PIONEER PRESS — Feb 14 – A survey by the National Retail Federation found that consumers planned to spend ~$20 less on gifts and merchandise this Valentine's Day. An estimated drop in total spending of $2 billion. Use of online dating sites continues to climb amid the recession, according to Mark Brooks, a consultant to the Internet dating industry. "Any time times are tough, you get a massive influx to dating sites," said Markus Frind, CEO/founder of PlentyofFish. Also, compared with last year, online daters are more likely to use "job" in their profiles. "'I have a job' tends to come up frequently." FULL ARTICLE @ TWINCITIES.COM
Month: February 2009
Divorce Numbers Fall Off, Dating On The Rise
UNION TRIBUNE — Feb 14 – Struggling couples are are staying together for love and money while singles are looking for romance and half the rent. According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 37% of its members said they see a decrease divorce cases during national economic downturns. At eHarmony, registrations from Sep '08 to Jan '09 have increased 20% from the same period a year ago. Perfectmatch's revenue increased 42% from the previous quarter. FULL ARTICLE @ UNION TRIBUNE
WhiteLabelDating.com Helps Entrepreneurs Get Started
COMPUTERWORLD — Feb 13 — The biggest barrier to entry in the online dating business is "inventory". It's a chicken and egg problem – and one reason why newcomers need at least $10m to start their own online dating business and compete against the big guns today, according to Mark Brooks, editor of onlinepersonalswatch.com. Prospective online dating entrepreneurs can buy a plug-and-play online dating site, complete with inventory, through WhiteLabelDating.com, a hosted service provider. "You put your brand onto it, and you market it. We do everything else," says Ross Williams, CEO of the UK-based company, which claims to host 2,500 participating sites and 1m registered users worldwide.
The full article was originally published at Computerworld, but is no longer available.
Online Dating: It’s Bigger Than Porn
COMPUTERWORLD — Feb 13 — Online dating is the third largest revenue producer out of all paid content sites, behind digital music and online gaming, according to Forrester Research. Revenues for the industry are expected to grow by 10% through 2013. That's the third fastest category, behind only filmed entertainment and digital music.Top Online Paid Content Sites in 2008 by Category ($ in millions)
Digital music $1,732
Video games $1,866
Dating $957
The full article was originally published at Computerworld, but is no longer available.
Recession Boosts Condom Sales
USA TODAY — Feb 13 – With a crippled economy it's not surprising that condoms are seeing a sales increase. Sales of condoms in the U.S. rose 6% in Jan, year over year, according to Nielsen. "Obviously people in general want to avoid unintended pregnancies," says Jim Daniels, VP marketing for Trojan. "But in a down economy those costs are even more burdensome to bear." FULL ARTICLE @ USA TODAY
What’s The Attraction?
USA TODAY — Feb 11 – Within the past few years, researchers have begun to focus on the nature of physical attraction. Personality, evolution and even economic compatibility can all be factors in why people are drawn together. Research suggests that some physical characteristics — a symmetrical face, for example — are considered more universally attractive. Other studies have found romantic attraction among those who have similar family, religious and economic backgrounds. Attraction is even more complicated for those who date online. SpeedDate.com allows people to "meet" for three-minute interactions through live audio-video and IM. FULL ARTICLE @ USA TODAY
Why The ‘Love Business’ Is Recession-Proof
SOUL'S CODE — Feb 15 – Cupid'sCoach.com founder Julie Ferman is hosting an Aura Mixer and Flirt Party, as part of the Soul's Code-sponsored mega-event, Conscious Life Expo (February 13-16), in Los Angeles. An "aura photographer" will take polaroid shots of each person's aura and attach them to name tags as an ice breaker. According to Julie, the demographic of the single love-seeker continues to drive upward in age. She's hearing less and less from folks in their 20's: they have MySpace and Facebook and bars and clubs. Frankly, they're pretty easy to match up (they have their youth, beauty, energy, vitality, and little baggage). Julie's matchmaking business has never been stronger and she's experiencing a spike in business, just as she did after 9/11. FULL ARTICLE @ SOUL'S CODE
My Favorite Nerve Questions
OPW — Feb 15 – Its best to be specific when writing an online
personals profile. Nerve.com has some interesting profile questions.
My favorite questions are…
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The word or phrase that best describes my personality
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The best or worst lie I've ever told
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The last thing that made me laugh out loud
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Five items I can't live without
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25 years from now, I see myself
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If I could take a class on any subject, it would be…
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My most unusual or impressive skill
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The last great book I read
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In my stereo right now, you'll find…
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Shows I Tivo (or would)?
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Favorite on-screen sex scene
Moonjee Does Face Melds
OPW — Feb 15 — Moonjee is interested in helping dating services edit photos, add face art, figure out an attractiveness index and most interestingly, I think, meld two images to see what offspring may look like. The image shows what Irena any my future offspring should look like. Here's what our daughter actually looks like. – Mark Brooks
OnlineBootyCall.com Saves Valentine’s Day For Singles
BUSINESS WIRE — Feb 10 – Singles can now send their friends a clever "Will you be my booty call" e-card via OnlineBootyCall.com to celebrate the holiday that used to make them gag. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE
Mark Brooks: OBC is up to their mischief again. Destroying the image of Cupid. Bludgeoning our favorite celebration day of the year! Your comments please.