About Dating Platform

Dating Platform is an idea for a dating site. It isn't an active dating service, and there are no member accounts here yet.

Why build another dating site?

My own experiences of dating apps left me wondering why so much of finding someone had to sit behind a payment screen. I wanted to try building a service where everything is free, you have more say over what you see, and suggestions take both people's wishes into account.

After years of paying for apps and putting up with their various annoyances, they managed to irritate me enough to build my own. Bender had a similar approach to theme parks:

> “I'm gonna go build my own theme park, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the park!”

— Bender, Futurama, “The Series Has Landed.”

Why free? Don't you have expenses?

Sure, but I already have a server at home. I might as well try something useful with it. I'm almost 50, not wealthy, but able to spend a bit on a project for the fun of it. It won't have the resources of a giant dating company, so you may have to forgive a slower page now and then.

Security is something I take seriously. I work in IT, and keeping the service free doesn't make people's privacy any less important. Protection still needs to be built, tested and reviewed before anyone trusts us with real dating information.

Before a full launch, I plan to establish a company to operate the service and take on its responsibilities. We may invite people to an earlier, separate test with made-up profiles and images, once clear test rules are ready.

Who would it be for?

Adults aged 18 and over, with room for different orientations, gender identities and kinds of relationships. One account could have separate profiles for ordinary dating, casual encounters or two people looking together. Having one wouldn't automatically tell other members about the others.

I did consider a service for teenagers, but the safety and legal questions quickly ruled that out. This project is for adults.

What would make it different?

You could choose pictures or words first while browsing, keep answers private, save someone for later and decide who may send you a first message. Adding useful profile details should be easy, without a wall of compulsory questions. If you both want to meet, the site could help with the practical arrangements.

The questions and answers go into those ideas in more detail. None of the features are available yet.

What's holding up a launch?

There's a lot to build and check. Private information must stay private, blocking must work, and things need to recover safely when they fail. We haven't chosen a launch date or the exact features for the first release.

For a quick walk-through, start with How would it work?. For my own story, see Peter's diary.