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Online dating services may be convenient, but they're not the most personable way to meet a potential mate.
What's been lacking, Match.com Chief Executive Officer Jim Safka believes, is a way for people to hear each other talk.
A new service from the company called matchTalk aims to do just that.
Free for basic subscribers beginning Thursday, matchTalk will let users go online and signal if they're interested in speaking to each other anonymously over the phone.
The system protects privacy by assigning the couple a unique number that they can use to talk to each other without fear of giving away their real telephone number or other personal details. People with caller ID will see the matchTalk number instead of their actual listing.
"That voice is really critical in determining whether you have chemistry with someone," Mr. Safka said. "What we hope to do is get people spending less time online and more time talking to each other and meeting each other."
Few check basics on health info
NEW YORK -- Search engines are common starting points for Internet users seeking health or medical information, but most of them fail to check where the information comes from and how current it is, a new study finds.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project's August survey found little change in how many people go online for health-related information.
Eighty percent of U.S. Internet users have searched for information on at least one health topic, comparable to 2002 and 2004 surveys despite growth in residential high-speed connections, which have driven increases in other online activities.
Among the online health seekers, 66 percent started at a search engine for their most recent health inquiry, and 72 percent ended up visiting multiple sites for information. About half said they were looking up information for someone else, not themselves.
Most said they felt reassured by what they had found, though many also felt overwhelmed, frustrated or confused.
Only a quarter of the online health seekers said they always or usually check the information's source and date. In a 2001 survey, half said they did so.
Outsourcing group to hold tests
NEW DELHI -- The main trade body representing software services companies in India will hold entry-level tests to gauge the abilities of people seeking jobs outsourced by U.S. and other overseas companies.
The move aims to tap new talent and cut the time and expense of recruiting new hires to India's outsourcing industry, a key engine of the country's fast-growing economy.
Candidates who pass will be regarded as having the basic skills to work in the outsourcing industry, even though the qualification would not guarantee employment, said Deepakshi Jha, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Software and Services Companies.
The test, to begin Nov. 18, is based on the Test of English as a Foreign Language and the U.S. Graduate Record Examinations. The latter measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills.
The scores also will help recruiting companies screen candidates and determine their training needs, Ms. Jha said.
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