WASHINGTON – Anyone who says spreadsheets aren’t sexy clearly has not picked the empirical brain of David Merkur.
The New Yorker and online dating afficionado has created significant buzz online, following the release of the meticulous spreadsheets he created to document his Match.com exploits. Would WTOP misuse the word “meticulous”?
Categories include Age, Online appearance, Other Initial Notes/Comments, Wink Dates, Dates of Message communication (specificially when, and who instigated it) and Initial Date Status. Each rendezvous is color coded and bolded depending on how closely Merkur wants to keep tabs on that woman. Her entry is matched up to a picture. He even developed his own terminology, including phrases such as “Mixed bag of pictures,” “Nice face (and/or) bod” and “big into (insert: activity).”
So, no. It’s pretty meticulous.
ABC News discovered the spreadsheets after Merkur sent them to a woman he dated after courting her online. She (of course?) then posted them online.
One expert believes this level of dedication is simply the next step in the inevitable evolution of online dating.
Dr. Joshua Kaplow of the University of Alabama of Birmingham says finding a mate online is popular for two reasons: general popularity, and its efficiency.
“It does provide an efficient way to triage potential mates in a way that is easier than doing it face-to-face,” he tells ABC News. “It may not be as powerful, but it’s definitely more efficient.”
“You’re going to continue to see continued adoption, but evolution in the way people use it, a refinement in the way people use it,” says Kaplow. “Those people that use it effectively will continue to use it again.”
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