Month: September 2008

Dating Sites Hang On Despite Increasing Competition

Posted on September 23, 2008

Idate_logo_2008 IDG SERVICE — Sep 23 — Owners and companies running dating Web sites are meeting Monday and Tuesday at the Internet Dating Conference in London to discuss challenges in their industry. The top dating sites in the U.K. for June were PlentyofFish, followed by Meetic, Match.com, Gaydar.co.uk and GirlsDateForFree, according to comScore. In North America, the top sites in June were PlentyofFish, Singlesnet, eHarmony, Match.com and Yahoo Personals. The number of page views for dating sites are falling, and people are spending less time but revenues are growing. The main revenue model is subscription. Other dating sites are offering premium services used by traditional matchmaking companies. A site in China, Zhenai, charges $200 a year for access to its online site and team of match matchers who work with singles over the phone. That's far less than fees charged by traditional matchmakers, which can cost $5,000 or more a year, said Mark Brooks, who runs a consultancy focusing on social networks and dating sites. FreeDating.co.uk is free, and makes money by showing ads. It's the same model used by PlentyofFish, a relatively simple site that debuted in 2003 and has surged to the top spot in the U.S. and U.K. markets. FULL ARTICLE @ PC WORLD

See all posts on PlentyofFish                 See all posts on Singlesnet
See all posts on Meetic                          See all posts on eHarmony
See all posts on Match.com                    See all posts on Yahoo Personals
See all posts on Gaydar                         See all posts on Zhenai
See all posts on GirlsDateForFree

David Thornton Named National Call Center Director At TRO & TD

Posted on September 23, 2008

Therightone_togetherdating_loga PRESS RELEASE — Sep 22 — The Right One and Together Dating, the traditional dating service, has recently promoted David Thornton to the position of National Call Center Director. Thornton has 19 years of experience in the dating service industry. He started out working for TD in the Midwest in 1989 and was the service's first telemarketer. Over the years, Thornton wore many hats, including that of matchmaker, sales consultant and Regional Sales Director. Thornton's longevity at TRO & TD is matched by a number of other team members, including Terry Fitzpatrick, COO, who has been with the company for 18 years and Brenan McGarrigle, a Relationship Consultant who has approximately 600 marriages to her credit during her 25 year tenure.

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

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See all posts on TogetherDating

WooMe Lets You Post Your Online Video Dates To The Public

Posted on September 23, 2008

Woome_logo_nove TECH CRUNCH — Sep 22 — WooMe, the site that throws users into 60-second one-on-one online video sessions, will now allow users to post recordings of their brief dating sessions to the public. The site is a direct competitor to SpeedDate, a video dating site that has recently been caught using some deceptive tactics on Facebook to gain users. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

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Flirtomatic Notches Up A Million Users

Posted on September 23, 2008

Fllrtomatic_logoPRESS RELEASE — Sep 23 — Flirtomatic, the UK mobile and online flirting service, has now over one million registered users, mostly based in the UK and of which more than 50% are mobile users. Since August 2007, their revenue has increased by 475%. FULL ARTICLE @ PRESS OFFICE

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Thanks To OPW’s Sponsors

Posted on September 23, 2008

Opwlogo OPW — Sep 23 — Thanks to Online Personals Watch sponsors for their ongoing support. – Mark Brooks

    * EasyDate
    * Fling.com
    * iovation
    * OmniDate
    * PlentyofFish
    * The Right One
    * Together Dating
    * WealthyMen.com
    * WhiteLabelDating.com

Iovation Is Exhibiting At iDate In London

Posted on September 22, 2008

Iovationlogo BUSINESS WIRE — Sep 22 — iovation, the Device Reputation Authority for the Internet, is exhibiting to top level Internet dating executives at this week's Internet Dating and Social Networking Conference, Stand #5, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel Kensington and Conference Center in London. Iovation performs over a billion fraud checks per year for its customers, 30% of which come from Internet dating and social networking sites. During the first half of 2008, the highest concentration of computers trying to abuse online communities that use iovation came from Belgium (9%), Ghana (8%) and the Philippines (6%).

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

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Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends

Posted on September 22, 2008

Webkare
TECH CRUNCH — Sep 20 — Webkare (‘Web
Boyfriend’ in Japanese) is a mix between a social network and dating
simulation site and the newest web sensation in Japan. Girls choose between one of four different male cartoon characters
they want to hook up with upon registration. They can then
"communicate" with their digital crush in cartoon-like sequences to try
to win over his heart in a virtual high school. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

WhiteLabelDating.com By The Numbers

Posted on September 22, 2008

Wld WHITELABELDATING BLOG — Sep 19 — Partner revenues increased 348% since the beginning of 2007.

Since Internet World 2008 in May:
– 482 sites have been launched
– Our database of members has increased by 175%
– Revenue has grown by 58% month on month
– 243,136 credits have been spent online, additional to member subscription fees.

WLD took on 24 different dating websites from competitors. Including: Dateline.co.uk, FootlooseDating.co.uk, TabooPersonals.co.uk.

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