tbf I don't have a dating life, so this should be pretty easy? the essence of this bounty is: give me ideas for dating-related markets that will make it interesting out there.
I've been single for a long time. I find the practicalities of dating to be daunting, but I love meeting people and I actually love dates. I'm a relationship person, and not so into super casual connections or one-night stands (alas).
that said, dating is such a slog. admittedly, I haven't been giving it much attention, but when I do, I feel like it's a lot of effort? dating apps feel petty and it's hard to parse who might be a great person with a bad profile, and who just isn't a good fit. I'd prefer to meet someone organically, but I live in a city that isn't terribly open in the best of times, I work from home, and I'm perhaps in an age bracket where I'm less likely to be seen as open and available. I'm pretty outgoing and not an ogre (even if I'm not feeling my best lately), and I do meet men when I step out to my local restaurants to socialise, but I haven't met anyone I'd like to date. I volunteer with a few arts orgs in the city, but most of my fellow volunteers are women.
I think having an interesting market/s would help me get motivated to date regularly and put in the effort.
ideas I've had include:
dating bingo - where things in the market (my discretion on how serious they are, even if a bit silly) are things I do or look out for or try to make happen
similar to the above, but voting style - I commit to a date at some regularity and the thing/s (again, my discretion) that have the most Yes traders are the things I'll commit to doing/saying and reporting on the result
first date futarchy - I haven't figured out how to define this lol
how many first dates will I go on before I enter a committed relationship? (numeric)
these seem a bit half-assed, what ideas do you have? give me some interesting ideas for dating markets that will help me feel engaged in the process, go on dates more regularly, hopefully find my match.
even if I don't use your idea, I'll give some mana for good and serious ideas bc it's fun to brainstorm. ask questions if you have them!
1,000What about contest for who can introduce you to the best suitor? Perhaps it could be awarded based on your favorite first date rather than requiring one of the recommendations to go the distance, so that you could set a reasonably short timeframe like a few months and have the contest/market still be fun and functional. Might fall short in getting enough attention to actually reach enough people who live near you AND know a good person to recommend AND care to participate.
as someone whose first date was at age 27: beware the “proof of progress” trap! making markets is a great way to feel like you’re making progress without actually getting you any closer to your goal. Do you want to prove to yourself that you’re capable, or do you actually want insight that can help you get there? (I’m projecting — this was a stumbling block for me)
Sticking to the bit: one thing I’d recommend is getting traders invested in your success, so a bounty market for “read my profile and introduce me to someone interesting” or a market like “which commenter(s) will introduce me to someone I strike up a conversation with” will let people profit off of adding folks to your queue.
But stepping back: the first step at getting good at Go is to lose your first 100 games quickly. You have some hard work to do IRL, and we can cheer you on but we also shouldn’t be your primary focus if you want results.
Sending strength. If you’re into trans gals hit me up
make a bucket list -
things you want to do,
skills you want to learn,
places you want to go,
etc.
My (heterosexual male) experience has been that if dates are pursued with singular focus, it can be counterproductive.
Dates and relationships that develop alongside something you enjoy doing or always wanted to do seem to have more chances of success. The common ground is established automatically, and the personal connection (if possible) is easier to form.
Six Market Ideas to Gamify Your Dating Life
These are tailored to your situation (WFH, arts volunteer, prefer organic meetings):
1. Third Place Explorer (Numeric monthly): How many new social venues/events will I try this month? Coffee shops, fitness classes, book clubs, trivia nights, cooking classes. You work from home and socialize at your usual spots. This expands your map without any dating pressure. Organic meetings happen naturally from a bigger social footprint.
2. First Date Futarchy (Multi-choice per date): When you line up a date, post options: cooking class, gallery opening, live music, wine tasting, park walk. Let Manifold decide. You get community engagement, a story for your date (the internet picked this activity), and data on which activities lead to second dates.
3. The Wingman Market (Binary): Will a Manifold user introduce me to someone I go on a date with? Turns your entire follower base into matchmakers. People love playing wingman and this gives them financial incentive. Someone in your city might know a great fit.
4. Romance Bingo (Multi-choice ongoing): Each answer is a dating moment. Bettors predict which happen first: Genuine laughter within 10 minutes / Stayed out way past planned time / Got a follow-up text within an hour / Someone approached ME first / Both suggested seeing each other again. Low-pressure, fun to report on, gives followers something to root for.
5. Two Dates Minimum (Binary monthly): Will I go on at least 2 first dates in March? Simple accountability with a deliberately low bar. When people have money riding on it, skipping a month feels different. This is your consistency engine.
6. Origin Story Tracker (Multi-choice): Where will I meet my next date? Options: Dating app / Through friends / At a venue / Volunteering / Random encounter. Forces you to keep multiple channels open without fully committing to apps. Plus it answers the question everyone asks couples.
My recommendation: Start with #5 (accountability, dead simple) and #4 (fun, zero pressure). The combination of public accountability + community engagement + gamification turns dating from a slog into an adventure with an invested audience. Good luck!
@Joshua added another 9k to this bounty because he either really believes in the cause, or thinks it's going to take a lot of market ideas to make this happen.