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Finding Friends Via Search Query Analysis

prostoalex writes "How many times have you met an interesting person, who happened to check out the same book in the library, or listen to the same music as you do? Researchers from University of Chicago suggest that it would be kinda cool if you could find like-minded people by analyzing the queries submitted to a Web search engine. Their PDF paper explains the research in more detail."

17 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Bob? by SpanishInquisition · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that you?

    --
    Je t'aime Stéphanie
  2. Sounds like stalking to me ;) by caluml · · Score: 5, Funny
    Hi, I er found you by monitoring your searching habits, what food you eat, and what shops you go to....

    What, no I'm not a stalker...

    What do you mean.... Hello?... Hello?

  3. Um... ya by OpMindFck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, if the government or a corporation tracks an individuals surfing habits, it's bad. If we do it to get a date, it's good.
    Perhaps I'm missing something.

    --
    Sipping on Jolt and Dew. Laid back. With my mind of my cubicle and my cubicle on my mind.
    1. Re:Um... ya by mrjive · · Score: 4, Funny

      Welcome to slashdot.

      --
      If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten. -George Carlin
  4. What about referers? by CoolQ · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Forget about search queries, what about referers? I've met a lot of interesting people by looking at the referrer logs for my blog/website, and following them back to their blogs. I've even met some of them in person after talking to them online.

    Talk about coincidence... I met someone <wink wink> less than 50 miles from me, who linked to an obscure page on my web site.

  5. Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Direct marketers have been compiling this sort of information for years. From it they know that I'd like to increase various body parts, want a mortgage, need septic tank service, enjoy RC cars, and would like to meet other people and animals. Works flawlessly!

  6. coming soon.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    http://matchmaker.google.com/

  7. same yet different by pres · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The real problem is friends aren't necessary pope with the same interests. Rather it is the combination of similarities and differences that make a successfully friendship. While this might get you started I am not sure it will be that successful.

  8. I don't think so by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finding somebody just like me? Fuck No! I can't even stand one of me.

  9. social engineering by ChrisTower · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember the days before the internet when people actually spoke to each other. I'm fairly sure that conversation is far more effective than analyzing search patterns and much faster too. Don't forget that the shortest distance between you and that person's bed is a straight so stop trying to hack their personality.

    Of course, this is only a suggestion and nothing that I'd actually do myself; I'm more the stalker type.

  10. AudioScrobbler by mgaiman · · Score: 5, Informative

    What about AudioScrobbler? They use the music that you listen to and compare it to the music other people listen to. They then find people with similar music tastes to you, and then you can expand your tastes by looking at what they listen to.

    (see my audioscrobbler>

  11. What a relief by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now I know that I am not a pervert for constantly googling for lesbian pr0n, I'm a member of a community of friends. I feel so loved.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  12. No, No - not really a good idea. by joshv · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am not sure I'd want to meet the other people that are searching for "Horny coed sex slaves".

    -josh

  13. Good point, but it doesn't exactly matter. by Bold+Marauder · · Score: 5, Funny

    I doubt that even the combined resources of government and corporations could get many of us dates!

  14. Mediachest Let's You See What Your Friends Own by muscleman706 · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's a site called mediachest.com which lets you keep track of what dvds, games, cds, and books you own, then see what your friends own and it lets you create sharing networks between yourself and friends and people you know.
    The relevancy here is that because your collection is in the site's database, you have the ability to find other people with similiar interests and those can be narrowed down to people local to you (close to a certain postal code). It even lets you find like minded people based on what school you go to.

  15. Re:Expand your tastes? by Kinlan · · Score: 4, Informative

    www.gnod.net is similar to what you are saying... I think it has quite a cool interface as well, but it not only does music, but books and films as well

    --
    As cunning as a fox, which has just been appointed professor of cunning at Oxford University. http://www.kinlan.co
  16. Amen, brother! by swb · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Amen brother!

    I work in a pretty small IT shop and I'm the only one that does what I do, the rest have other specialties. When I'm in situations where I'm immersed in other IT people like myself I always remark on how much I *dislike* those people, even though we share a lot of the same interests.

    I find the same thing to be true in a lot of areas -- a lot of the people that I find that like X I don't like, even though we both like X.

    The people I do like and spend time with have more subtle and abstract similarities from a personality perspective, and in ordinary ways are quite different from me, which is usually a good thing.

    I find what interests me in people is uniqueness of perspective and depth of feeling. People with John Q. Public opinions and no feeling about them don't turn me on. People that feel passionately about something unusual I find fascinating, even if I find their opinions unappealing.

    I'm familiar with someone who embraces a lot of pretty scary far-right attitudes on politics, race, and so on, but he's capable of explaining them in an intelligent and thoughtful way. At the end of the day I disagree with him, but I still think he's very interesting.