The first I heard of computer dating was back in the 1960's when the science club at the junior high school I attended planned a "Computer Dance". The idea was to buy a ticket to the dance, fill out a questionnaire and on the night of the dance, find out who your computer date would be. This had me baffled like nobody's business. Since I always went to the school dances, mostly just to get out of the house, I paid my thirty five cents for a ticket and filled out my questionnaire. The gadget or "computer" the science class had was something made in the electronics work shop. Each questionnaire was assigned a number and the information was put into the gadget somehow. The machine was turned on and in less time than it took to say "what the hack is that noise", it spit out pairs of compatible numbers. At the dance, each participant was given a number to attach to their collar and the number of your compatible dance mate. The results were less than stellar as some people didn't show up so some had no date; some traded numbers to get the date of their choice and others threw their numbers away when their computer date was less than desirable to them.

Computer dating has come a long way since those days of junior high school. Now that I know what a computer is, I can say computer dating is more sophisticated and even reliable than it was way back when. Computer dating programs are also more sophisticated and work on a variety of information that includes more than age, height and eye color.

Computer dating services have been around for decades, even before the internet. Customers filled out the questionnaire and either mailed it or brought it to the computer dating office. The information was fed into the computer and it churned out a report containing a list of suitable companions for the customer to review. A choice or choices were made and the dating service usually made the first contact. If both parties were agreeable to contact, a meeting or phone call was set up. If after an initial communication both parties agreed to further contact, the match was considered a success.

Today, computer dating has morphed into online dating. The principal is the same but now it is done from the privacy and comfort of your own home. Results are instantaneous and matches are sent directly to the customer for review. It is possible to fill out a questionnaire after dinner and receive and review a list of compatibles before going to bed that night. There are a variety of computer dating services lining the information highway and they all claim to offer quality matches for all. Most online dating sites are free to join but require a fee to see matches or allow communication with those matches.

Something to keep in mind is successful computer dating matches depend on the honesty of the information put into the program. Be sure you look for a reputable service if you wish to computer date.