PRESS RELEASE — Oct 10 — WhiteLabelDating now offers to all its co-branded sites the Hacker Safe certification, the highest security standards available for protecting confidential information online. The process to become Hacker Safe is strenuous and security measures must be in place and maintained. Once the certification is issued, Hacker Safe asserts that the site is 99% safe from intruders. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB
Month: October 2007
Catholic Match Acquires CatholicDaters.com
PRESS RELEASE — Oct 9 — Catholic Match, the largest provider of online singles services to the Catholic community, announced today that it has acquired the assets of CatholicDaters.com.
The full article was originally published at PR Newswire, but is no longer available.
Baby Boomers Want Lust More Than Marriage
PRESS RELEASE — Oct 9 — According to a new survey by PARSHIP.co.uk, 37% of singles over 50 would have sex on a first date compared to 18% of under-40s. Just 7% of the over-50 singles hoped that their next relationship would result in marriage compared to 32% of singles in their 30s. 41% of the older singles are looking for commitment, 20% want casual fun, and 19% are game for anything. To find it, 43% are logging on compared to just 26% six months ago. FULL ARTICLE @ EARTH TIMES
Meetic Joining The Social Network Fight
BLOGNATION — Oct 8 — In a few weeks, Meetic, the world’s second-largest online dating service, will launch PeexMe. This latest social network will focus mainly on members’ photos and will use an ad-supported model on its free access, premium membership, and mobile subscription services.
The full article was originally published at Blognation, but is no longer available.
Hide Your Phone Number With A Ring-To Number
PRESS RELEASE — Oct 8 — WebPoint Communications today unveiled Ring-To Number, a new service to safeguard one’s identity when interacting on social networks, auctions, and online dating sites. Free and paid versions of the widget, an extension of the CallDigits service, provide a means to receive phone calls without divulging an actual number, address, and location. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE
Spark Networks Announces Annual Meeting Results
PRESS RELEASE — Oct 8 — Spark Networks – a leading provider of online personals services such as JDate, BlackSingles, and ChristianMingle – announced the election of Spark Networks directors Benjamin Derhy and Thomas Stockham to the Board of Directors. Stockholders also appointed Ernst & Young as the company’s public accounting firm.
Yahoo! Advised To Break Up
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE — Oct 8 — A Sanford C. Bernstein analyst estimated the combined value of Yahoo!’s display advertising, search engine, and subscriptions business at $39 a share. Radical actions – like outsourcing services, cutting employees, and revamping advertising – could raise shares to $45, whereas a stay-the-course strategy would likely drop them to $25.
The full article was originally published at International Herald Tribune, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: Yahoo Personals is doing direct ad buys on properties other than Yahoo, and has become bolder with it's business development. Should it come out from underneath its mothers wing, completely. Your comments please.
Speed Dating Goes Digital
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Oct 5 — Several companies, such as Speeddate, WooMe, HurryDate, and SingleCity, have entered or are about to enter the world of online speed dating. Aside from the unflattering images and fleeting encounters (can you really get to know someone in 60 seconds?), the webcam chat sessions seem ripe for nudity and bad behavior. FULL ARTICLE @ THE NEW YORK TIMES
Mark Brooks: The problem these sites have is in gaining traction and getting to critical mass so they can serve up enough dates. Ad buys won't convert for them, and users won't rave about them in the same manner, and on the same scale as social networks. I love the idea though. Hurrydate has the best bet. They were bought by Spark Networks at the beginning of 2007 so they have an efficient source of traffic, and are essentially an add-on-sale for Sparks sites which include JDate and the MingleMatch network. Dating sites need to do better monetizing their users so speed dating and online speed dating are a good option. I helped Cupid buy Predating back in 2004.
The Growing Industry Of Matchmaking
SACRAMENTO BEE — Oct 5 — The dating industry as a whole rakes in $1 billion each year. Professional matchmaking, with at least 1,300 matchmakers, accounts for about $236 million of that. Companies like DinnerMatch and Table for Six Total Adventures are helping some of America's 92 million singles who are finding it harder to meet people.
Mark Brooks: The Matchmaking Conference in New Jersey went well. 80 matchmakers and business people were in attendance. Kelleher and Associates were in attendance. They charge $65k-$120k per match! Most matchmakers charge ~$5k-$10k and have 25+ clients.
Europe’s Love Affair With Meetic
BUSINESS WEEK — Oct 5 — Meetic is now Europe's biggest online dating site, with $73.9 million in revenues during the first half of this year, up 48.5% from a year ago. Although it only has 525,000 paying subscribers compared to Match.com's 1.3 million, the online dating market in Europe is expected to double from 2006 to 2011 while the U.S. market will likely grow less than 50%.
The full article was originally published at Business Week, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: I'll be spending a few months in Europe next year and visiting major dating sites and social networks. Prague, Helsinki, Munich, Paris, Cannes, and London are on the itinerary for Q1-Q2, so far. I'm hoping to do some CEO video interviews, and see how continental Europe does internet dating and SNS. The European dating companies definitely seem a little more 'progressive'. Your comments please.