Month: December 2006

Spark Networks Acquires Schmooz-a-Palooza

Posted on December 8, 2006

Logo_spark_1PR NEWSWIRE — Dec 8 — Spark Networks has acquired the "Schmooz-a-Palooza." Launched in 1994, Stu & Lew Productions has brought together young Jewish people with its annual December 24th event, "Schmooz-a-Palooza," at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. Attracting over 1,000 attendees annually, Stu & Lew Productions is renowned for hosting the hippest parties in L.A.

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

Mark Brooks: Nightclub promoters are sitting on databases chock full of the sexiest singles in the country. This is a bold move and a precedent.

Spark Networks Acquires Schmooz-a-Palooza

Posted on December 8, 2006

Logo_spark_1PR NEWSWIRE — Dec 8 — Spark Networks has acquired the "Schmooz-a-Palooza." Launched in 1994, Stu & Lew Productions has brought together young Jewish people with its annual December 24th event, "Schmooz-a-Palooza," at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. Attracting over 1,000 attendees annually, Stu & Lew Productions is renowned for hosting the hippest parties in L.A.

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

Mark Brooks: Nightclub promoters are sitting on databases chock full of the sexiest singles in the country. This is a bold move and a precedent.

The Demise of Prostitution?

Posted on December 8, 2006

SEXBYTES BLOG — Dec 8 — Ya know, I just don’t know what to make of this article – Sex Bites; Free Net Nookie Hits Pros, By Landrigan John…
Internet dating sites – and the free nooky on offer – are slowly killing the country's sex industry. "Everyone is screaming out for work," says one parlour veteran. "It is so easy to meet for sex through internet dating sites. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad when it's free."  And the worrying decilne is confirmed by Prostitutes Collective national co-ordinator Catherine Healy, who says a reduction in the use of hookers is partly blamed on online liaisons. "Brothel owners are certainly feeling it," she says. 

Mark Brooks: SexSearch is leading the way in the demise of the sex industry. Is this a good thing? Your comments please.

The Demise of Prostitution?

Posted on December 8, 2006

SEXBYTES BLOG — Dec 8 — Ya know, I just don’t know what to make of this article – Sex Bites; Free Net Nookie Hits Pros, By Landrigan John…
Internet dating sites – and the free nooky on offer – are slowly killing the country's sex industry. "Everyone is screaming out for work," says one parlour veteran. "It is so easy to meet for sex through internet dating sites. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad when it's free."  And the worrying decilne is confirmed by Prostitutes Collective national co-ordinator Catherine Healy, who says a reduction in the use of hookers is partly blamed on online liaisons. "Brothel owners are certainly feeling it," she says. 

Mark Brooks: SexSearch is leading the way in the demise of the sex industry. Is this a good thing? Your comments please.

Your Best Bets on Finding e-Love

Posted on December 7, 2006

EloveCOURIER NEWS — Dec 7 — Of the five sites surveyed — AmericanSingles, eHarmony, Match.com, True and Yahoo Personals — only True checks backgrounds of applicants. Three sites — eHarmony, True and Yahoo Personals — offer a compatibility test, which they use to try to pair members based on far more than likes and dislikes. At eHarmony, you can be deemed unmatchable, and rejected.  You can peek into each of the five sites before opening your wallet. All of them offer advice. One-month subscriptions range from $25 (Yahoo Personals) to $60 (eHarmony). Our staffer had a few complaints. She asked for a man within five years of her age, but got a reply from a Match.com member 20 years her senior. (His profile described his favorite oily massage.) She looked for matches at AmericanSingles and found two with different ages, user names and profiles — but the same photo. 

Privacy peeves. Policies varied. Match.com may share personal information with other companies whose names are displayed on the site. True has been certified for privacy and security protection by more than one independent group. Profile may remain active and viewable on these sites until you notify customer service to remove it permanently.

If Internet dating gives you pause, try True, whose screening of members and customer-friendly privacy policy make it especially reassuring. If you favor matches close to handpicked, eHarmony is a good bet.  If you just want the basics, try Match.com or Yahoo Personals, which have a simple, well-organized setup.

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

Your Best Bets on Finding e-Love

Posted on December 7, 2006

EloveCOURIER NEWS — Dec 7 — Of the five sites surveyed — AmericanSingles, eHarmony, Match.com, True and Yahoo Personals — only True checks backgrounds of applicants. Three sites — eHarmony, True and Yahoo Personals — offer a compatibility test, which they use to try to pair members based on far more than likes and dislikes. At eHarmony, you can be deemed unmatchable, and rejected.  You can peek into each of the five sites before opening your wallet. All of them offer advice. One-month subscriptions range from $25 (Yahoo Personals) to $60 (eHarmony). Our staffer had a few complaints. She asked for a man within five years of her age, but got a reply from a Match.com member 20 years her senior. (His profile described his favorite oily massage.) She looked for matches at AmericanSingles and found two with different ages, user names and profiles — but the same photo. 

Privacy peeves. Policies varied. Match.com may share personal information with other companies whose names are displayed on the site. True has been certified for privacy and security protection by more than one independent group. Profile may remain active and viewable on these sites until you notify customer service to remove it permanently.

If Internet dating gives you pause, try True, whose screening of members and customer-friendly privacy policy make it especially reassuring. If you favor matches close to handpicked, eHarmony is a good bet.  If you just want the basics, try Match.com or Yahoo Personals, which have a simple, well-organized setup.

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

Craigslist Not About Money

Posted on December 7, 2006

MEDIA POST — Dec 7 — In what turned out to be a culture clash of near-epic proportions, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster spoke to the investment community this morning at the UBS global media conference in New York. UBS analyst Ben Schachter asked Buckmaster a standard financial world question: How does the site plan to maximize revenue? The CEO of the online classifieds site answered as follows: "That definitely is not part of the equation. It’s not part of the goal. I think a lot of people are catching their breath right now," responded Schachter, as the crowd absorbed Buckmaster’s remarks.  Buckmaster, on stage in jeans and a blazer, insisted that the company–which has emerged as a significant threat to newspapers and other companies that sell classified ads–doesn’t especially want to make money. Schachter asked if the company considered Google AdSense ads. Buckmaster said "We’ve had the numbers crunched for us.  The numbers are quite staggering [but] no users have been requesting that we run text ads, so for us, that’s the end of the story."

Mark Brooks: Yup, that’s Craigslist for you. But it’s partly that sentiment that has cause them to grow so big. Anyone who knows Craigs knows the last thing he will ever do is sell out his community. He didn’t create Craigslist, the community created Craigslist. Still, how’s a l’il Adsense box going to hurt. Hmm.  Just a little three ad section at the bottom. (It’ll never happen, unless eBay finds a way to buy another 25% of Craigslist). Other Craigslist news.

Craigslist Not About Money

Posted on December 7, 2006

MEDIA POST — Dec 7 — In what turned out to be a culture clash of near-epic proportions, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster spoke to the investment community this morning at the UBS global media conference in New York. UBS analyst Ben Schachter asked Buckmaster a standard financial world question: How does the site plan to maximize revenue? The CEO of the online classifieds site answered as follows: "That definitely is not part of the equation. It’s not part of the goal. I think a lot of people are catching their breath right now," responded Schachter, as the crowd absorbed Buckmaster’s remarks.  Buckmaster, on stage in jeans and a blazer, insisted that the company–which has emerged as a significant threat to newspapers and other companies that sell classified ads–doesn’t especially want to make money. Schachter asked if the company considered Google AdSense ads. Buckmaster said "We’ve had the numbers crunched for us.  The numbers are quite staggering [but] no users have been requesting that we run text ads, so for us, that’s the end of the story."

Mark Brooks: Yup, that’s Craigslist for you. But it’s partly that sentiment that has cause them to grow so big. Anyone who knows Craigs knows the last thing he will ever do is sell out his community. He didn’t create Craigslist, the community created Craigslist. Still, how’s a l’il Adsense box going to hurt. Hmm.  Just a little three ad section at the bottom. (It’ll never happen, unless eBay finds a way to buy another 25% of Craigslist). Other Craigslist news.

Mark on CNN’s Nancy Grace: Missing Internet Dater

Posted on December 6, 2006

CNN — Nov 27 — Nonnie Dotson is an army nurse, mother of a 16 month old baby, and an internet dater with profiles on MySpace and SingleParentMeet. I was asked to comment on the profiles. Here’s my latest live interview on CNN’s Nancy Grace. Nancy gives a recommendation, of sorts, for online dating. – Mark Brooks

Mark on CNN’s Nancy Grace: Missing Internet Dater

Posted on December 6, 2006

CNN — Nov 27 — Nonnie Dotson is an army nurse, mother of a 16 month old baby, and an internet dater with profiles on MySpace and SingleParentMeet. I was asked to comment on the profiles. Here’s my latest live interview on CNN’s Nancy Grace. Nancy gives a recommendation, of sorts, for online dating. – Mark Brooks