Month: November 2004

Cupid.com Acquires #1 Speed Dating Company

Posted on November 23, 2004

NEW YORK, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Cupid.com, a leading online dating service, today announced its acquisition of PreDating, America's largest speed dating company. PreDating is the leading provider of speed dating events for single professionals in the U.S. and run local events in more than 70 cities around the country. "There's no turn downs and no pressure at these events. We searched for the perfect singles event and PreDating is it!," commented Mark Brooks, Cupid.com's VP Marketing & Business Development.

Mark Brooks: I joined Cupid to make this happen.  An industry first.  ;-)  No other online dating site has integrated singles events into their offerings like this.  Match dumped their events division recently.  It's far more efficient just to focus on one event format that plays into online dating.  Match actually used my club http://www.ace-club.com as part of their inspiration set.  Ooops.  ACE is very unwieldy.  Works fine as a little club.  It's a pig to scale.   

Phillipines Chosen as Launchpad of Friendster’s Cell Phone Service

Posted on November 23, 2004

INFOTECH — 11/21 — Friendster will soon launch its first mobile service in the Philippines to test the concept of merging the biggest online social networking service with mobile phone technology. The mobile service will soon be rolled out in other countries. Founded in August 2002 by Jonathan Abrams, Friendster has had an unprecedented growth in the number of its registered users. To date, it has 13 million users worldwide.

The full article was originally published at Infotech, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: But how will Friendster make money? How about some additional services for US users? MySpace is stealing ground from you Friendster.

Lonely Expats Turn to Online Dating

Posted on November 23, 2004

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE — Membership at the largest online dating site in Europe for expats, Expatica Date has doubled in the last year to about 5,000 posted profiles with 350 paid memberships. The number of singles has risen more than 8% in the last 10 years, according to the 2003-04 GMAC Global Relocation Trends survey. The number of Internet users worldwide is expected to top one billion by 2005.

Mark Brooks: Less marriages, more divorce, less kids, older first time marriages, more singles…the institution of marriage isn’t looking so strong all of a sudden. No wonder online dating is doing so well?! Next step, expats, Europe, the world! Hey, Match just launched in Japan!

824,000 Join Online Network “thefacebook”

Posted on November 23, 2004

MAC WEEKLY — Created by five Harvard undergrads and launched in early February 2004, thefacebook is an online directory and social networking site through which registered users can get in touch with high school friends and find fellow students. The web site was originally intended only for Harvard students, but in less than a year its membership has swelled to 824,505 users at colleges and universities. 

The full article was originally published at Mac Weekly, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: ConnectU is a sore competitor. ConnectU and thefacebook Face-off

Lawmakers Don’t Belong in Online Dating Game

Posted on November 23, 2004

PETOSKEY NEWS — The Detroit News reports that the Michigan House has adopted a bill requiring online dating services that don't conduct background checks to post disclaimers on their Web sites telling users that they don't do such checks on customers looking for love on their site. The assumption is that somehow Internet dating is more dangerous than other forms of dating. It's frustrating that lawmakers continue to waste the public's time and money trying to put their fingerprints on everything. But there's more to this bill that stinks than that. The person lobbying heavily for the bill, which is awaiting action in the state Senate, is not someone who had a bad Internet dating experience who wants to save others the same fate. Nope. It is the founder of True.com.

Mark Brooks: Will Herb Vest's brilliant lobbying (read, PR) backfire? You've got to love this idea. He's shooting for the soft underbelly of the industry and has actually gotten traction in Michigan and significant interest in five other states. Match.com, response?

Maryland Woman Wins Internet Dating Case

Posted on November 23, 2004

ASSOCIATED PRESS — A federal jury awarded as much as $434,000 to a Ukrainian woman who sued the matchmaking service that set her up with the man who allegedly abused her after they wed. Nataliya Fox accused Encounters International of fraud and negligence, saying it should have screened its male clients and told her about a law that helps foreign nationals escape abusive relationships without fear of automatic deportation. Instead, Fox testified, agency owner Natasha Spivack told her to endure the alleged abuse or return to Ukraine.

Mark Brooks: AP, this is not an ‘online dating’ service. It’s a matchmaking service. At $1,850 membership a higher level of service is expected along with a higher level of responsibility.  This can’t compare with $25 a month ‘online dating.’ 

JDate Advertises in Times Square and NY Magazine

Posted on November 23, 2004

PRNEWSWIRE — JDate, the largest and most successful online personals site for the Jewish community, today unveiled its first-ever traditional advertising campaign. The New York-focused campaign will feature a 30 second spot in Times Square and a print ad in New York magazine.  JDate has 600,000 members.  300 or so engagements and weddings result from JDate introductions each year.

The Cost of Finding Love

Posted on November 23, 2004

BANKRATE.COM — For $24.95 a month, $44.85 for 3-months or $65.70 for 6-months, you can have access to Match.com; nearly 1 million subscribers. For $1 a minute you can talk with an expert to get advice on Match.com dating. For $40 you can get help writing that all-important Match.com profile. eHarmony's services cost $49.95 for a one-month subscription, $99.95 for 3-months, $149.95 for six-months and $249.95 for a year. Great Expectations fees average $3,000 and up. Matchmakers fees can be astronomical, sometimes topping $25,000 and up.

Lonely Hearts, Deep Pockets – Yahoo Personals Premier Service Launched

Posted on November 23, 2004

REUTERS — Yahoo has launched Personals Premier, a premium online dating service aimed at attracting serious relationship seekers with deeper pockets. Yahoo's new premium service costs $34.95 a month and features searching and matching technology that uses results from relationship and personality tests. Yahoo's existing personals service costs $19.95 a month. eHarmony visitors are much more likely to be in the age range of 25 to 34 while Yahoo's visitors are older or younger — with lower incomes. Yahoo Personals is #1 in the online dating category with about 21% of the market, EHarmony fourth with about 6%, after Match.com and American Singles, Hitwise reported.

Japan Singles Courted by Match.com

Posted on November 23, 2004

REUTERS — Match.com, already embedded in 32 countries with 15 million active members, is offering a virtual solution for the maritally challenged in the world’s second-largest economy. "Of our members, 80% said they’re looking for a serious relationship or marriage," said COO Joe Cohen. Cohen estimated Japan’s online matching business will exceed $200 million in total revenues in four years. Despite a tradition of "omiai," or partner introduction, many Japanese have gone off-line in their family and career paths, keeping the nation’s marriage rate flat and raising the average marrying age to nearly 30 for men and over 27 for women.