International Women's Day: Amanda Tsinonis from YesNoMayB

In the second of our interviews celebrating Women Who Rock In Technology But Probably in Other Areas Too, we asked Amanda Tsinosis (aka Cupid) to answer our burning questions. Much like my mother, she's on a one woman mission to find us all love, although she's using the wonder of the internet, rather than circling personal ads and leaving them where I can find them... Impressively, she's juggling being a mum to three daughters under the age of six, with her role as Cupid.

So what is yesnomayb.com, and how did it start?

A few years ago I was sitting around with friends and they were bemoaning the fact that many of the online dating sites out there were ‘cheese, sleaze and money please’.

I saw a gap in the market for a dating site that was true to real life, fun, easy to use and where girls could feel safe. Let’s be honest, when people go to a party or a bar – whether consciously or subconsciously, they’ll look around the room at potential romantic interests and make instant decisions if these people are a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ - first impressions count.

yesnomayB.com has been designed to be a very visual and modern dating site for the web 2.0 generation. One that replicates the natural yes, no, maybe process and bypasses the long, word-heavy member profiles and the complicated algorithms that promise but don’t deliver.

How does it differ from other dating sites, and do you have any plans to differentiate it further in the future that you can tip us off on?

What makes the site truly original is that, the more you use it, the more the site learns your likes and dislikes, increasing your odds of finding or being contacted by people you like. This is because we use a unique technology feature called ‘collaborative filtering’.

Basically, it works like this:

Amanda fancies Ben and Joe
Susan fancies Ben and Joe too
Chances are that Amanda might fancy some of Susan’s other choices.

Next time Amanda logs on and does a search, not only will she see some of Susan’s hot choices, but in her facespin queue will be the guys that voted yes or mayB to her and she is told (“likes you”) on the photo of that guy.

The site is constantly being evaluated and improved, and I am currently driving a project to ensure the website is RSS enabled, so that when new prospects are available to be viewed, you will be updated on your desktop.

Did the site come from your own experiences with online dating (we’re massive advocates here at Shiny Shiny)?

I was already in a committed relationship when I realised dating sites were not meeting the needs of the singletons out there.

First of all, my single friends complained that dating sites were like filling in a job application process and “somewhere you go when you are single and have 7 cats” and had a “desperate perception.” We realised then that we could create a better dating site out there that fixed the desperate stigmatism attached to on-line dating and that was also an intelligent match for intelligent people.

But we had to do it ourselves. It took us a year to research spec and build this intelligent Web 2.0 product.

Is the site full of fanboys and hard-core geeking gamers?
The site is full of professional, lovely, normal people. Check it out for yourself here.

How long have you had an interest in technology, and where do you think it all started?

Before having my children, I worked for an advertising agency. However, when my first baby was born – we had some medical issues to deal with and I found agencies weren’t flexible for mothers. I wasn’t prepared to accept that you can’t have a satisfying and challenging career at the same time as being a “present” mother. So I decided to go it alone.

My first project was co-founding www.SAReunited.com. SAReunited.com is now the biggest database of South Africans around the world (nearly 600 000 members) and 2 million impressions per month.

I was right about the opportunity to spot a gap in the market so I learned to trust my intuition when I believe the needs of modern women in the dating world are not being met.

However, the Internet has changed – and products can no longer rely on just looking good, they have to save time and money and aggregate information in a very relevant way for every single member.

A new pair of shoes, or a new MP3 player?

On a desert island – an MP3 player for sure.

When you’re not playing matchmaker, what do you spend time doing?

Looking after my three girls, who are six, four and two years old – which leaves me very little time for anything else! I religiously attend one-on-one pilates – and I swim. If I have a few minutes to spare, you will find me reading Seth Godin, a biography or a self-help book of any sort.

What are your favourite Web 2.0 sites?
A new site making waves that I simply loved is is Imagini.
It’s a visual way of learning your taste and meeting other people like you. You take a visual test of things you like or dislike and you get a summary at the end of what you are all about. Its bang on. The clever part is then meeting other people like you… The test is a start of a new networking site.

Another site I think is going make a big impact on the recruitment market and recently got backing from a VC is Zubka. This a site where if you (the average person on the street) can recommend a friend for a job, you will get the full commission that a recruitment agent would normally get. You could earn thousands for placing a senior placement.

Web 2.0 is about not only about clever technology, it’s about directly benefiting the punter.

Do you talk technology to your friends, or do they regard you as a bit odd?

Not everybody in my direct circle shares my passion for technology now – so I have to catch myself when I get carried away. My husband thinks I have become a complete geek and has given up on wedging in between me and my Mac in bed!

What’s your proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement has to be that I have taken on motherhood with 3 girls under the age of 6 and that I managed to build my career around that.

The fact that yesnomayB is not just a means to an end, but something I can be proud of. When our first couple sent us their wedding pictures, and another sent a picture of our first yesnomayB baby, I felt a surge of pride that spurs us all on to keep improving our products. What better job than to spread a little love?