Building Two Niche Dating Sites in Record
Time—One for the Political Left and
Another for the Right

Client

Political Matchmakers, LLC

Industry

Media, Publishing & Entertainment

Features

Straw Poll Powered Political Spectrum

Advanced Matchmaking Algorithms

Reports & Dashboards on Key Metrics

Technology Stack

java-seeklogo.comCreated with Sketch.

Java

hibernateCreated with Sketch.

Hibernate

MySQL Copy 3Created with Sketch.

MySQL

apache-13Created with Sketch.

Apache

tomcatCreated with Sketch.

Tomcat

jQuery

The year was 2012. The United States was in the middle of another presidential campaign, and political tensions were high. Democrats strongly supported President Barack Obama while Republicans had rallied behind his challenger, Governor Mitt Romney. And within all the chaos, a small group of entrepreneurs saw an opportunity—niche dating sites based on political affiliation.

The founder of Political Matchmakers believed the time was ripe for two politically orientated dating sites, one for those who leaned right and another for those who leaned left.

Since political views are not always binary, each website would ask users daily straw polls—questions on hot political issues—placing them at a specific point along the political spectrum. It would allow, for instance, moderates to match with other moderates on either site. It also allowed people to match based on their stances on specific issues.

Working Against Time

The real challenge? The founders knew it was essential to get the sites live well before the election. That way, they could capture the attention of the media as well as a potential user base that was fired up. In short, there was no better time to launch than at the height of campaign season.

Could they find the right partner? One that both understood the American political landscape and could deliver on time?

The founders quickly shortlisted candidates based on their profiles and their initial response. Net Solutions stood out because they demonstrated an intimate understanding of the U.S. political system, despite being headquartered on the opposite side of the world.

In the initial consultation, Net Solutions suggested mitigation strategies for unpredictable traffic the sites were likely to experience that also aligned with the founders’ vision and made sense to their technical advisors. Most importantly, Net Solutions was confident they could launch the sites within the aggressive timeframe the founders had set.

Convinced they had found their right partners, Political Matchmakers signed with Net Solutions, and the team got to work.

A Tale of Two Websites

Creating two separate platforms in short order was no easy task. To beat the deadline, Net Solutions took a strategic approach, with the following groups working in parallel.

  • Group #1 focused on branding implementation to ensure each site’s unique look and feel
  • Group #2 developed the backend architecture to make sure the site worked properly
  • Group #3 dove deep into the matchmaking algorithm provided by the founders, which was an essential feature for the service

These multiple threads worked efficiently, and in four months the two distinct websites were ready for launch.

Key Features

Important features for each website included:

  • Tailored design targeting each website’s audience
  • A spectrum analyzer that creates an internal political profile
  • An advanced matchmaking engine using various parameters to find ideal matches
  • Live chat to help people connect quickly after their profiles match
  • Recurring payment integration for monthly billing

Net Solutions also designed the backend for easy management, with features like:

  • Investigating and blocking abusive users and those in violation of the company’s terms and services
  • A reporting mechanism to keep an eye on critical data points, such as the number of profiles, paid users, etc.
  • Revenue tracking to monitor the number of paying members

The websites also integrated well with all relevant social media channels, creating an entire ecosystem for marketing and brand engagement.

Launch & Press Coverage

The founders launched the websites with a powerful marketing campaign, and they received coverage in national media outlets throughout the United States. As a result, the two sites saw a huge influx of new users.

Anticipating a rush of new users, Net Solutions designed a system set to scale. The scaling measures worked seamlessly, solidifying each website’s position in the political dating niche.

Results

  • Built two, fully functional dating websites in record time
  • Created an algorithm to match like minded users
  • Captured the attention of national media
  • Gained a massive influx of users with zero issues scaling

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