If either of those sound familiar, its time to become acquainted with Jess, Meet Ken , a new online dating site that works exclusively on a referral basis.

Or maybe youve ridden through the online dating rodeo a few more times than you care to admit, and you just cant figure out why, despite all of the algorithms and settings optimized to help you find a perfect match, you havent.

The concept is simple, yet smart: women are allowed to create profiles for men they consider catch-worthy, and in the process, eliminate the odds of a guy acting creepy (hello, OkCupid) by personally vouching for their picks. Once the mans been vetted forFacebook adds an additional layer of securitythe profile goes live, creating a potential opportunity for other women (who are allowed to create accounts for themselves, too) to happily browse and contact at will. Oh, and its free, at least for the time being.

Jess, Meet Kens tagline is Its how we met, and as you might guess, its how the sites founder, Ken, met his wife, Jess, when a mutual friend introduced them on a now-defunct dating site almost a decade ago. And based on the turnout at Jess, Meet Kens launch party last week (a fete organized by yours truly), and on the recent attention the sites gained in the media, Id say Jess, Meet Ken is on track to become a serious contender against the plethora of dating services that can fail to deliver something personal.

(Sorry, guys: you cant create your own profiles just yet. But you can ask your female friends to sign you up.)