FOX NEWS – Oct 8 - Every weekend in Shanghai's 'People's Park' they
come – mothers, fathers, grandparents – all holding pictures and
posters of young Chinese men and women who are looking for
love. Because of China's one child policy to control its ever expanding
population there has been a lopsided explosion of young boys. In the
next 20 years, it's estimated that 30M Chinese men won't be able to
find wives. There's a tradition in China of the young looking after the
old. The government hasn't paid pensions and provided health care for
most Chinese. So many parents' social security is on the line. In
China's big cities, finding Mr. or Miss Right is easier. Many women
migrate from small towns to Beijing or Shanghai to find work and
marriage. And because more and more women are working, attitudes among
parents who once only wanted boys are changing. FULL ARTICLE @ FOX NEWS
Month: October 2009
Toksta Renamed To Stickapps, And Is For Sale
OPW – Oct 8 – Toksta, a provider of hosted instant messaging and chat systems and a Userplane competitor, has changed its name to Stickapps.com, in response to an alleged trademark infringement. We've been informed by the CEO that Stickapps is for sale and will quite likely sell for a low six figure amount very soon.
Finding The Perfect Money Match Online
MARKETPLACE – Oct 2 – You think in a recession couples would turn to one another for comfort. In a poll released a couple of months ago by ING Direct almost a third of Americans said the economy has added stress and even ruined their marriages and other romantic relationships.
On the other hand, some of the more popular online dating sites like E-Harmony and Perfect Match are reporting double digit growth but for all the love connections there is not much talk of money compatibility, Sally Herships reports.
Diana Irafe lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and she used to run a crane and forklift in a steel mill. Life was good and she was making big money. She fell in love with a local guy, got married and that’s when the problems started. Her mom got sick and Diana had to head out of town to see her. When she got home she found a boat in her yard. It turns out her husband had gone shopping. What is this? Why did you buy this boat? We don’t need a boat? Oh and that’s not all on top of the boat there were the car racing parts, $6,500 for a super charger for his Mustang and then there was the racing…
Not long after they were divorced. Irafe did end up looking for love again, eventually. But this time she wanted to be more cautious and to find a guy who shared her attitude towards money. So she went online, digital daters will tell you one benefit of using a dating site is prescreening. Irafe asked potential dates if they were spenders or savers, if they liked going out for big meals and worrying about the bill later.
Irafe: Sometimes it’s not enough to just be in love. I was definitely in love with my ex-husband but it didn’t last. He ended up misusing money and it hurt me very badly. It seemed like the ultimate disrespect.
E-Harmony is perhaps the best known site for questioning daters.
At E-Harmony we prescreen each and every member for you to determine your matches based on compatibility.
But although they ask more than 250 questions only one is about money. Here it is how frugal are you? E-Harmony says its method of matching is the ideal barometer for predicting healthy pairs. So it doesn’t need to ask specific questions about money habits. But PerfectMatch.com says you do need to ask.
Dr. Pepper Schwartz creating the matching algorithm for the site and she says, money questions are so important, Perfect Match even offers a test called Money & Economic Aspirations.
Dr. Schwartz: Now with the economic down turn I need to think and worry about money much more then I used to. That might be different from I like to buy really nice things and have often spent more money than I can afford. Those are 2 different kinds of people.
I asked Schwartz how she knows which questions to ask.
Dr. Schwartz: I don’t pretend to understand attraction but I do know there is a literature that talks about long term compatibility. I can tell you, for example, we have very good social science information that if people don’t pool all their money they will fight about money less.
Translation Schwartz say her research shows if a married couple keeps separate accounts as well as a joint account they tend not to argue about money as much. Schwartz says Perfect Match asks questions to figure out what you expect financially in a relationship, like I very much prefer to be with someone who earns more money than I do and is financially secure. True or false? But can an online test score a perfect union?
Eli Finkel is a psychologist at Northwestern University and he says the success of these dating sites has yet to be proven. But he says one thing we do know is that actually daters don’t know what they want especially about money. Confused? Here is an example. A single woman, we’ll call her Jasmine, participated in a speed dating study Finkel did.
Dr. Finkel: And she was at the very top of the scale in terms of her preferences for a man with good earning prospects even in a speed dating partner.
In other words, Jasmine wanted a man with money. But then the classic story – girl meets boy, girl changes her mind but since this is speed dating Jasmine changes her mind really fast.
Dr. Finkel: Well what he wants to do is play the trombone on a cruise ship.
Not exactly a guy with big bucks, Finkel says that’s the danger with online dating, screening and money. People might think they know what they want but put the same group in a room together and predefined ideas like Jasmine’s will fly right out the window.
Dr. Finkel: There is reason to believe that asking people what they want is not the best way of getting at what they actually want.
So if you’re single Finkel says don’t try to pick your own online match, you might miss out on your trombone player. Or you can just remember the most important question you can ask about money in a relationship is whether someone is willing to answer more questions about money in that relationship.
I’m Sally Herships for Market Place Money.
Review Of Lavalife VOICE And Livelinks Service
COURTLAND BROOKS – Oct 8 – When you think of dating chat lines, often what first comes to mind are those sleazy and cheesy late-night television commercials. Yet dating chat lines Livelinks and Lavalife Voice both offer high-quality service and attempt to cater to those looking for more than just a one-night stand. We have analyzed the member experience at Livelinks and Lavalife Voice, as well as if an online dating service could benefit from having a supplementary chat line feature. VISIT COURTLAND BROOKS BLOG FOR MORE DETAILS
All-in-One Pricing Announcement
USERPLANE – Oct 6 – Userplane is announcing new lower prices in an all-in-one package, meaning anyone can get Userplane’s Webmessenger with Presence Bar, Webchat with Minichat, Webrecorder, Desktop, and Boards all for one low price. As of November 6th, 2009, Userplane will no longer support a free, unlimited service.
The full article was originally published at Userplane blog, but is no longer available.
BBW Personals Plus Becomes MoretoLove
PRESS RELEASE – Oct 6 - BBW Personals Plus, a dating site for plus-sized singles, has undergone a name re-branding, launching today as MoretoLove.com. "MoretoLove.com isn't just about body type," says Greg Liberman, President and CEO of Spark Networks, owner and operator of MoretoLove.com. "Our members want to find people who want more out of life and have a lot more love to share. The new name encompasses this idea." Even though the name of the site has changed, the features and functionality remain the same.
The full article was originally published at Earth Times, but is no longer available.
Flirtomatic: Mobile Flirting Social Network
DAILY FINANCE – Oct 6 – Flirtomatic, a mobile flirting social-network, has attracted $15M in revenue by selling flirting and virtual goods, like digital ice cubes. "You can't really call it a dating service, because very few of our users ever meet in person," says Mark Curtiss, CEO of Flirtomatic. "We're more like a social network for fun." Flirtomatic is pulling in $12 per month from 175,000 paying customers on seven major carriers in the U.K. Germany, and Australia. Flirtomatic splits revenues from sales of virtual goods with the wireless carriers. It has raked in $11M in venture backing to date and expects to turn a profit by next year. FULL ARTICLE @ DAILY FINANCE
So You Want To Get Paid?
OPW – Oct 5 – Payment processors charge from 2% to 15% of your revenues. Can’t figure out how to choose the right payment processor? Courtland Brooks has created a primer on the industry called, “So You Want to Get Paid,” which gives you great tips on how to ensure you are getting the lowest rate and the best service. You can find it here.
This post also appears on FrequentFlirters.
eHarmony.com Secrets
ABC NEWS – Oct 3 – A national Harris poll found that eHarmony is responsible for ~44,000 weddings a year and over 100,000 babies. Behind eHarmony, there is a science, a mathematical algorithm that picks partners based on a 258 question personality test. Dr John Gonzaga is studying the body language of strangers inside eHarmony’s secret love lab in Pasadena, California, watching his subject's every move hoping to pinpoint what makes for good chemistry. Chemistry or lack thereof is compared with the questionnaires and used to further hone eHarmony’s techniques. Among the constants in their research, physical attraction is a poor predictor of long term relationship success.
Online Relationships vs Offline Relationships Study
ONLINE DATING MAGAZINE – Sep 30 – Online Dating Magazine has launched a new love study of the factors
that determine relationship satisfaction and whether couples who meet
online have the same or better quality relationship when compared to
couples who meet through more traditional methods. The questionnaire has ~130 items and takes 30 minutes to complete. The basic results of
the study will be released upon the study’s conclusion. FULL ARTICLE @ ONLINE DATING MAGAZINE