[uf-discuss] A microformat for relationship availability and preference?

Tue Dec 19 14:50:20 PST 2006

Hi all. It's my first post, and I'll just dive right in.
I'm interested in using microformats to represent an individual's 
relationship availability and preferences. This is part of an 
experiment in pushing relationship-seeking to the *cough* edges of 
the network, if you will.
I'm hardly ready to propose a format, but at a minimum I see 
implementors providing their gender and their gender preference. 
Ideal location, age ranges, and other preferences would be optional. 
Given that this format is intended for those seeking a relationship 
I'm not sure if including their present relationship status is 
relevant; "looking" is implicit, else they should not be publishing 
this data.
Of course, extending an existing microformat may make more sense than 
establishing a new one. hCard seems the most applicable of existing 
microformats, as XFN is intended to represent existing relationships 
and not potential relationships. That said, I picture scenarios in 
which one would want to publish their relationship availability 
outside of the context of the kind of contact information hCard is 
meant for.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.
-- 
Alex Payne
http://www.al3x.net