[hapless]

A blind date system would suffer from the adverse selection problem. As long as any other system exists, the blind date system would be disproportionately used by predators and other undesirables who find it disproportionately helpful.

Worse, in this case, the adverse selection problem builds on itself. Over time, "normal" users would be driven out until only problematic candidates remained.

[hugh3]

I can see the pitch now: it's like Chatroulette, only in real life!

[tomjen3]

You laugh, but Chatroulette could be an awesome way to do dates, you are randomly pared with a person (properly of the gender and sexual orientation you desire somewhere near you) you don't know the name of that person so you can talk as you want, but if you are both interested you can get a link to them so that you can talk again, and if things pan out, get to know who the other person is.

[klipt]

A location aware version of Chatroulette could work, but you'd need a much larger userbase (a few thousand people scattered around the world might not provide any geographically close matches...)

[Goosey]

Off the cuff solution: Require accounts be tied to a real identity (provide driver's license #?.. No I haven't thought about legal/privacy repercussions) and introduce a post-date rating system. Sprinkle in some sort of staleness algorithm along with an anti-maliciousness algorithm (IE: someone who always rates their dates as creeps might themselves be a nutjob) and perhaps the system can survive.

Off the cuff so tear this to pieces. Perhaps I just WANT the idea to work so well that I am not seeing the forest through the trees.

[hugh3]

You'll eliminate the complete creeps after one date. (Still gives a woman a significantly nonzero chance of winding up with a complete creep on his first date anyway).

But you won't be able to eliminate those who are merely boring, or ugly, or abrasive, or have an annoying personal habit. Your rolls will fill up with people like these.

[DennisP]

I've thought about that before, what trips me up is thinking about incentives. If you have a really great date with someone, chances are you don't want to increase your competition by giving them a good rating.

[touqen]

Just to toss this out there. The OKCupid guys have(it's currently down for a reworking?) site called CrazyBlindDate.

And basically they gave you a tiny bit of information about the person and a blurry picture and a location of one of your choosing (a coffee shop/bar/restaurant). In my experiences she was the one who chose the location to meet. We would meet up and have a drink or two and talk. They generally were really quite interesting. I didn't run into any women who were particularly creepy. A couple who were absolutely terrible dates (unable to converse, etc).

I can't speak for the women, but of the ones I talked to who had done it prior to meeting with me were generally pleased with their experiences also.