EHarmony

Infobox_Company
company_name = eHarmony.com
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 2000, Pasadena, California
location = Pasadena, California
homepage = [http://www.eharmony.com/ www.eharmony.com]

eHarmony is an online relationship service. eHarmony matches men and women with compatible singles, taking into consideration what it considers key dimensions of personality. In addition to singles matching, eHarmony operates eHarmony Labs, a relationship research facility, and publishes eHarmony Advice, a growing relationship advice site. eHarmony, which was launched on August 22, 2000, is based in Pasadena, CA and has operations in the U.S., Australia and Canada. The company is privately-held, with investors that include Technology Crossover Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Fayez Sarofim & Co.

History

eHarmony was founded by Neil Clark Warren, PhD, one of the best-known experts on establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. [Cite web |url=http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/experts/bio_neil-clark-warren |title=Dr. Neil Clark Warren |publisher=Redbook |date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19] In the late 1990s, after more than 35 years of work as a clinical psychologist and marriage counselor, Warren decided to test his evolving theory that certain characteristics can predict compatibility, and lead to more satisfying relationships. After three years of research, working in collaboration with Dr. Galen Buckwalter, now the Vice President of Research and Development at eHarmony, Warren developed a predictive, scientific model of compatibility that is now the basis of the company’s matching system. [Cite web |url=www.eharmony.com/about/eharmony |title=About eHarmony |publisher=eHarmony|date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19]

eHarmony launched its matching service for singles in 2000. [Cite web |url=www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/history/eharmonyhistory.html |title=History of eHarmony|publisher=Online Dating Magazine|date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19] Since then, the company has had about 20 million members [Cite web |http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4887501.ece
title=Make Me a Match|publisher=Times Online|date=2008-10-6 |accessdate=2008-10-8] and has grown such that, in 2008, about 15,000 people take the eHarmony questionnaire each day. [Cite web |url=http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/14/magazines/fortune/fastforward_eharmony.fortune/index.htm|title=FastForward: eHarmony|publisher=Fortune|date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19] After finding a match on eHarmony, Harris Interactive reports than an average of 236 eHarmony members marry every day.

In addition to the singles matching service, eHarmony operates eHarmony Labs, a relationship research facility, and publishes eHarmony Advice, a growing relationship advice site. [Cite web |url=www.eharmony.com/about/eharmony|title=About eHarmony |publisher=eHarmony|date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19]

Methodology

At eHarmony, new members complete a questionnaire that determines key characteristics, beliefs, values, emotional health and skills. [Cite web |url=www.eharmony.com/about/faq|title=About eHarmony |publisher=eHarmony|date=2008-09-19 |accessdate=2008-09-19] Sophisticated matching algorithms uses these answers to match members with compatible users.

A user who completes an initial personality analysis survey (essentially a personality test developed by Dr. Galen Buckwalter, Director of Research at eHarmony) may then specify a number of additional criteria, "self selects" by which to create a more accurate potential pool of recommended matches. Among the criteria available for the user's specificity are self selected age range, ethnicity, religious affiliation, geographical vicinity, and maternity/paternity status (children living with/children living away/no children). In conjunction with the 258-question relationship questionnaire, this is how all of the matches are delivered. One significant scoring factor is what may be called the "honesty factor". This is a psychological profiling technique designed to score the relative "honesty" of the respondent. This factor is apparently considered by eHarmony as a significant factor in arriving at a good "match". Contrary to many other matchmaking services, the user is not allowed to browse through profiles or choose potential matches themselves, and must rely completely on the eHarmony service itself to arrange potential matches.

Users are not permitted to choose matches based on marriage "experience" (i.e., divorced/widowed) as with other sites. While matches can be presumed to be currently unmarried (as eHarmony only offers matching services to legally single people) there is no option by which a "never-married" user could choose to only receive "never-married" matches, or a widower could request to be matched with a widow, etc.

eHarmony states that for 20%, or 1 in 5 respondents, they are not able to predict with whom the user would best be matched. Such respondents are told that they do not fit "rigid profiles" of personality type.

eHarmony's research methods and its models for compatibility matching have not been submitted to any peer-reviewed journals for evaluation and publication.fact|date=July 2008 However, eHarmony's research director, Dr. Steve Carter, Ph.D. did present a paper at the 2004, 16th annual American Psychological Society (APS) meeting. In [http://www.eharmony.com/singles/servlet/about/research the paper presented] , Carter compared eHarmony couples married for more than 5 years with a control group, using the [http://doi.apa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=showUIDAbstract&uid=1977-00122-001 Dyadic Adjustment Scale] (DAS), a measure of couple satisfaction. The results purportedly showed that "Over 90% of eHarmony couples had marriage quality scores which were above average when compared to couples who had begun their relationships elsewhere. eHarmony couples were more than twice as likely to be in highly successful marriages than non-eHarmony couples... Not only are eHarmony couples 35% more likely than other married couples to report that they enjoy spending time together, but we found they are nearly twice as likely to report that their marriages are "extremely happy" or better versus other recently married couples." [ [http://www.eharmony.com/singles/servlet/press/releases?id=12 eHarmony press release on customer satisfaction study] , Mar 15, 2004, results from an in-house clinical survey of former customers. Downloaded 06/05/06.] Such an informal presentation should not be confused with peer-reviewed scientific investigation.

eHarmony's selection of a model for statistically choosing the factors to be included in their questionnaires was made using couples who scored in the top quartile of the DAS measure. The use of the DAS to measure outcomes may present a methodological flaw in establishing validity, because the DAS is not independent of eHarmony's models. Using an independent measure of satisfaction would be more convincing. However, eHarmony appears to be the only "matching" service online that has actually conducted either predictive or post hoc research using married couples to create or validate their methods. In fact, this use of empirical data from married couples to create a system for matching singles online is the core of eHarmony's patent (U.S. Patent No. 6,735,568).

Current board of directors

* Neil Clark Warren, PhD, Founder of eHarmony
* Greg Forgatch, Founder of eHarmony
* Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel Partners
* Pete Hart, Chairman of the Board of SVB Financial Corp. and Silicon Valley Bank
* Jay Hoag, General Partner at Technology Crossover Ventures
* Jaynie Studenmund, Director of Orbitz Worldwide
* Gregory Waldorf, Founding Investor and CEO

Current executives

* Gregory Waldorf, Founding Investor and CEO
* Greg Steiner, President and COO

Financing history

eHarmony was founded in 2000 with a $3.0 million investment from Fayez Sarofim & Co. and individual investors. [Cite web |date=2008-09-16 |url=http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/history/eharmonyhistory.html |title="History of eHarmony" |publisher=Online Dating Magazine] In 2004 eHarmony received the fourth largest venture capital infusion of that year from Sequoia Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures. [Lee, D. (2004). "Matchmaker site lands $110 million". "Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News". December 22, 2004.]

Criticism and response

articleissues|section=y
cleanup=July 2008
prose=July 2008
review=August 2008
*eHarmony does not match gay individuals, and this has led to criticism.Kornblum, Janet. " [http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-05-18-eharmony_x.htm eHarmony: Heart and soul] ", "USA Today", May 18, 2005] Warren responds that he has not done the same amount of research on same-sex match-making as he has done on heterosexual match-making. He also notes that eHarmony is about marriage, and that same-sex marriage is illegal in most states. In a discussion regarding eHarmony's lack of services to gay individuals, the founder is reported as having said, "Where Focus on the Family and a lot of these other places come from is that there are six places in the Bible that say homosexuality is wrong." But then he continued: "On the other hand, in the Old Testament if you work on the Sabbath day and you're guilty then you should be shot." [ [http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/06/10/warren/index3.html] ] Failure to provide same-sex matching options has prompted a lawsuit claiming that eHarmony has violated California's laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [Cite web |first=Bob |last=Egelko |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/01/BAGNSQ63EQ6.DTL |title=EHarmony sued for excluding same-sex matches |publisher=The San Francisco Chronicle |date=2007-06-01]
* Some complain the procedure to unsubscribe from the service is unfair or misleading. [Cite web |title=Consumeraffairs.com eHarmony complaint log complaints lodged since 2004-03-19 |accessdate=2006-06-05 |url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/dating_services/eharmony.html]
* Various problems relating to the matching mechanism used, such as: [ [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4803877 NPR/ Fresh Air Interview (ibid)] Lists 8.3 million total applicants vs: over 1 million applicants being rejected.]
** Matches cannot be filtered by user-defined criteria. For example users cannot require that all matches contain a picture.
** The only power the user has is to look at the matches brought up by the matching system and pursue or reject them. Therefore a significant amount of trust in the psychological matching system is needed to justify the service.
** Inability to tell if that match is actually a paying/active match.
* After answering a 258 question profile, some would-be customers are rejected without explanation. A public statement from eHarmony claims that the reasons for rejection are usually because of three factors: [Cite web |first=Paul |last=Farhi |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201350.html?hpid=topnews |title=They Met Online, but Definitely Didn't Click |publisher=The Washington Post |date=2007-05-13 |pages=D01 |accessdate=2007-05-13]
** They are already married (30%);
** They are under the minimum age of 18 (27%);
** They provide inconsistent answers during the profile (9%)

References and footnotes

External links

* [http://www.eharmony.com/ The official eHarmony Homepage]
* [http://www.eharmony.ca/singles/ eHarmony Canada Homepage]
* [http://www.eharmony.com.au/ eHarmony Australia Homepage]
* [http://www.eharmony.com/singles/servlet/press/contacts The eHarmony contact information page]
* [http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=17870 Public opinions on Eharmony.com] [http://marriage.eharmony.com eHarmony's Alternative to Marriage Counseling]