TED's Secret Matchmaking Algorithm (SMA)
Ah, the unexpected joys of jetlag. Still on London time, I’m wide awake at the crack of dawn in LA. So, logging on to blog – my newly discovered hobby - hoping it will send me back to sleep again, a little anxious it might do the same to the reader.
Let me tell you about this game I started playing in London in the lead up to TED2009. As a Fellow, among the many amazing things TED has been doing for us is to give us a Secret Matchmaking Algorithm (SMA) on our profile page on TED.com. Now, I don’t know if this is something every attendee gets or if it’s just for us newbies to help break us into what I can only describe as a supreme global mindfest. If everyone gets it, please forgive me for telling you something you already know. If not, this is what happens.
In filling in your profile you are given a long list of attributes where you are allowed to tick up to 10 that you feel best describe you as a fully rounded 3-D human being. These range from straight job descriptions such as writer, project manager, scientist, architect, doctor…to more personal or esoteric attributes like global soul, Jewish, foodie, connecter, change agent, brainstormer. Based on these the SMA picks the top 10 people it thinks you must meet with links to their profiles, passions and contact details. Let me just say my top 10 are really cool and I’m a little overawed by what they’ve done and who they are. After the initial gasp, I have even taken TED’s advice and emailed a sheepish hello to some of them.
But here’s the fun part. If you go back to your profile and change your attributes, your top 10 changes. So, tick “single” and suddenly you end up with some very smart and beautiful people on your list. Click “foodie” and you know you’re going to get some delicious TEDsters to meet and eat with. “Philanthropist” and you may hook up with someone who shares some of your passion and obsession, with whom you might form a fruitful partnership on a project. The game is endless fun. In the Browse Attendees section, TED gives you a lovely tag cloud gently bouncing around the page, like a room full of people mingling. Speed dating for overachievers.
Drifting through this cloud my mind took a flight of fancy. I made up some of my own attributes and began to wonder. What if I could tick these 10 attributes: Muslim, Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Change Agent, Connecter, Brainstormer, American, Project Manager and Global Soul. What would the matchmaker do then? Who will it choose that it thinks should meet and sit down together? Where would that lead? Now, that’s a game worth playing. It's a dream, but one worth keeping.
Try it. Soon you’ll be really into SMA.
Taghi Amirani
TED2009 Fellow
Now sleepy
