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Professor tries to connect Craigslist missed connections using science

Professor tries to connect Craigslist missed connections using science

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A new site attempts to bring together missed connections on Craigslist by matching up keywords.

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Missed Connections
Missed Connections

Do you ever wonder how many of the "missed connections" on Craigslist ever really, well, connect? One NYU-Poly professor is attempting to increase the chances of that happening with a new site that creates matches based on keywords. The site compares posts from the same city, and based on the number of similar words used in each — words are given prominence based on type, with simpler words scoring lower and proper names scoring highest — comes up with the percentage chance that any two listings are actually a match. Creator Luke DuBois hasn't brought a couple together just yet, but he has reached out to eight possible matches, including a man who likes salami and the woman who once gave him a cigarette. Currently the site covers nine different cities across the world, including New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, and London.