Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right? Well, maybe not in this case. Match.com, the biggest name in online dating seems to have a little HowAboutWe envy. Match.com recently launched a new feature called DateSpark. DateSpark’s concept is pretty much the exact same thing as HowAboutWe’s entire site.

The concept, if you are unfamiliar with it, asks users to propose activities or dates, by saying “How about we…” and then fill in the blank. What I love about this, is that it puts the focus on the activity and not the person. Most dating sites use an algorithm to match two people together with similar interests, and  HowAboutWe actually personalizes the experience in hopes of taking online dating immediately offline. It is perhaps the only innovation in online dating in the past few years.

In an article on the Online Dating Insider the author states, “It was looking like 2011 was going to be another stagnant year for the online dating industry, but perhaps not. After a two-year feature freeze…. Match has launched DateSpark. DateSpark is heavily inspired by HowAboutWe. In fact its pretty much a direct copy of what I consider to be 2010 hottest dating startup… While I am excited that Match is working on new features, it would have been nice if they had acquired HowAboutWe or licensed the technology instead of blatantly copying it.”

So what’s HowAboutWe going to do about it? Fight back.

In a blog post on their site, HowAboutWe founders Aaron and Brian are gearing up for a battle, “While we’re flattered by Match’s imitation of us, we’re not worried. It’s kind of like, “C’mon guys… it’s still just Match. We’re so confident that our site is superior that we’re offering all Match.com subscribers 3 months free on HowAboutWe. Just email proof of your subscription — like a receipt or confirmation email — to BetterDates@howaboutwe.com.”

Check out the screenshots, taken from HowAboutWe’s blog, pointing out the similarities in service:

“How It Works”

“Propose a Date”

So BostInno readers, what would you do to fight back? Have you tried either Match.com or HowAboutWe?