NEW MEDIA AGE — Jan 22 — eHarmony is to launch a major integrated marketing campaign
this month, the first since the dating site launched in the UK last
year. eHarmony, which has an estimated US marketing budget of $160m
(£114.8m), will launch a search, affiliate and display campaign coupled
with a high-profile above-the-line marketing push to generate awareness
of the company. FULL ARTICLE @ NEW MEDIA AGE
Month: January 2009
Match.com Ramps Up Campaign In UK
PRESS RELEASE — Jan 22 – Match.com is set to launch a multimillion pound nationwide advertising push. In 2008 match.com focused on tempting people to try online dating and making it the new natural way to find a partner. For 2009, match.com is focused on further extending its leadership role in the UK. FULL ARTICLE @ RESPONSE SOURCE
Japanese Must Prove Age
THE MAINICHI DAILY NEWS — Jan 22 – Starting Feb. 1, Internet users wishing to join dating sites will have to prove they are 18 or over by sending a digital copy of their driver's license. The requirement is one part of the amended law that went into effect Dec. 1 of last year to regulate dating sites, and comes under the rules of the National Public Safety Commission. Should site operators fail to make the ID checks, authorities will issue a warning. If a site operator continues to ignore the new rules, he or she could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 1 million yen.
The full article was originally published at The Mainichi Daily News, but is no longer available.
Love Is Now A Niche Affair
THE NATIONAL — Jan 22 — When Saïd Amin started IranianPersonals.com there were few niche sites. Today, sites similar to his make up almost half the market, and they are growing. Mark Brooks, editor of www.onlinepersonalswatch.com, said there are about 14,000 such sites currently online and nearly 43% are niche. This is up from 34% in 2006. Religious and cultural niche sites are particularly popular. At 500,000 members, ArabLounge has become a leading singles site for Arabs in North America and Mr Amin said he expects to expand. Why the popularity of internet dating? For many men, Mr Brooks said, the internet offers a new solution to that old fear: face-to-face rejection. But he also believes the way people meet online is healthier. Then there is travel. Because niche sites tend to have fewer members, Mr Brooks said travel will often be a reality for those serious about meeting someone. "Probably with niche dating, if the person lives way out in the boonies then they're going to have to travel, there're just no two ways about it. One of the key questions for people who use these sites is, 'Am I prepared to travel?' " Mr Brooks said. It was a question Mr Amin had to answer: "Yes."
The full article was originally published at The National, but is no longer available.
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1,600 Dating Sites Registered In Japan
JAPAN TODAY — Jan 22 — More than 1,600 dating sites were registered with local public security boards during a period of about one month after a stricter law regulating such websites was introduced, the National Police Agency. The NPA said a total of 432 applications were filed between Dec 1, 2008 and Jan. 5, 2009 to register a total of 1,627 online dating sites.
The full article was originally published at Japan Today, but is no longer available.
OmniDate Receives Red Herring “Top 100 Global” Award
PRESS RELEASE — Jan 19 — OmniDate, developer of a virtual dating application, receives the Red Herring Top 100 Global Companies Award, recognizing most innovative technology companies. Past winners of this prestigious award include Google, Yahoo!, Skype, Salesforce.com, and YouTube. FULL ARTICLE @ FREE PRESS RELEASE
Too Lazy To Do It?
THE GAZETTE — Jan 21 — toolazytodoit.com is open to anybody and it's a place where ideas already implemented could be developed for other markets. It offers users a chance to publish their own ideas, or share the ones they love with others. One of the success stories that has already made it onto the site is that of Markus Frind of plentyoffish.com, who launched a completely free dating website five years ago and now collects ad revenues of $10 million a year.
The full article was originally published at Canada Working, but is no longer available.
WebmasterRadio.FM Launches “Inside Internet Dating”
PRWEB — Jan 21 — WebmasterRadio, 24/7 Internet business radio network focused on the B2B marketplace, launched new weekly radio show "Inside Internet Dating". Inside Internet Dating will feature exclusive interviews with CEOs conducted by show hosts Mark Brooks, the Editor of Online Personals Watch, and the organizer of the Internet Dating Conference, Marc Lesnick. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB
Skout Brings Location-based Dating To The iPhone
VENTURE BEAT — Jan 21 — Skout is unveiled it's location-based dating app to the iPhone at the iDate conference in Miami this week. Users load up the app and can see others around them who are also running it. If they see someone they might be compatible with, they can click on their picture to find out more about them, see a stream of their recent activity, look at pictures and comment on items, and live chat with them. FULL ARTICLE @ VENTURE BEAT
Sugar Daddy Site Discloses Private Chats
SOFTPEDIA — Jan 21 — SeekingArrangement.com has been allowing virtually anyone to view the
private discussions between its members for the past two years. The
security hole has been recently fixed after a reporter contacted the
adult social networking website. According to Brian Krebs of Security Fix,
who reported the security breach, the vulnerability is exploitable
through URL manipulation. FULL ARTICLE @ SOFTPEDIA