Month: February 2005

Try Mixing Business With Pleasure

Posted on February 9, 2005

MIAMI HERALD — Feb 9 — South Florida singles are finding increasingly attractive options for finding love — matchmaking services, dinner clubs, online websites, community events and singles fundraisers. Introducing Epicuriosity; a wine and dine social club for singles. The owner, O'Leary, plans dinners for six at local restaurants to help busy professionals expand their social circles. She tailors the gatherings by age groups. O'Leary hopes to have dinners planned for most nights each week. She also hopes to find love for herself in the process.

Mark Brooks: I own a similar club for young Silicon Valley professionals ACE-CLUB

Honeymoon Nearly Over for Internet Dating Services

Posted on February 9, 2005

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD — Feb 9 — After a dramatic takeoff, the online dating industry seems to have reached its cruising altitude. US consumers spent ~$228 million on online personals the first half of 2004, up 6% from 2003. Two years ago, spending on online dating had quadrupled in a year and then grown by about 49% the following year. The recent plateau forces online dating companies to do some soul-searching to keep attracting young singles. Nate Elliott, Jupiter Research predicts more modest growth – about 20% over a four-year period. Some seekers are joining singles groups, helping their memberships surge. Some are finding free ways to meet and greet online in places such as Craigslist. Even industry insiders acknowledge that they need to do a better job. "We've been slack," said Kristin Kelly, senior director of public affairs for Match.com.

The full article was originally published at Omaha World-Herald, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: Barry, meet Kristin, Kristin meet Barry.

FriendFinder Instant Messaging Center

Posted on February 9, 2005

BUSINESSWIRE — Feb 9 — The FriendFinder IMC enables daters to instantly and anonymously strike up a conversation or video conference with other members across all of the FriendFinder sites. There are over 100 million worldwide using instant messaging according to the 2004 Pew Internet and American Life Project. Messages to and from people within an individual's Friend Network are automatically accepted. Once logged into the FriendFinder IMC, the user doesn't need to re-enter their login information or password to visit any of the sites. Over 89 million users have participated in the FriendFinder network since its inception in 1996, underscoring its unmatched leadership in the marketplace with 75,000 daily sign-ups.

Mark Brooks: Comscore Mediametrix numbers last year showed the FriendFinder network of online personals sites to have more unique visitors than Match or Yahoo Personals.

Europe Falls in Love with E-Dating

Posted on February 9, 2005

BUSINESS WEEK — Feb 8 — Online dating, virtually unknown on the Continent five years ago, is taking off in a big way, even as the phenomenon seems to be slowing on the other side of the Atlantic.  Revenues of the leading European dating Web sites will more than double over the next five years, from $200 million to $450 million, predicts Paris-based analyst Olivier Beauvillain, Jupiter Research. Sales in the U.S. are expected to grow only 9% this year, to $515 million. The region's biggest online dating service is Meetic.com, a private company launched three years ago by Web entrepreneur Marc Simoncini. The site is set to hit 10 million members around St. Single's Day and will book around $55 million in sales this year.

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

Mark Brooks: See you in Prague  Both myself and Mark from iDate interviewed with the journalist for this article.

WaveMarket/Crunkie Gets $9.4M

Posted on February 9, 2005

BUSINESS TIMES — Feb 8 — WaveMarket Inc. said Monday it has received $9.4 million in venture capital funding led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson; will use the money to fund its Crunkie service, which is an Internet social network like Friendster that also tells mobile phone users where other users are physically located. Allows users to be notified if their friends or important locations are nearby. FULL ARTICLE @ BIZ JOURNALS

Mark Brooks: Location based wireless dating services; one to watch. I wonder if anyone is talking about this technology at the Wireless/Mobile Dating Conference in July? Marc?

More Couples Meet on Match.com Than Any Other Dating Site

Posted on February 9, 2005

PRNEWSWIRE — Feb 8 — Match.com announced today the launch of Success.Match.com — a new Web site that celebrates a decade of success stories from Match.com’s members. Approximately 200,000 people a year find the relationship they are searching for through Match.com. Happy couples will share their stories; inspired in part by the results of a September 2004 survey of 4,743 newly married or engaged couples registered on WeddingChannel.com. The survey found that 12% of couples had met online. Match.com was the primary site 30.2% where they found their partners.

Mark Brooks: Positive word of mouth testimonials from happy couples have fueled online personals growth. Well done Match.com for adding some fuel to this fire.

Spark Networks Announces Departure of Co-Founder, Alon Carmel

Posted on February 9, 2005

PRNEWSWIRE — Feb 8 — Spark Networks today announced that Alon Carmel, co-founder and co-chairmen, has resigned his positions with the company to pursue other entrepreneurial and philanthropic interests. Mr. Carmel has agreed to continue to serve the company, as a consultant, and Joe Shapira, the company’s co-chairman, will become chairman of the company’s board of directors.  Since launching JDate.com, eight years ago, Mr. Carmel helped build the company from a fledgling startup into one of the true leaders in the online personals space. 

Spark Networks Announces Departure of Co-Founder, Alon Carmel

Posted on February 9, 2005

PRNEWSWIRE — Feb 8 — Spark Networks today announced that Alon Carmel, co-founder and co-chairmen, has resigned his positions with the company to pursue other entrepreneurial and philanthropic interests. Mr. Carmel has agreed to continue to serve the company, as a consultant, and Joe Shapira, the company’s co-chairman, will become chairman of the company’s board of directors.  Since launching JDate.com, eight years ago, Mr. Carmel helped build the company from a fledgling startup into one of the true leaders in the online personals space. 

Breakup Blues

Posted on February 9, 2005

SOUTH BEND TRIBUNES — Feb 8 — I’d met up with Kate through eHarmony in early November. We’d communicated extensively through e-mail for about a month, and I’d been down to visit her in Chicago twice. When it came close to Christmas, I bought a computer part I knew she needed as an early gift. A few days later, she called me and said although she’d be happy for me to come down and visit, she just didn’t think "the spark" was there. I appreciated her honesty and thought we could remain friends. So even knowing this was a dating dead-end, I still drove down to see her that evening — and fixed her computer. Then, the last week of December, I started communicating with Lisa from Indiana, who I’d met through Cupid.

Breakup Blues

Posted on February 9, 2005

SOUTH BEND TRIBUNES — Feb 8 — I’d met up with Kate through eHarmony in early November. We’d communicated extensively through e-mail for about a month, and I’d been down to visit her in Chicago twice. When it came close to Christmas, I bought a computer part I knew she needed as an early gift. A few days later, she called me and said although she’d be happy for me to come down and visit, she just didn’t think "the spark" was there. I appreciated her honesty and thought we could remain friends. So even knowing this was a dating dead-end, I still drove down to see her that evening — and fixed her computer. Then, the last week of December, I started communicating with Lisa from Indiana, who I’d met through Cupid.