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Arlin Cuncic

Matchmaker Website "Huntcha" Plays Cupid in Time for Valentine's Day

By , About.com GuideFebruary 12, 2012

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Just in time for Valentine's Day a new Website is set to help you turn your platonic relationships into something more. Huntcha is a tool for those who are too shy to approach potential love interests.

The site is a few months old and has more than 30,000 members and over 1500 matches.

How exactly does it work?

Imagine that you have been friends with someone for a really long time. Perhaps that person is your neighbor, a friend of a friend, a work colleague, or classmate. Instead of risking rejection by confessing your feelings in person, Huntcha allows you to add that person to a list of friends that you would like to turn into something more.

If that person also adds you to their list then you have a match. The site notifies you of the interest and you work to send clues to the other person to help them guess your identity. Eventually you connect, date in real life, and hopefully live happily ever after.

The only hitch is that the person must already be someone that you are friends with on Facebook. Well, they also have to know about Huntcha and create a list.

The site creator argues that it is a way to avoid making a fool of yourself. If the interest is not mutual, your friend will never know you added him to your list.

I think the site is one part brilliant and one part fifth grade. Isn't this what we accomplished in elementary school passing notes back and forth?

Interestingly, current stats show that women tend to put one or two people on their list, while men add more and change them often. Given that there is a limit of 9 people per list, my guess is that men have really long lists and that they just keep trying different names until they get a match. Women are a little choosier.

What does this have to do with social anxiety disorder (SAD)? If you fear rejection, this might be a method for turning a friendship into something more. Although it doesn't address the fear of making the first move, it does give you a chance to develop a relationship that might not otherwise get off the ground.

What do you think? Would you use this type of matchmaker site to see if your secret crush feels the same as you?

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