ONLINE MEDIA DAILY – Dec 19 — SheKnows.com, an L.A.-based network of sites for women, has acquired LovingYou.com, a marriage and relationships advice site. Targeting women ages 25 to 54, SheKnows covers topics such as pregnancy, parenting, health, entertainment, money, dating, beauty and celebrities. Its network includes sites such as PregnancyAndBaby, RealityTVMagazine and Soaps.
The full article was originally published at Media Post, but is no longer available.
GUARDIAN.CO.UK — Match.com is now partnering with Facebook by offering a "Little Black Book" application to Facebook users, which helps them find potential partners. Using the Little Black Book application, friends can share potential matches with any of their other friends on Facebook and can purchase keys to "unlock" a potential match for a friend. FULL ARTICLE @ GUARDIAN.CO.UK
OPW — Dec 18 — The first virtual Internet Dating Conference will be held tomorrow, Dec 19th from 8am – 9pm EST. The conference will
allow you to see the Miami event exhibitors, learn what they do, have a
chat with them
and schedule appointments at your desks in your office. The virtual
conference is
totally free for anyone to attend. Click here to register. SEE MORE DETAILS @ IDATE
PRESS RELEASE — Dec 18 — Frengo has launched Flirtable Mobile and an extended Facebook mobile app. Flirtable users can now review profile pictures, have private one-on-one conversations, send gifts and initiate new conversations from their cell phone. Flirtable has attracted over 2 million users and is receiving over 10 million page views each day. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE
Mark Brooks: I interviewed the SVP back in April.
BRAND REPUBLIC — Dec 17 — DatingDirect.com launched a TV campaign directed by 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Sex in the City' producer Pam Thomas. The ad was created by V/DDB France and will run for two months from January 1 on ITV1, Channel 4, Five and Sky channels.
SHANGHAI DAILY — Dec 17 — All matchmakers must register using their real names on the official Website of the Shanghai Association of Matchmaking Management. Matchmakers will not be able to practice until they obtain two certificates from the association – a qualified matchmaking certificate and a matchmaking company employee certificate. Companies must not organize two or more dates in a day for a client, and should keep records to prevent clients being cheated out of service fees.
The full article was originally published at Shanghai Daily, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: No such standards exist in the USA, but The Matchmaking Institute is working to create standards.
SF CHRONICLE — Dec 17 — About half of the online adult population have looked themselves up, or someone else online, according to a survey published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. 36% have searched the Web for someone with whom they’ve lost touch, and 9% have dug up information on someone they were dating. 60% are not worried about how much information about them is on the Internet. The study found that 61% have not felt compelled to limit it, while 38% have taken steps to control it. FULL ARTICLE @ SF CHRONICLE
Click on the company name to see all the top news, in summary format, since June 2004 on that particular company.
We’ve also listed the links to the first versions of the websites, links to our CEO interviews and the dating site’s official Twitter accounts and blogs.
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Here’s a shortlist of the top online dating and online matchmaking companies. Click on a link to see all the news we’ve ever listed on each of them.
AshleyMadison, Badoo, Baihe, Be2, BharatMatrimony, Blued, Bumble, eHarmony, FriendFinder, Grindr, Hinge, JDate, Jiayuan.com, LoveScout24, Lovoo, Mamba, Match.com, Match Group, Matrimony.com, Meetic, MeetMe, Momo, OkCupid, Paktor, Parship, POF, RSVP.com.au, Shaadi, Social Discovery Group, SparkNetworks, Tantan, The Meet Group, Tinder, Zoosk
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Dead Dating Companies
TANGO MAGAZINE — Dec 16 — Prediction 1: In 2012 first dates will no longer take place in a coffee shop."First dates will be on live video," says dating industry expert Mark Brooks of OnlinePersonalsWatch.com, "and videos don't lie like pictures do." He also says, "video dates will probably be on a mobile device." Prediction 2: Everyone rents yentas. Brooks predicts that every top dating site will soon have an upgrade option for its users that include the services of a real, live, modern-day yenta. "If the matchmaking industry (which has more service) teams up with the online dating industry (which has more selection), it's a marriage made in heaven.", he added. Prediction 3: Girl gadgets grow up. By 2012, sex toys will be luxury gifts, as integral to womanhood as dark chocolate and pedicures. Prediction 4: Long-distance lovers plug in. See Highjoy and Sinulate. Prediction 5: In 2012, the average husband will be expected to flirt with you by text message, serenade you in live video, make wanton love to your virtual double over lunch, and still have enough energy to engage in thoughtful conversation at dinner. FULL ARTICLE @ TANGO MAGAZINE
MARKETWIRE — Dec 13 — eTwine, a provider of social networking applications, changed its name to SNAP. SNAP is derived from the acronym for "Social Networking Application Provider." SNAP created the "Are You Interested" application as a traffic driver to its online dating Web site IamFreeTonight.com.
The full article was originally published at CNN Money, but is no longer available.
