Dating site plan

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Hi everyone. I've decided to build an aspie dating site. I was using Aspie affection but I have a lot of problems with it being buggy and unsecure so I'm going to buid my own. My plan is to build a dating site which would require a wrongplanet.net registration. Users who had a post count of 10 or more would be able to pm me on WP and receive a link. They would then click the link from the WP private message and it would begin their registration to the dating site I built. I thought this would be a good idea as I could then ensure that the people on the website were trustworthy by reading their posts. I could then block anyone I thought was causing trouble from using the site.

The initial idea is to build a site which is a little like the design of Flirtbox.co.uk but with the autism spectrum in mind. So there would be no open questions that are required fields and users could connect to each other in very concrete and easy to understand ways (I haven't figured this out properly yet).

It's important that for phase 1 of the website that I keep functionality to a minimum to ensure it actually happens. So it'll have very basic registration, login, and messaging to begin with. Once that happens I'll be able to increase the functionality for phases 2 and 3 of the project.

I thought I'd make this post as I didn't know if the project would be welcomed or not. So this is a chance for people to say what they think of the idea but not to suggest features at this early stage. I also don't want to get anyone's hopes up as my circumstances may change and I may not be able to work on the site anymore. I'll try my best to ensure this doesn't happen.

So what do you think?

It's ok, don't all shout at once for your £15,000 website...

Well first of all not many people actually look at this section of the website. You could go somewhere else, like the members only forum, for more attention, but I'm not sure if talking about a site of your own would be legitimate.
How would you be able to ensure that members here with post counts less than ten would not be able to PM you, as you imply? Or can they only to not be accepted, as would be the case for troublemakers, as you say?

Personally, I'm not interested in that sort of thing, but I am probably a minority - I just wanted to give you a reply!

Well they could pm me but they would only get a code if I was satisfied they were trustworthy people. I'd go through a few of their posts and then add them if they seemed like legit users.

What if members didn't think that your 292 posts was enough to presume that YOU were a legit user?

That's a very rude thing to say, why would you say something like that? Honestly, I was trying to do something good and useful for the WP community and autism in general. It's been met with is indifference, excuses and now unkindness.

I am not looking for a new relationship, so I can't really welcome your project, but if you want to go for it, then I'll be happy to give some hints. I met my current wife online, so I have some experience.

Thanks OddFinn. I don't need people to jump up and down about it, I just expected there to be some interest given the dire state of Aspie Affection at the moment. I suppose some people are using general dating sites rather than aspie-oriented ones.

I don't seem to be attracting much good to myself at the moment.

Perhaps you could ask at the Love and Dating section?

To clarify, I was only indifferent because I do not have any interest in your aim for my own reasons. It may or may not be a good concept; I was just querying and giving you a suggestion. Though MidlifeAspie's remark was a bit harsh.

I wish you luck and hope it goes well for you in any case.

That's ok, I had no problem with your response, it was helpful.

It's a legitimate question. What makes you the authority on who is legit? 292 posts means you are still a newbie for all practical purposes.

Nobody jumps up and down getting upset about the state of Aspie Affection because it has been a festering s**thole for years now. The members have gotten along without it so far. Personally, I find the idea of a dating site dedicated to Aspies to be a hilarious idea. Nobody talking, nobody making the first move, just a lot of staring and whining about how nobody wants them.

Well it's a good idea we're not all so negative. The idea is that anyone would be allowed on to the site unless they were causing trouble, i.e. spam, hate speech for example. The idea is not to deny anyone based on my own conceptions of right and wrong. I had thought that other people could be given administrator privileges on the site to add members also. It's not something in which I would be like a supreme ruler who blags about his post count every five minutes. I think the fact that it is a "festering *" is the reason we need a new website.

The site would be engineered to provide AS people the best possible chance of meeting someone. So no open ended questions, lots of small things like winks, hugs, with one-click buttons to let people know they liked each other. Other things like perhaps organising an internet date in a chat room between two people at a specified time perhaps (although not at first due to development time).

I like the idea

I fail to see how making membership here a prerequisite helps you at all. My suggestion is twofold:

First, don't try to moderate membership. Put up a captcha to prevent spam bots, and let people decide what they want to do. People who sign up to spam will more than likely be reported.

Secondly, make sure you have a plan to pay your expenses. Dating sites are a very large target for frivolous lawsuits, and it's not something I would advise doing without a very large insurance policy. Of course there are also hosting fees, which in and of themselves are not insignificant, especially if your site takes off.

The WP moderation idea was an idea to prevent a problem suggested by another user, that autistics are vulnerable and that they could be picked on by someone in a dating site. The idea of the WP moderation was so that anyone wanting to victimise anyone on the spectrum would have to go through the process of applying to WP, use it for a while to rack up a small post count, then apply for the dating site. Given all that they'd probably just find an easier target.

On the hosting front it won't be an issue. I already have hosting for multiple websites which can be increased for a few extra pounds a month. If it really takes off the advertising should cover a dedicated server each month.