If either of those sound familiar, its time to become acquainted with Jess, Meet Ken , a new online dating site that works exclusively on a referral basis.

Or maybe youve ridden through the online dating rodeo a few more times than you care to admit, and you just cant figure out why, despite all of the algorithms and settings optimized to help you find a perfect match, you havent.

The concept is simple, yet smart: women are allowed to create profiles for men they consider catch-worthy, and in the process, eliminate the odds of a guy acting creepy (hello, OkCupid) by personally vouching for their picks. Once the mans been vetted forFacebook adds an additional layer of securitythe profile goes live, creating a potential opportunity for other women (who are allowed to create accounts for themselves, too) to happily browse and contact at will. Oh, and its free, at least for the time being.

Jess, Meet Kens tagline is Its how we met, and as you might guess, its how the sites founder, Ken, met his wife, Jess, when a mutual friend introduced them on a now-defunct dating site almost a decade ago. And based on the turnout at Jess, Meet Kens launch party last week (a fete organized by yours truly), and on the recent attention the sites gained in the media, Id say Jess, Meet Ken is on track to become a serious contender against the plethora of dating services that can fail to deliver something personal.

(Sorry, guys: you cant create your own profiles just yet. But you can ask your female friends to sign you up.)