Real friends can be made online depending on how you go about it. Be it for a business purpose, professional, religious or romantic relationships, it is possible to get the chemistry to click between two separate individuals online and develop in an organic manner just as it would be in person.

All that matters is their shared common preferences and, more importantly, the role of a matchmaker.

Social Networks Today

Studies may have shown otherwise in the past. It is usually because they peg the outcome of their findings on the view that social networking sites such as Facebook can only make gaining acquaintances possible and not genuine interactions with someone new or far away with whom they have a shared common value.

Social networks are known to decrease the cost of maintaining and forming networks across boundaries as they allow for the posting and sharing of information to multiple people. However, several criticisms have have been levied against them in recent years.

These thorny issues include lack of privacy, their centralized nature which makes them susceptible to being controlled by whoever deems fit for either political or other interests and users’ data being bundled as a product for marketing purposes.

These issues, which are like to continue for years to come, have made more social media users be wary of how their personal details are shared online without their full consent and, most importantly, what becomes of the relationship they are trying to create in an online environment.

Matchmakers’ Effect

Then comes the concept of matchmaking. A new platform is putting all the major issues attributed to social network sites into perspective to create a unique and necessary blockchain-based matchmaking network as an incentive-based community that could modernize the centuries-old profession.

Matchpool is a decentralized dating and matchmaking protocol that provides matchmakers with an incentive for doing what some people do almost for free: introducing someone to another to form a real bond.

Matchmaking is a natural tendency whose importance has manifested in various facets of our lives. It is a reliable process that makes all the parties involved feel comfortable with themselves for the steps they are taking to enter into a relationship. It also encourages an open-minded view on issues of disinterest and enhances the easy face to face interactions as matchmaking is a common phenomenon that breaks the ice on the rigidity of the entire getting-to-know-each-other process.

Known for its tamper-proof nature, the blockchain technology will guarantee the security of data in an encrypted and decentralized form that make stored information free from any external interference while meaningful relationships are being created.

Matchpool

According to its founder, former hedge fund manager Yonatan Ben Shimon, Matchpool seeks to do to the dating industry what Amazon did to e-commerce: merchandise the platform to enable anyone to be a matchmaker and create their own branded network of mini dating sites.

Each matchmaker can define their business model, draw people into their pool based on set rules, make matches by creating a micro pool and monetize their invite-only group. They can also invite their community members to events relevant to the group’s common values.

Matchpool is presently planning a matchmaking competition in the city of love Paris on February 16, close to Valentine’s Day, in which the matchmaker that make the most matches at the event will win a prize of one Bitcoin (about $900 as at the time of this writing). Another prize will be awarded to a winning couple.

Some of the advisors for the platform that creates human connections include Steem’s CEO and c0-founder, Ned Scott and the founder of JDate, Joe Shapira.

The Matchpool ICO will commence in late March 2017 to last for six weeks or until the investment cap of 420,000 ETH will be reached.