A lively, thought-provoking memoir about how one woman cracked the "code" of online dating sites like JDate, OKCupid and eHarmony - and met her eventual husband.
After yet another online dating disaster, Amy Webb was about to cancel her JDate membership when an epiphany struck: It wasn't that her standards were too high, as women are often told, but that she wasn't evaluating the right data in suitors' profiles. That night Webb, an award-winning journalist and digital-strategy expert, made a detailed, exhaustive list of what she did and didn't want in a mate. The result: seventy-two requirements ranging from the expected (smart, funny) to the super-specific (likes selected musicals: Chess, Les Miserables. Not Cats. Must not like Cats!).
Next she turned to her own profile. In order to craft the most compelling online presentation, she needed to assess the competition--so she signed on to JDate again, this time as a man. Using the same gift for data strategy that made her company the top in its field, she found the key words that were digital man magnets, analyzed photos, and studied the timing of women's messages, then adjusted her (female) profile to make the most of that intel.
Then began the deluge--dozens of men wanted to meet her, men who actually met her requirements. Among them: her future husband, now the father of her child.
Forty million people date online each year. Most don't find true love. Thanks to "Data, a Love Story," their odds just got a whole lot better.
Industry Reviews
"Amy Webb found her true love after a search that's both charmingly romantic and relentlessly data-driven. Anyone who uses online dating sites must read her funny, fascinating book."--Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project "Data: A Love Story has me reassessing my sad single years, or at least my approach to them. The book is about pragmatic approaches to partnership, the freedom that comes from asking for what you want, and the clarity that follows honest assessments of oneself and others. (And it's brave, funny, and smart to boot.) - Anna Holmes, founder of Jezebel.com and editor of Hell Hath No Fury: Women's Letters from the End of the Affair.
"A hilarious, fascinating, meticulous, brutally honest, totally engrossing and utterly delightful book. Webb's color-coded and cross-indexed tale of her quest for exactly what she unapologetically wanted will make you look at data differently - and use it much, much better. -- Rachel Sklar, co-founder of TheLi.st and Change The Ratio.
"I LOVE THIS BOOK TO DEATH! Amy Webb has literally written the book on online dating. This is online dating for geeks - for women - for men - for anyone who would like to meet their soulmate or just a playmate, and despairs of ever doing so."--Cindy Gallop, founder of ifwerantheworld.com
"Data, A Love Story is blunt, witty, charming, informative, smart, and true. It's Mr. Spock meets Mary Tyler Moore, as logical Amy turns her life into an algorithm and finds the formula for love. Is this the future of romance? Buy this book and find out." - Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live and What Would Google Do?
"A heartening tale of how she found love and you can, too." - People Magazine
"Webb's instincts...make perfect sense."--Washington Post
"Takes readers behind the scenes of Internet matchmaking."--Boston Globe
"The ultimate guide to data-crunching your way to love."--Wired
"This book is great fun, and possibly even useful to women who need a fresh approach to finding online lurve." --Toronto Star
"funny, brutally honest, and inspirational even to the most hopeless dater."--Publishers Weekly
"clever and inventive... will be inspiring and eye-opening for anyone who has ever tunred to one of the many popular online dating sites in search of love."--Booklist
"Potent stuff"-- Library Journal
"Ultimately, [Webb] got her man, 'a story book wedding' and the longed-for child. Pleasant, geeky fun."--Kirkus
"you will laugh, cry and think about the data behind your own dating life. Data, A Love Story is a great read and provides great insight" --Austin Woman
"It's an enjoyable read for anyone, but online daters should definitely check it out, as some of her findings are revelatory."--XOJane.com
