Let's talk about dating and the blockchain bc even crypto devs need some love.
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Building an onchain dating app is either a great idea or a future episode of Black Mirror. For now, our take is it’s worthwhile because web3 has the potential to improve the dating scene. We’ve all heard horror stories. Friends getting catfished, dates ghosting at the last minute. We need some accountability.
There's plenty of fish in the sea River.
Here’s how we think a dating app built on River could work:
Pick Better Dates
Build a reputation graph for dating. We don’t have enough accountability for how we communicate and interact online. This isn't to say we need to punish people for bad behavior, but we should find ways to reward people for being good stewards of healthy, nuanced, and mature conversations.
Give fewer, but better choices based on reputation. What if you created a data set that is kept private, but rewards people for being more intentional with their choices? You could build a reputation graph that distills the likelihood of you matching and going on dates with a particular person. Ultimately and ideally, this type of reputation graph would turn into a useful matching algorithm.
We don’t envision scoring people. The client could just look at the data based on actions. Things like time to respond, amount of dates, and length of relationships could be taken into account.
Date smart. Smart contracts could automate and enforce agreements between people. For example, two users might enter a smart contract to share personal details only after a mutual match, adding a layer of trust and security to interactions.
Lock it up and make it Premium. You could make this data hidden and premium to unlock. Pretty solid business model. People would pay to know the likelihood of securing a second date with someone.
Don't Get Catfished
Blockchain’s transparency can help combat catfishing. Verifiable digital identities can assure users that their matches are genuine, fostering a safer and more authentic dating environment.
NFTs for Profile Verification. By minting a unique NFT for verified profiles, platforms can ensure the authenticity of their users and reduce the chances of fake profiles.
Interoperable Profiles. Profiles could be used across multiple dating platforms. This would allow users to maintain their identity and reputation without having to start from scratch on each new platform they join.
If this sounds like the kind of idea you'd like to build out, head to river.build and make it happen! We’re here if you need us. pls don’t Black Mirror us.
