Scarsdale Grad Launches Facebook App, Yoke

Some Scarsdale High School grads are making their mark in traditional arenas like banking, the law and teaching –while others are forging their way in the brave new world of technology. Rob Fishman, now 26 years-old grew up in Greenacres and graduated from SHS in 2004 where he spent far more time laboring over his debate cases and Maroon articles than on his school work. He spent four years at Cornell University, majoring in government and then went on to Columbia Journalism School, anticipating a career in the media. Upon graduation he worked as the Social Media editor at the Huffington Post and it was there that he met tech wiz Jeff Revesz. When AOL purchased the Huffington Post last year, Revesz and Fishman decided to strike out on their own, forming Kingfish Labs to develop Facebook applications.

They recently unveiled their first one, dubbed Yoke, a new way to meet potential dates on Facebook. If Facebook connects you to the people you already know, Yoke is here to introduce you to new people.

Unlike traditional dating sites, with laborious questionnaires and awkward usernames, Yoke uses your Facebook profile to find people you might like. That is, people with whom you share close mutual friends, share similar educational backgrounds, and live nearby. Using third-party services like Amazon, Netflix and the EchoNest, Yoke compares tastes: if you're reading Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, Yoke might pair you with someone who likes A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan's latest. Or if you watch Mad Men, you might like someone who enjoyed The Sopranos.

Those already in relationships can use Yoke to set up people they know. Single or divorced friends always appreciate a set-up; and now there's an app for that.

So far, Yoke has been catching on in cities across the U.S. See these write-ups on Mashable, techCrunch and in the New York Times . But as a Scarsdale native, Fishman hopes it will be a useful tool for people at home. Try it out at http://yoke.me and let Rob know what you think by commenting here.

Full disclosure: Rob is the son of Scarsdale10583 founder Joanne Wallenstein