I started working on Slipper because I've long been a fan of the missed connections section on Craigslist. Each post provides a genuine glimpse at human action (or inaction) and the resulting vulnerabilities. However, I've been frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the current system. The ultimate disappointment of missed connections currently lies in the fact that most posts die a quiet death in the endless internet ether.
Slipper takes on this challenge through algorithms that continuously match posts to people. We determine the probability that each post is about each of our users, or that a user may recognize the target of the post. If the algorithms provide a strong signal, we send the user a push notification telling them to check out the relevant post. Our servers are continuously calculating these probabilities to create a fresh experience each time the app is opened.
Still early stage, but I'd really appreciate your feedback. Thanks!
I'm in the process of putting the finishing touches on Slipper, which is basically what you're talking about. I've developed a number of algorithms that intelligently route posts to individuals based on a number of characteristics (including physical appearance & location, as you mentioned above).
We require facebook authentication, but we require no manual input from the user, so no need to subscribe to attributes or anything. All the analysis and routing comes from our back-end
Check out our splash page at SlipperApp.com. If you want to talk more, shoot me an email at elliott @ slipper app dot com - I can shoot you a beta download link if you'd like, and I love talking missed connections!
I'm a data scientist who is building Slipper, an iOS app that uses algorithms to reconnect and recommend missed connections. In beta now, but ~5% of new users are matched on sign-up with a real post written about them. Launching later this month, perhaps early October.
Java + MySQL, using these awesome libraries
- Bowser (webapp): https://github.com/mirraj2/bowser
- EZDB (MySQL wrapper): https://github.com/mirraj2/ezdb
- Ox (IO and Json): https://github.com/mirraj2/Ox
These bad boys make writing Java wonderful again.