Month: October 2007

In The Press

Posted on October 28, 2007

Mark Brooks is an analyst/consultant to over 100+ dating services since 2005 and available to comment on the business of internet dating.

Fast-response contact
Email at mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com

If you’re a reporter on deadline, please email and I’ll be very responsive. Thanks.

The following is a list of 292 times that I’ve been quoted in major media, since 2004, on the subject of Internet dating.

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2025
  • GDI – PODCAST: Mark Brooks of IDEA (Internet Dating Excellence Association)
  • The Currency – How Marketing & Gamification Derailed the Dating Industry
2024
2023
  • Vox – Online daters love to hate on Hinge. 10 years in, it’s more popular than ever.
  • Financial Times – Tinder and the old-fashioned art of matchmaking
  • Marketplace – Wait, how much per swipe? Dating apps flirt with premium subscriptions
  • Wall Street Journal – Dating Apps Put a Hefty Price Tag on Finding Love
2022
  • MEDIA POST – In Changed Dating Game, Match Hopes to Re-Spark Tinder With a New CMO
  • MEDIA POST – After ‘Tinder Swindler’ Shockwaves, Tinder Adds In-App Background Checks
2021
  • AARP – 50 Free Apps for Apple and Android Phones
  • Texas Monthly – How COVID-19 Transformed Match Group’s Online Dating Empire
  • Damona Hoffman Podcast – Dates & Mates With Damona Hoffman & Mark Brooks (RealMe)
  • Better Love Movement – How to Prioritize Your Safety With RealMe When Dating Online
  • The Dating Game podcast – Dating Safety
  • Wall Street Journal – Match’s Winning Formula for Online Dating in Japan Gives Women Control, Makes Men Pay
  • Deal Architect – Burning Platform: Digital Nomads with Mark Brooks
  • Forbes – Billionaire Ruben Vardanyan Invests in AI-Based Dating Service iris Dating
  • Quartz – The complete guide to the online dating industry
2020
  • Times Square Investment Journal – Match Group Super Likes New Brands Hinge and BLK To Steal Swipes From Up-and-Coming Rival Bumble
  • Covering Companies – Dating App Hinge Breaks Out of Tinder’s Shadow
  • TinderTales – So You Want to Date During a Pandemic
  • Unqualified – Podcast, Interview With Mark Brooks
  • Wall Street Journal – Can’t Actually Meet Up? Dating Apps Pivot to Video
  • Quartz – Will virtual dating outlast the pandemic?
  • L’Express – Confinement : les applis de rencontres se refont une santé grâce à la vidéo
  • Global Dating Insights – Covering the Industry’s Biggest Trends With Expert Mark Brooks on The GDI Podcast!
2019
  • Marketwatch – Good news for Sharon Stone — January is the hottest time of year for online dating
  • Forbes Russia – Digital nomad: how a philosopher from Moscow made a fortune of $ 750 million on dating
  • USA Today – Are you a Tinder or a Bumble type of person? The clichés of ‘big dating’
  • Marketwatch – Are you considering a relationship with a co-worker? Read this before you make your move
  • The Zoe Report – Facebook Dating Is Live — Here’s What Dating Coaches Think About It
  • Wall Street Journal – U.S. Orders Chinese Firm to Sell Dating App Grindr Over Blackmail Risk
  • L’Express – Love on the bits: l’IA au service de l’amour
  • HBS – Navigating Industry Disruption
  • L’Express – Love on the bits: l’IA au service de l’amour
  • BBC Radio Asian Network – Ankur Desai sits in for Mobeen: New Year, New Bae
2018
  • Pheramor Blog – 4 Experts Predict Online Dating in 2024
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer – This Philly dating service charged an 85-year-old widow $4,750 and gave her one option
  • DatingNews.com – Online Dating Authority Mark Brooks Interviews Hundreds of Executives to Help Improve the Industry
  • Visual Politik – The STORY behind TINDER
  • The Wise Marketer – Four Loyalty Lessons from Behavioral Science
  • Ogilvy – Nuggets of Knowledge from Nudgestock 2018
  • Ogilvy – #Nudgestock2018: The psychology behind online dating
  • The Street – Facebook’s New Dating Service: A Match Made in Heaven, or Hell?
  • Wall Street Journal – Facebook to Launch Opt-In Dating Feature
  • Forbes Russia – Casual dating: how the creator of “Mamba” was included in the Forbes list (the original article in Russian)
  • Marketwatch – Even during a snow storm, this is the hottest time of year for online dating
  • USA Today – He showed up at my house after I ‘met’ him on a dating app. I was freaked out
2017
  • Love TV – In India Your Parents Run Your Dating Profiles to Find You Dates
  • Top10Best Dating Sites – Q & A with Dating Industry Expert, Mark Brooks
  • BBC – Can a chatbot help you find love?
  • Financial Times – Has Brexit affected the dating scene?
  • Economist – Political dating sites are hot
2016
  • New York Times – For Online Dating Sites, a Bumpy Road to Love
  • Crain’s New York – How to date a New Yorker
  • The Guardian – Profits down for Match.com as Britons turn to free dating apps
  • Chicago Tribune – The League brings invite-only dating app to Chicago
  • KCBS – Radio interview with Mark Brooks
  • Wall Street Journal – Dating Apps Court Older, Wealthier Users
  • Mashable – Hinge abandons Tinder model in effort to be next Match.com
  • MarketWatch – The Secret Sauce Behind Online Dating
  • Dating Advice – Keeping It Short and Sweet: Online Personals Watch Sums Up Breaking News in Online Dating
  • Marketing News – Swipe Right: How Marketers Changed Online Dating
  • LA Magazine – Tinder Has an In-House Sociologist and Her Job Is to Figure Out What You Want
  • Reviews.com – The Best Online Dating Sites
  • Uptown1Radio – New Dating Site Offers a Hung of “Berning” Love
  • IBTimes – How eHarmony Stays Relevant In The Age of Tinder And Match Group
  • CNN Money – College students are Tindering for ‘friends’
  • Marketwatch – This is the busiest time of year for online dating
2015
  • Financial Post – Ashley Madison’s female users are pretty much non-existent, evidence shows
  • Mergermarket – Match Must Use Size to Overcome Challenges Facing Public Dating Services – Sources
  • Reuters – Ashley Madison founder emails leaked in new data dump
  • Institutional Investor – IAC Looks for Love in PlentyOfFish
  • Marketwatch – Sorry, Tinder, but most online daters are liars
  • Institutional Investor – Why Online Dating Has a Hard Time Hooking Up with Venture Capital
  • The Hollywood Reporter – A Drunk Screenwriter, Actor Wannabes and a Petty Thief: Hollywood’s True Tales of Online Dating Nightmares
  • Financial Post – Ashley Madison hack a cautionary tale in the digital hookup world: ‘They’ve failed at a key value’
  • Marketwatch /WSJ – Ashley Madison may have to kiss its IPO goodbye
  • Standard.co.uk – Adultery website Ashley Madison ‘may have to scrap £130m London flotation’ after hackers access database
  • Marketwatch /WSJ – Why America’s dating sites are hooking up with each other
  • Bloomberg – How One Company Owns Your Entire Dating Life
  • Wall Street Journal – IAC/InterActive Plans an IPO for Its Matchmaking Business
  • Wall Street Journal – The Dating Business: Love on the Rocks
  • TheStreet – True Love May Take IAC Stock Past $80 With Tinder Plus App
  • MarketWatch /WSJ – Would you buy shares in an adultery website?
  • NY Times – Start-Up Blends Old-Fashioned Matchmaking and Algorithms
  • Washington Post – Online dating precautions: Meet two police officers who followed them
  • La Tercera – 20 años de citas en un clic
  • Wall Street Journal – Tinder Takes Swipe at Generating Revenue
  • Bloomberg – Tinder Plus Is Coming But You’ll Have to Pay For it
  • Wall Street Journal – ‘The League’ Dating App’s Velvet Rope – and How to Get Past It
  • UT San Diego – Online dating odds getting better
2014
  • BCBusiness – Plenty of Fish eggs in one basket: dating site bets it all on mobile
  • The Guardian – The $8000 course on “how to commit” and other expenses of online dating
  • MarketWatch / WSJ – 5 extreme ways to succeed on dating sites
  • Washington Post – Finding love on the run: The fast rise of mobile dating apps
  • SF Gate – Lucky in love: How media giant IAC won online daters’ hearts
  • Marketplace – In online dating, one company is the big matchmaker
  • Austin Business Journal – Online dating tools like Thread need to attract users quickly, expert says
  • NEON – The Future Of Internet Dating
  • Business Insider – How The Endless Quest For Love Is Sparking Massive Growth In Dating Apps
  • USA Today – Online dating services get into matchmaking big leagues
  • Wired – Tinder May Not Be Worth $5B, But It’s Way More Valuable Than You Think
  • CNBC – How to make money off the online dating boom
  • Chicago Tribune – Your new mobile wingman
  • Yahoo News – Is your ‘lover’ for real? Picking the wrong online date could cost you your home
2013
2012
  • Huffington Post – Online Dating Traffic Surges Between Boxing Day And New Year’s Eve
  • Los Angeles Times – EHarmony founder has his heart set on reviving the dating site
  • USA Today – Dating sites – for all ages – focus on keeping it real
  • Venture Beat – Online daters, be warned! 1 in 10 profiles are scams, report reveals
  • Washington Post – Finding love on the run: The fast rise of mobile dating apps
  • Boston Globe – Can GPS find you a mate?
  • Huffington Post – Dating in a Mobile World
  • Washington Post – Hinge uses Facebook — and your friends — to find love connections
  • BetaBeat – Is Your Dating Site Selling Your Profile? To Keep Membership High, Niche Sites Get Sly
  • Unlimited Magazine – Operation Match Version 2012
  • IT Business – Plentyoffish fires darts at eHarmony, Match.com on Valentine’s Day
  • USA Today – Sites that cater to ‘discreet’ encounters thriving
  • Business Insider – Watch Out: Dating Website Fraud Is Running Rampant
  • Miami Herald – Dating Sites Become Mainstream And Focus On More Niche Markets
  • NPR Marketplace – Social networks spawn online dating sites
2011

2010

  • Mixergy – How An Influencer Is Building Personals Sites From An Island In The Mediterranean
  • Newsweek – How Match.com Changed Dating
  • IEEE Spectrum – The Engineer of Love
  • ABC News – Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky Are Bad Match, Says Dating Site
  • Dow Jones – The $100M Revenue Club: EHarmony Captures Hearts Of VCs
  • BBC – The cyber Cyrano
  • LA Times – Hooking up with the latest online dating trends
  • Financial Times – Love and money: online dating for the wealthy
  • Washington Post – Online dating assistants help the lonely and busy
  • CNN Money – Online dating without the creepy strangers
  • Wall Street Journal – A Dating Site for Apple Fans Only
  • Washington Post – Phone-sex Chat Lines Are Part Of Web Of Cybersocializing
  • LA Business Journal – Date Site Operator To Play The Field
  • NY Times (Front page) – For Web’s New Wave, Sharing Details Is the Point
  • Times Online – The science of online dating
  • Lifescript – 10 Online Dating Tips
  • TheDeal.com – Lavalife Is Being Shoped
  • Miami New Times – Silicon Beach: Can Twitter Replace Online Dating Sites?
  • Miami Herald – In World Of Online Flirting, Virtual Gifts Are Big Business
  • LA Times – Matchmakers’ personal touch thrives despite EHarmony, Match.com
  • LA Times – Make it personal, keep it real
  • LA Times – Finding the right online dating service
  • The Hamilton Spectator – Finding love on all the right websites
  • The Daily Star – Internet Brings Valentine’s Day Home
  • Fox Business – How No. 1 Dating Site Match.com Came to Be
  • Mercury News – Local matchmaker warns of Internet dating scams
  • Smart Money – The Dating-Site Game: What You Need to Know
  • Examiner – Highlights From The Internet Dating Conference
  • Miami New Times – Silicon Beach: eLove Accepts Fat Rejects From BeautifulPeople.com

2009

2008

2007

  • Tango Magazine – Love in 2012: What The Future Holds
  • New York Times – Is True.com Being Untrue to Advertising Partners?
  • New York Times – Online Dating Putting You Off? Try a Matchmaker
  • Houston Chronicle – Virtual Intimacy Leads To Real Carelessness
  • Houston Chronicle – Throwing Caution To The Wind
  • China Daily – The Cruel Business of Love
  • SF Chronicle – Disharmony, The New Tolerance
  • SF Chronicle – Now he’s a friend to socializers / Friendster founder’s latest online venture offers invitations and event planning, along with social networking features
  • Mercury News – Hook me up: Engage.com connects daters with matchmakers
  • NY Times – In the Computer Dating Game, Room for a Coach
  • Fox News – PlentyofFish on Fox News
  • Miami Herald – Digital Matchmakers Get Down to Business

2006

2005

Windows Live Expo Takes on Craigslist

Posted on October 28, 2007

Windowsliveexpo_logoAPP SCOUT — Oct 25 — Microsoft is getting into the classifieds game with Windows Live Expo, a service that allows you to search and browse items for sale. Sign up using your Windows Live account and post items, customize the view for your region and categories that interest you, and even browse the personals if you’re looking for love. The personal ads are hosted at Match.com. Microsoft also appears to have partnered with a number of companies to get dedicated — and perhaps exclusive — listings for apartments for rent, real estate, and consumer electronics. Job listings are pulled from services such as CareerBuilder. FULL ARTICLE @ APP SCOUT

Author, Myles Reed – Interview

Posted on October 27, 2007

Mylesreedphoto1OPW INTERVIEW — Oct 27, 2007 — Myles Reed wrote Fishing For Love on the Net. Here's my interview with him about why he wrote the book and what he thinks of internet dating. – Mark Brooks

What’s your background?
I’m a seasoned business executive who has worked for Fortune 500 companies for the past 15 years. I’m trained in observing and analyzing and synthesizing information with an MBA from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Michigan.

I’ve worked in 4 functional areas, which are accounting, finance, strategy and, of course, the 4th area being marketing. From those experiences, I’ve really developed a skill in understanding consumers and how people behave. That is part of my skill set and what makes me tick. That became the perspective I’ve applied to my time in dating online. I spent over 6 years living and breathing what it takes to find love online.

Tell me more, how did you meet your other half
What’s interesting is that the environment for online dating presents a phenomenal number of opportunities that really haven’t existed for thousands of years. What sparked my interest in my soon to be future wife was that she was the first person who had the exact same birthday as I had. It was the spark that led to love.  More interestingly, she happened to live in a foreign country. If it weren’t for Internet dating, I would never have met this person. Traditional dating is typically confined to the physical sphere of influence of the people who are looking for love. Internet dating breaks down traditional barriers. It really opens up a new world of possibilities and potential mates to consider, which is why I’m very bullish and very excited about the opportunities for growth in this particular area.

What internet dating site did you use?
I have, over the 6 years, tried a wide variety of sites that turned out to be very effective. Of course, I used some of the big sites, which were E-Harmony, Match.com and Meetic.com, which is a very big Internet dating site in Europe, but I ultimately settled in on what I call a Specialty site, which was ChristianCafe.com. I talk about in my book Fishing for Love on the Net that there are 3 categories of websites. There are Mainline sites that offer primarily online dating services and those would be sites like PerfectMatch.com and Meetic.com. Then there are also Multi-purpose sites like Yahoo Personals that offers other information like the news, but then there are also Specialty sites that appeal to people who have a particular interests that are really meaningful for them. This could be a religious or ethnic site or any criteria where you have common interests. She is actually from Norway. That’s the wonderful thing about online dating. You can plug into populations across the world.

So tell us about your book on internet dating?
My book, Fishing for Love on the Net, talks about love and how people can find it. That’s the only reason why people sign up for online dating sites, they are thirsty and they are lonely for love. Online dating sites provide an opportunity to satisfy that longing. My book talks about the fact that online dating does work. However, many people are still unsure. The commercials do a great job of enticing people but many people toil for many years trying to find out if it can work for them. I demonstrate that yes it does work.

Secondly, my book highlights the misconceptions about online dating.  I demystify them and I address them head on. There are tons of people who are lonely wanting to find love but they’re hesitant to try online dating because of the water cooler discussions about the misconceptions and fears around online dating. I address these points of discussion to reassure people that there’s nothing really to fear.

And the last set of things Fishing For Love on the Net talks about are the really effective techniques for people to master their online dating experience to make the best use of their time.

What prompted you to write the book?
After spending more then 4 years online, I noticed there was a uniqueness to this experience that was not like my offline experience. There were some repeating patterns of behavior that no one had to instruct the people to display. The herd of the people involved created their own culture.  I recognized that many people, though caught up in the culture, did not quite understand how to make this new world work. So I felt that because I’m good at understanding value and synthesizing where the opportunities are I needed to capture that learning and distill it down to some really effective principles that would help people find love online.  That’s what Fishing For Love on the Net is really all about, helping people find love.

Do you think internet dating really works?
Absolutely.  In this particular day and age in which we live, people are very consumed with their careers.  They put off the decision of trying to establish relationships and now they are at certain points in their lives where they really do want to find love but they don’t have the time to do it. Online dating expands their world of opportunities. They are able to find the love in a very easy and systematic way that can get them the love they desire. So absolutely, I’m a big proponent of online dating.

Do you advise your readers to use social networking sites for dating as well?
Social networking sites can be an opportunity for people. The problem is that many people who participate on social networking sites are not interested in romantic relationships. They want to connect with their friends. I would advocate that if you were interested in finding love online that you stick with sites whose sole purpose is to create a community of people who have decided they want to find someone with whom to establish a meaningful relationship. Mainline sites are the way to go.

What are your top 3 tips for internet daters?
There are 3 things that I recommend. The first thing is for people to know exactly what they’re looking for in a mate. I really can’t overemphasize the importance here. People have to know what are the non-negotiable things. They have to stick to them. They also have to know the other things that are important but be willing to compromise a bit on them. Both of these categories become the filter that is used to evaluate the people they come into contact with.

The second thing that I recommend for people is to have a method for contact management. The online dating world is very different. You are going to meet many more people online than you would ever meet in the offline world. So you have to have a way to sift through the numerous profiles.

And the last thing I would recommend is that people court their prospective mates as opposed to engage in traditional dating. Because you will meet so many people, many of them will not be the right person, so you have to find a way to more efficiently determine if this contact is the right person for you. Courting, as I lay out in Fishing for Love on the Net, requires two things that are different than traditional dating, a mindset change and a behavior change. If courting is deployed consistently, people will really improve their chances to find love online.

Are you looking to partner with any internet dating sites in any way?
I really would like to find ways to partner with the industry. I’m very passionate about the space of online dating and helping people find love. I’m heartbroken often times when I hear of many of my friends and people that I meet for the first time who are lonely and are desperately wanting to have a meaningful and loving relationship. With a few clicks, online dating can change peoples’ lives. They just need to know how to go about it. People would not dare try to assemble IKEA furniture without following the instructions. Online dating is a whole new world where people can benefit from some direction. Fishing for Love on the Net provides that guidance for them so that they make the most of their time and equip them to reach their point of success, true love. This is my mission.

I Must Be A Prude

Posted on October 27, 2007

Ashleymadison_billboardOPW — Oct 25 — ….because Ashley Madison just turns my stomach. This dating service with 1.4 million users (85% men) is for people who want to cheat on their husband/wives. Granted, other (mainly adult) dating sites have their ‘discrete relationship’ categories and I think that’s to be applauded, but Ashley Madison is goading people towards infidelity with their billboard advertising and PR. Here’s some interesting stats I pulled from one of their PR hits…

~50-60% of men and 40-50% of women will engage in an extramarital affair or romantic tryst at some point.
~ 17% of divorces in the United States are caused by infidelity.
~ 90% of Americans believe adultery is morally wrong.
~61% of Americans through adultery should not be a crime in the US.

Your comments please… – Mark Brooks

Lavalife Keeps It’s Website Fresh

Posted on October 25, 2007

Lavalife_logoEDMONTON SUN — Oct 25 – Lavalife has gone through a facelift. Because the site is really 3 sites in one (Dating, Relationships and Intimate Encounters) juggling all 3 was difficult.  Now web navigation is more user-friendly and the instant messaging feature which was difficult to use simultaneously across all 3 divisions can now be used all in one place. In addition, members can now post up to 30 photos. The site also offers a new, complementary articles and advice website Click.

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

Mark Brooks: Word on the street is that Lavalife is being offered for sale through Jeffries. More soon.

Adult Dating Sites Breathe A Sigh Of Relief – 2257 Ruled Unconstitutional

Posted on October 25, 2007

ParagrafNEW YORK LAW SCHOOL — Oct 24 — In Connection Distributing Co. V. Keisler the courts found that an attempt by Congress to crack down on child porn by requiring producers of sexually-explicit images maintain detailed proof-of-age records open to government inspection violates the First Amendment. The court felt the law overstepped its boundaries for it's major purpose of curtailing child porn. One judge focused on how the law was written, said it would penalize people making movies in their home for personal use. A second judge argued that the statute was even unconstitutional as applied to the particular plaintiffs in this case, who included several defendants who wished to publish swinger ads in the magazine illustrated with sexually-explicit pictures but did not want to sacrifice their anonymity. The third judge, while agreeing that the statute as written is unconstitutional, argued that the court should adopt a narrowing interpretation to avoid unconstitutional applications and preserve those portions that might be constitutional on their own.

The full article was originally published at NY Law School blog, but is no longer available.

PositiveFriends.com Launches

Posted on October 25, 2007

Positivefriends_logoSALINE, MI – Oct 24 – PositiveFriends.com is for those affected by STDs. According to the CDC, there are over 65 million Americans currently living with an STD, 19 million new STD infections each year, one in three sexually active men and women living with Herpes, and about 50% of all sexually active Americans affected by HPV. One-third of all single and dating Americans now exploring online personal ads (BusinessWeek, 2006) and niche dating has never been hotter.

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

Lavalife Leverages Mobile Complete’s DeviceAnywhere

Posted on October 25, 2007

Lavalife_logo_2BUSINESS WIRE — Oct 24 — Lavalife, the largest internet dating company in Canada and a front runner in mobile dating with its product Lavalife Mobile, implemented DeviceAnywhere a new product from Mobile Complete. DeviceAnywhere enables Lavalife Mobile developers to have access to live handsets from their desktops for a variety of carriers, so Lavalife can easily test software and applications in development.  Lavalife will begin using the solution to effectively monitor their existing chat, binary and voice WAP and SMS offerings.

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

Police Warn Of Online Dating Scam

Posted on October 25, 2007

SOONEWS WIRE — Oct 23 — Sault Ste. Marie police warn of con artists who post online singles profiles, get to know victims and then ask for money. Scammers typically target sites with free signups. Unlike other scams, money is not asked for right away, but after the online relationship has started and the victim is most vulnerable. The full article lists typical cons and ways to prevent.

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

Microsoft Takes 1.6% Stake in Facebook For $240 Million

Posted on October 24, 2007

Fm_2OPW — Oct 24 — Facebook is valued at $15 billion based on their ad deal with Microsoft. You can expect more investment money to flow into the social networking space based on this valuation. Do you think this will have positive repercussions for the online personals industry and internet dating company valuations? – Mark Brooks