Month: February 2008

E-dating Goes Niche

Posted on February 20, 2008

Coupleswhojustclicked METRO.CO.UK — Feb 20 — According to press agency Response Source, 7.8 million people in Britain went online to find their match last year, up a third on 2005. And "e-dating" became more specialised. Mysinglefriend.com, where people nominate their unattached chums, was one of the first niche markets. WooMe, is an online speed dating company, and LoopyLove is a social networking site for singletons. Then there is the slightly more risqué market. AshleyMadison.com is for people looking for 'extracurricular activity'. Sugardaddie.com is aimed at women looking for a man with that extra bulge where it matters most, the wallet. Launched in 2002, the site now has a database of 250,000 members and is growing at a rate of 4,000 a week.

The full article was originally published at Metro.co.uk, but is no longer available.

A Date Without Words

Posted on February 20, 2008

People_leaves NEWS TIP — Feb 20 — Jiffr.com is a new dating site, a flickr-mashup, currently in a private beta. It's a picture based dating service that works without words. All members need is a flickr account to upload their pictures. On Jiffr, members introduce themselves without words, only using the language of pictures. It's a sort of encoding of their personality.

Paltalk Adds Vumber’s Disposable Phone Numbers To Video Chat

Posted on February 20, 2008

Paltalklogo MASHABLE — Feb 19 — There are a number of VoIP services, like Jangl and Jajah, that let you chat online, or even via landlines without having to reveal the phone number. Paltalk has integrated Vumber's disposable number service. The biggest benefit of Vumber is that its users can have an easier time taking their Paltalk video chat sessions offline. Paltalk customers get a 30-day free trial of Vumber's service, after which the $4.99 per month rate will kick in. FULL ARTICLE @ MASHABLE

TrustCash And Paivis Partners

Posted on February 19, 2008

Trustcash_logo MARKETWIRE — Feb 19 — TrustCash, the anonymous payment systems provider, and Paivis, a telecommunications carrier that sells prepaid "point-of-sale activated" and live cards, begin working closely together on numerous aspects of their businesses. One project which will benefit from this integration is a pre-paid debit card.

DateHookup.com To Offer Demographic Targeting To Advertisers

Posted on February 19, 2008

Datehookup_logo_2 EMEDIAWIRE — Feb 19 — DateHookup.com now offers advertisers the ability to target its ad inventory by specific demographics, including age range and gender, thanks to Google's new demographic bidding feature. Google's demographic targeting feature recently entered beta testing.

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

Mark Brooks: Both sites are growing gangbusters. DateHookup.com, like Plentyoffish, is also run by one person. Plentyoffish also offers ad targeting via Google Adsense. Direct advertising deals for top tier dating sites are available on Plentyoffish now, btw. (Full Disclosure: Plentyoffish is a client of Courtland Brooks)

Alternate Dating Sites

Posted on February 19, 2008

Omnidate_logo CNET NEWS — Feb 18 — Worldwide there are more then 1400 internet dating sites. Given the market saturation online dating consultant Mark Brooks says newer sites are forced to innovate both in concept and technology. Want your avatar to meet mine? Try out OmniDate.com or let's find out if our voices are compatible. Log onto LoveDetect.com. Another one of those alternate dating sites is CrazyBlindDate.com. Prior to the date you only get to see a pixilated photo of your match and you can only communicate by texting through the site's cupid line. Unlike more established dating sites, webcam sites like SpeedDate.com, Woome.com and Camlink.com require very little personal information to get started. As long as people are out there looking for love there will be a website to cater to their needs, desires, fantasies and fetishes.

Online Dating Firms Split Over Screening

Posted on February 19, 2008

True_logo ASSOCIATED PRESS — Feb 17 — New Jersey became the first state to enact a law requiring the sites to disclose whether they perform background checks. True.com already does such screenings.
"The online dating industry tends to get a real bad rap because of criminal activity," said True.com's founder and chief executive, Herb Vest. "If we were to clean up, there's hordes of offline singles who'd come online to find their soul mate." Many critics contend that True.com's screening method is incomplete and too easily thwarted, potentially creating a false sense of security for customers. Match.com said it had been assessing online background checks for six years and concluded they offered no extra protection.

The full article was originally published at SF Chronicle, but is no longer available.

Match.com To Double U.K. Ad Spend

Posted on February 18, 2008

Matchlogo MAD.CO.UK — Feb 18 — Match.com will double its £4 million marketing spend this year. Match.com's current outdoor campaign, Cupid & Fate, runs across the London underground network and was created by US agency Hanft Raboy & Partners. The site's strategy is to show that online dating really works by highlighting its successes, tempting new people to the category and challenge the British character.

The full article was originally published at Mad.co.uk, but is no longer available.

iovation Helps Stop 10,000 Frauds Per Day

Posted on February 18, 2008
Iovationlogo
BUSINESS WIRE — Feb 13 — iovation, the
device reputation authority for the Internet, is currently helping its
online customers stop more than 10,000 fraudulent activities per day
using its device-based fraud management solution. The company expects
that number to nearly double by the end of 2008. Using patented
technology, iovation’s ReputationManager™ fraud management service
uniquely identifies devices that have been used for fraud and abuse. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE

Mark Brooks: iovation offers a device
identification platform and a means to share the reputation of those
‘devices’ industry wide.  I’ve worked with iovation to help them sign
up an initial batch of dating sites that are now feeding the iovation
system. iovation recently raised $10 million from Intel Capital. (Full Disclosure: iovation is a client of Courtland Brooks)

Orly The Matchmaker Attempts To Break Her Own Guinness World Record

Posted on February 16, 2008

Orly 1888PRESS RELEASE — Feb 16 — The Guinness Book of World Records recently contacted Orly the Matchmaker asking her if she will break her own world record. Orly has set the standard in professional matchmaking for the past 25 years. Her clients include the elite and wealthy, royalty, celebrities and international movers-and-shakers. Orly is currently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the priciest matchmaker who's fees were recorded at $100,000. Her fees at the time could run upwards of $200,000. Orly is attempting to command up to $1,000,000 per client depending on the geographic locations and desired criteria.

The full article was originally published at 1888PressRelease, but is no longer available.