Month: February 2009

Europe’s Online Dating Services

Posted on February 11, 2009

Heart EASY JET — Feb 11 — Match.com is now the world's largest dating website, boasting 15m subscribers. In 2007, match.com had a global turnover of €240m with an operating income of €54m. Over in Germany, a rival website, be2.com, was launched in 2004 by Robert Wuttke, who has a PhD in sociology. Within three months of launching in Germany, be2.com launched in Spain and Italy; it now operates in 35 countries worldwide, spread across all six continents. Meetic.com was an instant success in France. It is now Europe's largest, and the world's second largest online dating service. Meetic makes €130m a year and has more paying customers than any other in Europe. 60,000 babies have been born as a result of couples meeting on Meetic. The online dating industry seems to be resistant to the current economic downturn, with all the companies reporting steady growth.

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

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Cyber-Dating Expert

Posted on February 11, 2009

Julie spira interview PIX MORNING NEWS — Feb 11 — Dating expert Julie Spira has gone on over 250 dates from dating websites, leading to four marriage proposals, one husband and one fiance. Julie  has a book coming out on February 13th which is called The Perils of Cyber Dating – Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking For Love Online. 

Skout Releases Location-Based Dating App For iPhone

Posted on February 11, 2009

Skout logo
PR WEB — Jan 11 — People can use Skout on their iPhone to chat with, share photos, and find dates with other singles in their vicinity. Skout for iPhone is available free of charge at Apple's App Store under the Social Networking / Lifestyle categories. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

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Canada’s Most-Visited Websites Key In On Content

Posted on February 11, 2009
Plentyoffish logo MEDIACASTER MAGAZINE — Feb 11 – A new survey of Canadian-owned websites shows that sites publishing original news and articles get the most traffic. 'Where The Online Readers Are' is the first readership index of Canadian-owned websites. It was released by Vancouver-based Suite101.com, an online magazine. The top 10 sites are:

1  Metro Lyrics            
2  Plenty of Fish          
3  Government of Canada   
4  CBC
5  Suite101.com           
6  Canoe.ca               
7  Canada.com             
8  The Weather Network   
9  TD Canada Trust       
10  Rogers Communications

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

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Help For The Online Dating Community

Posted on February 11, 2009

Usaloving logo PR WEB — Feb 11 – With the launching of usaloving.com comes a new era of online dating. It is offering a much needed change in the way people view free dating sites. There is a useful search feature that will allow you to look for a friend in a general way or find a local partner for a deeper relationship. There is a forum where you can get together with others and not only discuss different aspects of love and relationships but a variety of other topics. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

Mark Brooks: Nothing new here really.  But it seems everyone and their Uncle are starting free dating sites these days. Markus has inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs. They make money from hawking memberships to paid services. Do you think the services are complimentary or competitive? (Full Disclosure: Plentyoffish/Markus is a client of Courtland Brooks)

Yumbunny: Crowd-Sourced Matchmaking

Posted on February 11, 2009

Yumbunny logo TECH CRUNCH — Feb 10 – Yumbunny is a new matchmaking site that relies on 'the crowd' to help you pick out your future mate. The site presents two people side by side, asking users to vote if they look like they're meant for each other. The site's biggest draws are its widgets, which allow you to embed Yumyum matching into your blog or social network profiles. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

Internet Dating Executives Form Alliance

Posted on February 10, 2009

Idea logo PR NEWSWIRE — Feb 10 — IDEA's membership, by invitation only, consists of executives from a veritable who's who in the international Internet dating world. The Alliance has 226 members and meets twice annually to learn and share thoughts on how to collectively improve the Internet dating industry. IDEA hosts a private online community on LinkedIn. Some future initiatives under consideration include an Internet Dating Newswire, the Online Personals Annual Awards, a Scammer Watch Service, and an industry Gold Standard and Credo.

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

Honesty Online Identify Verification On Facebook

Posted on February 10, 2009

Honestyonline logo OPW — Feb 10 — I am who I say I am, apparently. I took Honesty Online's verification, entering in my date of birth, name and address and answers to five questions.  

Namely… Which vehicle did you PREVIOUSLY own? Which street address in 'Tampa' have you ever lived at? What month was 'Rachel Brooks' born in? Which street addresses in 'Sioux Falls' have you ever been associated with? Which street addresses in 'San Jose' have you ever lived at?

For $10 I was verified to not have a criminal record, or be a sex offender and to be who I say I am. The verification now sits on my Facebook profile. Will people use this? For dating, yes. They should at least. For social networking, I'm not sure. Your comments please. – Mark Brooks

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Matchmakers Cash In On Business Of Love

Posted on February 10, 2009

Matchmaking1 CHICAGO TRIBUNE — Feb 9 – "When the Dow is down, dating and love are up," said Barbie Adler, president of Selective Search, a matchmaking service based in Chicago. Selective Search charges $15,000 fee for a full year of service. The personal touch is also fueling growth for It's Just Lunch, a matchmaking service launched in Chicago seventeen years ago with offices in 100 locations. Members pay $1,800 a year to be matched for lunch, drinks or brunch. Chicago sales climbed 8% in 2008, and January was up 4% from the prior year.

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

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HOTorNOT.com Dating App For The iPhone Debuts In Top 5

Posted on February 10, 2009

HotOrNot-logo new PR NEWSWIRE — Feb 9 –  The mobile dating application introduced two weeks ago for the iPhone by HOTorNOT.com ascended to the #4 ranking in the social network category at the iTunes store. Since its release, there have been nearly 7m ratings and over 3.5m yes and no votes.

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

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