with whom you’ve ‘networked’ and let you search for other users based on any of the information listed in their profiles. 

Matchmaking tools only introduce people. It is then up to the attendees to follow up with whatever contacts the matchmaking tool qualifies as good leads. Matchmaking tools do nothing to facilitate or catalyze relationship building between attendees.

On the other hand, social networking tools allow people to search and browse other users’ profiles for specific interests and information. While traditional matchmaking programs make introductions, social networking tools build communities.  Social networking tools provide channels of user communication within the system to better facilitate attendee interaction.

The whole purpose of events is to provide people with the opportunity for face-to-face interaction. The features and capabilities of social networking tools provide a great segue into the event experience.  One question lingers: If social networking tools can truly provide attendees with a productive and interactive pre-event communication experience, why haven’t more events provided this service to attendees?

Posted by Stephen Nold on August 24, 2007 | Comments (2)