Ben Diacono | Love on the Internet

When did you set up www.carobtreelane.com?

We launched Carob Tree Lane in December 2012. The site went live just before Christmas.

How does it work?

Carob Tree Lane is a place where people can get together to find others with similar interests and also for those who are simply looking to expand their group of friends.

The site is simple to use. The hangout concept makes it more fun. Users can create and manage their own account as well as browse through other people's profiles however it requires an account to be able to message, see profile pictures, poke and generate a 'perfect matches' list that the system builds.

How do you link two people who might be compatible?

There is a complex algorithm that checks the compatibility between online users. This algorithm analyses the user profiles and the preferences they would have selected when setting up a Carob Tree Lane account, it then matches the users who have the most in common. There are a number of questions we put forward revolving around relationships, personality, lifestyle and values. This set of questions gives our system quite a clear definition of user's preferences within each category. The matching system continually updates itself so that users are notified of any new user that joins Carob Tree Lane that may be a match.

What information do you need to supply to set up a profile?

Users need to input their sex, and date of birth. You would need to indicate whether you are interested in friendship, a serious relationship, dating and so on. Users are also asked to select at least three preferred hangouts from the various hangouts found on Carob Tree Lane, these should obviously reflect personal preference and hangouts you would frequent in real life.

These are the compulsory fields, however once you create your account there are various questions that we recommend users fill in in order to allow the system to match profiles.

What inspired you to set up an online dating site?

I was looking for an online venture. We wanted to do something different. I had heard of a couple of people who met online and started looking into it. You'd be surprised even locally how many Maltese register with online dating sites, so we took the plunge.

Though online dating sites have been successful abroad, there is a certain stigma still associated with online dating in Malta. Do you think the Maltese are ready for an online dating site?

True. At first I thought no, it would never work in Malta! But then I heard about a couple who met online, and another and another and I started to look into it seriously and now I honestly cannot understand the so called 'stigma'. Although the island is small we are very 'cliquish' and people are always complaining that it is hard to meet new people, people outside of your social circle. Single people are not necessarily young, party goers either. There are a number of older people using online dating sites, separated people with children who cannot be out on the town every evening for example.

It is definitely harder to meet new people when you pass the 'Paceville' age! Someone had aptly described using a dating site to 'weed through the prospect dates' as they did not have the time or the patience any longer to date people they may have nothing in common with anymore and would rather use a site to connect with people, engage in conversation, break the ice, and then see whether a date would be worthwhile.

Social media has also made socialising online much more accessible and mainstream. I do not think it is a stigma and the more I go out, the more I think it makes sense as even at my age, it is impossible to start up a conversation with someone over blasting music!

Although we call it 'online dating' really and truly it is simply an online platform for meeting new people, making new friends. A platform that would allow you to interact with people you may not otherwise have crossed paths with.

There are a few other dating sites out there. What gives Carob Tree Lane competitive edge over other sites?

We wanted to do something different and in my opinion we managed. Carob Tree Lane has a very different look and feel and a more playful element to it that invites users to interact with the site more. We wanted to create a 'destination' for people to meet, so whereas some people may meet at bar xyz in Paceville on Friday evening, others may choose to meet in the Jazz bar or the Lido on Carob Tree Lane. The various locations on Carob Tree Lane give an additional indication of what people are like, what their preferences would be and ultimately whether you would possibly share the same interests.

We also have a number of ideas up our sleeve on how to take this concept to the next phase and introduce new features to create even more engagement. However that will be version 2!

How successful has the site been so far? How many members do you have? Have there been any successful matches so far?

We kept a pretty low profile and wanted to see the natural response to the site. So far, in just a couple of months and with incredibly little exposure we already have about 400 active registered Carob Tree Lane users.

We wouldn't know how many successful dates have resulted from people using the site but we do know that there is plenty of site activity.

Do members have to pay a fee to join the site?

Members can register for free. A free account allows you to create a profile and to browse through other people's profiles, however in order to interact with other users - to send messages, see pictures and create a matches list you would need to pay a minimal subscription fee.