Tobii in collaboration with their research partner AnswerLab were using their new X1 Light Eye Tracker technology to showcase the main benefit of the new product to researchers. They found their samples at a San Francisco coffee shop and asked them to participate in a study that would have them looking at dating profiles of the opposite sex according to All Things D.

The test had participants viewing mock-up pages at eHarmony and Match.com. After thoroughly perusing the results, they came to a few interesting conclusions. Men spent 65 percent more time than women did reviewing photos in profiles. Women spent about 50 percent more time than men reading the text of a person’s background and interests.

Women spent an average of 84 seconds looking at a profile to find out if the profile was to their liking, compared to 58 seconds for men.

The study also found that people tend to relate better to dating profiles that reflect how they would build their own. If a person would share a lot of personal information about themselves, they were more likely to search out the profiles that were very personal. On the flip side of that, people who don’t like to share much about themselves went for the profiles that were just straight facts without much elaboration.

This is just the first test in many where Tobii will be testing their new eye-tracking technology. The eye tracker can pinpoint exactly where a person’s eye is looking within a centimeter. They will be using the X1 Eye Tracker in more scenarios to demonstrate how researchers can use it to obtain accurate results.

They also feel that their studies may help dating sites develop a better interface for their users.

The test involved 40 people which is a decent sample size. They will be conducting further research to demonstrate their eye tracker’s capabilities to the market research community.

The video info says, “I’m Debbie, I love cats and I just want a soulmate!” And that basically sums it up. The 2 1/2 minute video starts off quite normal and then turns really funny when Debbie can’t get a grip on her emotions when talking about cats.

The video has been picked up by a ton of blogs and news sites, ranging from Mashable to CBS. Some play it pretty straight, talking about how crazy Debbie is and making no mention of the validity. Others are more skeptical. Check it out:

It’s definitely not a real eHarmony dating service video bio, that I can say with certainty. It’s an acting job, and a pretty funny one at that. The video on YouTube was first posted on June 3rd and already has almost 3/4 of a million views. Sure, it’s fake, but it’s a lesson on how to go viral. People love the crazy.

The video was posted by user hartmanncara, who has another video on her channel entitled “Cara and Kara.” The video features the same girl as the cat video, but this time she acts as a pair of Siamese twins named, as you would expect, Cara and Kara.

So the main question with something like this – does “fakeness” serve as the kiss of death? Can a viral vid still have value if it is not completely, 100% authentic to its premise? In the case of humorous videos, “fakeness” is less of a factor. Sure, the video would have been much funnier if it was an actual eHarmony bio. But the fact that it’s a skit doesn’t take everything away from it, as it’s still pretty enjoyable (Because c’mon, you know some crazy cat girl really does exists out there).

On the flip side, here’s an example of when authenticity is vital: The Facebook Sleeve Tattoo Girl. On Wednesday, we (and many others) brought you the video of an anonymous girl getting an arm tattoo of 152 Facebook friends. We mentioned that it was designed by Pretty Social, a Dutch company that puts Facebook collages on items like handbags, laptop covers and lampshades.

Turns out the video was fake, staged as a marketing promotion for Pretty Social. The tat was apparently a temporary one, according to DutchNews.

However, Rotterdam tattoo artist Dex Moelker eventually came clean on the Telegraaf website, admitting the tattoo and video is an advertising stunt.

‘It is a try out tattoo, a transfer, that washes off in a couple of days,’ Moelker, who has a tattoo shop in Rotterdam, told the paper. It took a couple of hours to apply the transfer not the 30 hours the video claimed to produce the real tattoo

So laugh on, people of the internet. Fake or not, it’s still a pretty good video. Even with all that crying, though, I wonder if Debbie loves cats as much as Mitch Hedberg loves Koala Bears.

The settlement was the result of a discrimination complaint filed by Eric McKinley against eHarmony in 2005, which will be dismissed under the settlement agreement.

eHarmony was founded in 2000 by evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren and had ties with the influential religious conservative group Focus on the Family.

eHarmony issued a statement regarding the settlement and discussing the new site called Compatible Partners:

"Even though we believed that the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business, we ultimately decided it was best to settle this case with the Attorney General since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable," said eHarmony, Inc. legal counsel Theodore B. Olson.  "eHarmony looks forward to moving beyond this legal dispute, which has been a burden for the company, and continuing to advance its business model of serving individuals by helping them find successful, long-term relationships."

Evidently there will be no crossover between the two sites. In other words, eHarmony users will not be matched with Compatible Partners users. The two sites will maintain their own matching pools, registration information, and subscriptions. The separate matching pools are based on whether the user chooses to seek an opposite- or same-sex relationship.