Month: July 2006

Americans’ Circle of Friends Is Shrinking

Posted on July 21, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC — July 16 — Americans' circle of close confidants has shrunk dramatically in the past two decades according to a new study by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona. The mean number of people with whom Americans can discuss matters important to them dropped by nearly one-third, from 2.94 people in 1985 to 2.08 in 2004. The number of people who said they had no one with whom to discuss such matters more than doubled, to nearly 25%. The number of hours that family members spend at work and the influence of Internet communication, may contribute to the decrease in the size of close-knit circles of friends and relatives. The number of people who depend totally on their spouse has increased from about 5% to ~9%. Data from General Social Survey (GSS), conducted by National Opinion Research Center, funded by National Science Foundation and the CIRCLE Foundation. Changes in work and the geographical scattering of families may foster a broader, shallower network of ties. New technology allowing people to connect over larger distances might diminish the need for face-to-face visits.

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

Mark Brooks: And as a society we're not as happy as we were 20 years ago. The solution: turn off the computer, spend time with friends, face to face, …and cut back that 80 hour work-week for goodness sakes. Your soul will thank you for it.

Investors Flock to MySpace Clones

Posted on July 18, 2006

Myspace_19LA TIMES — July 16 — Money is pouring into businesses preening to become the next MySpace. Facebook has raised $38.2 million. Affinity Engines is helping about 50 colleges create their own Facebook clones.  Bebo ($15 million), Doppelganger ($11 million), Gaia Interactive ($8.9 million), TagWorld ($7.5 million) and Tagged.com ($7 million).

Matchmaker Looks to Cash in on Population Woes

Posted on July 18, 2006

Matchcom_18_3_1JAPAN TIMES — July 15 — For the government, the declining birthrate and delayed marriages are big headaches.  Jim Safka, CEO of Match stated, "Solutions we provide are a perfect fit with the social changes we are trying to counteract in Japan." Jim was in Japan for four-day visit through Saturday. Match.com has 15 million members from 240 countries. In 2002, it entered Japan, where it claims 710,000 members. The total fertility rate hit a record low of 1.25 in 2005. In 2004, the average age at which men and women first marry hit record highs of 29.6 for men and 27.8 for women.  The online matchmaking industry is still underdeveloped in Japan.  People are more cautious about meeting via the Internet.  In the future, members will be able to show their driver's license or other identification to the matchmaking company, which then will place an icon on the person's top page to certify that his or her information is trustworthy, Safka said.  He also plans to start a new personal consultation service in early 2007 in which members looking for serious relationships are assisted by personal consultants who can introduce them to handpicked candidates selected from other members.  "Privacy, security and safety is our number one concern."  Safka said he went to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and asked that consideration be given to certifying online dating companies. 

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

Mark Brooks: The industry is leaving money on the table. Users wants more service. They want dates.  Match is making big changes.  Match.com is building an even stronger brand (with Dr Phil) and picking up on the premium market that real world matchmakers service.

Online Social Networks Changing Behavior

Posted on July 18, 2006

Myspace_19NEWS RECORD — July 16 — MySpace is the fifth most popular site in the world. Online social networks often ask users to categorize their romantic status via a drop-down menu. In addition to standards such as "single" or "in a relationship," Facebook added an "it's complicated" option a few months ago, and MySpace users can choose "swinger."  Think you're in a committed relationship? Check Facebook to be sure. Changing your status from "single" to "in a relationship" is such a big deal that the process has spawned its own term — Facebook Official.

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

Beauties Drawn to Geeks

Posted on July 17, 2006

Jen_vince_kiss23SF CHRONICLE — July 15 — Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey.  According to Harlequin Publishings annual romance report survey of 2,000 men and women in North America, 73% of women said "a sense of humor" was what attracted them to a man in the first place.  For more than 30 years, Thomas Technologies has provided services to help with corporate recruiting, interviewing skills and team building. Only recently has it moved into Internet dating. Director Patrick Marshall said, guys "see what she looks like, want to know if she is local, and if they could hook up. But women respond to the 250-word essay…They want to know, can he write? Is he amusing?" FULL ARTICLE @ SF CHRONICLE

Parents Learn Basics of MySpace

Posted on July 16, 2006

ParentsNEWS 14 CAROLINA — July 13 — Parents are advised to let their children use MySpace, but to keep an eye on what they are doing. Matt Gullett, a MySpace instructor, says the class teaches parents the dos and don’ts of dealing with their teenagers and MySpace. "’We’re going to go into how a MySpace account is actually set up, and then some of the clues as to as a parent what you should be looking for," he said. It’s recommended that teens keep detailed information private, use an alias, avoid online flirting and to trust their gut feelings. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWS 14

Mark Brooks: Teens are not going to use an alias. The whole point of social networking is that it’s not anonymous, and gives visibility into the networks of friends, and friends of friends. Anonymity anon.

Black Singles Renamed Ebony Singles

Posted on July 16, 2006

Black_singlesPRWEB — July 13 — EbonySingles.com is a newly formed venture from the creators of BlackSingles. Launched with more than 350,000 registered members. A decision was made to rename the site EbonySingles.com to appeal to ALL people of color. Not just Black Americans as the name suggested. EbonySingles.com will continue to host events from coast to coast and has future plans to include international travel expeditions in addition to their annual cruise events.

Mark Brooks: Black, gay, and religion focused singles sites are the strongest niches. Patrick Perrine is working on a gay version of eHarmony which should fill a lucrative void in the market.

The MySpace Bubble

Posted on July 16, 2006

Myspace_19BURLINGAME — July 14 — Click here to see how MySpace stacks up to other social networking sites. In order to make their community sites pay off big, a balance needs to be struck between subscriptions and advertising. FULL ARTICLE @ FORBES

Mark Brooks: WAYN.com is doing well with it’s membership based social network. Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams had originally intended to charge a $9.95 a month membership for allowing users to be able to communicate with other users who were more than one degree of separation away from them.  He’d intended to go live with the membership for the end of 2003, but was dissuaded.