Month: February 2010

Twitter’s Now A Dating Tool

Posted on February 4, 2010

Social dating STRAIGHT – Feb 4 - Meeting a romantic partner on-line isn’t a new phenomenon, as dating sites like Lavalife and eHarmony have been around for years. However, social-media services like Twitter and Facebook are opening up new avenues through which people can make on-line connections. While profiles on dating sites may offer only select details, social media can enable people to gain more insight into other people’s personalities. The rise of social-media services doesn’t worry Kate Bilenki, the operations manager for PlentyOfFish. Bilenki told the Straight her company is confident that its service remains the best way for people to make a romantic connection on-line. Bilenki asserted that, for the purpose of looking for love, Twitter is inefficient, as it connects users with a vast number of people, of which only a small percentage are possible romantic partners. “A lot of people on social-networking sites are married, they’re in relationships, and they’re not looking to date,” Bilenki said. “On our site, they’re looking for a relationship.” FULL ARTICLE @ STRAIGHT.COM

See all posts on eHarmony 
See all posts on Lavalife
See all posts on PlentyofFish

iovation Wins Best New Technology Award

Posted on February 4, 2010

Iovationlogo BUSINESS WIRE – Feb 4 - iovation, provider of the device reputation service for preventing online fraud and abuse, was presented with the award for Best New Technology at the first Internet Dating Awards ceremony which took place during the 7th annual Internet Dating Conference in Miami. The award recognizes iovation’s fraud protection service as the best individual technology created by a vendor for dating and matchmaking sites.

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

See all posts on iovation

Match.com’s Mobile Push

Posted on February 4, 2010

Matchcom logo dalsi FORBES – Feb 3 - So far Match.com has produced apps for the iPhone, Palm's WebOS handsets and Research In Motion's BlackBerrys. Software for phones that run Google's Android operating system is in the works. The addition of the Android app will bring Match.com to between 80% and 90% of the world's smart phones. The company also supports a mobile Web version of its site. Juniper Research estimates that revenues from the global mobile dating market will grow to ~$1.4 billion by 2013. The next few years will determine whether Match.com remains the industry leader or loses ground to fast-moving upstarts. FULL ARTICLE @ FORBES

See all posts on Match.com

ManCrunch.com Denies Accusations Super Bowl Ad Was Just PR Stunt

Posted on February 4, 2010

Mancrunch logo FOX  NEWS – Feb 4 - Last week gay dating site ManCrunch.com cried foul when CBS rejected their ad submission for this year’s Super Bowl, claiming that the creative did not meet “broadcasting standards” and that the sales department had difficulties in verifying the previously unknown site’s “credit status.” This sparked speculation that the whole commercial, which the site said cost $100,000 to make, was a PR stunt, and that ManCrunch never had the $2.5M to pay for the spot. The site is actually owned by Avid Life Media, which reportedly makes ~$30M a year in revenue.

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

See all posts on ManCrunch

Skyecandy Set To Launch Video Speed Dating Via Skype

Posted on February 4, 2010

Skyecandy logo PR WEB – Feb 2 - Skyecandy announces a worldwide dating event this
Valentine's Day to celebrate the official launch of Skyecandy video
speed dating via Skype. Skyecandy matches members for 5 minute video
speed dates  Each date runs for five minutes with a minute in between
that enables users to vote YES or NO. If both vote YES, they can
continue to communicate for free using Skype, in their own time, at
their own pace. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

Mark Brooks: WooMe, Speeddate and Webdate also offer webcam based dating. But Skyecandy has the better user experience using Skype. (Full Disclosure: The company that owns Webdate is a client of Courtland Brooks)

See all posts on Skyecandy

Five Must Reads For Women This Season

Posted on February 2, 2010

Open book JMAG – Jan 21 –

– Choosing ME before WE: Christine
Arylo, takes a very personal heart-breaking experience and turns it
into an uplifting three-part empowerment guide for single women.

– If He’s Not the One, Who Is? Lisa Steadman is
back with the perfect sequel to her first book, It’s A Break Up, Not a
Breakdown. This time, she challenges the newly single to examine failed
relationships and learn from their mistakes.
– The Prince Harming Syndrome: In a clever and witty manner, author
Karen Salmonsohn combines the ancient Greek philosophy of Aristotle
with modern therapy tactics to redefine our approach to successful
relationships.
– Boys Before Business: The Single Girl’s Guide to Having it All:  Jennifer S. Wilkov
and Kimberly A. Mylls reinforce the message that single ladies can be
successful on all fronts without sacrificing your sense of self.
– The Perils of Cyber Dating: Julie Spira imparts cyber-dating savoir faire,
interspersed with her outrageously hilarious virtual experiences.
FULL ARTICLE @ JMAG

Internet Dating Industry Weekly News Feb 9th, 2010

Posted on February 2, 2010

This is the news for January 20th through February 1st, 2010. Here is the news we covered:

  • Real Simple Magazing ranks top dating sites
  • Avid Life Media pushing for an IPO
  • Match.com launches MatchAffinity
  • iovation shows strong sucess in 2009
  • 2010 iDate Awards results

$60 Million Initial Offering For Avid Life Media Delayed

Posted on February 2, 2010

Avidlifemedia logo REUTERS – Feb 2 - A planned $60M IPO for Avid Life Media, which runs adult dating websites including one that facilitates extramarital affairs, has been delayed. Avid Life, which was being advised by GMP Capital, had planned to use the funds raised from the offering to acquire another company.

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

Highlights From The Internet Dating Conference

Posted on February 2, 2010

Idate2010 logo EXAMINER – Feb 1 – ~113M users visited online dating sites according to Comscore. This information and more came from last week's Internet Dating Conference in Miami Beach. Mark Brooks gave us the latest statistics including the Jupiter Research study estimating the industry growth to $1.9B by 2010. Brooks thinks this number will actually be higher than estimated. 

Some of the key trends for online dating sites include:
    * Personality Profiling 
    * Expert Dating Advice
    * Mobile Dating and iPhone Apps

Other features include anonymous calling, video chat, and text messaging to keep members around for more than the three-month average membership term. One of the key highlights of the event was the first annual iDate Awards.

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

 

AshleyMadison.com Debuts New Commercial During 2010 Pro Bowl

Posted on February 2, 2010

Ashley madison logo new PR NEWSWIRE – Feb 2 - Assuming they would be rejected by the NFL again
from running a commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl, extra-marital
dating service, AshleyMadison.com opted for the next best thing by
airing their new 30 second spot during the Pro Bowl. According to
AshleyMadison.com President Noel Biderman, "With over 5M members,
AshleyMadison.com has become an American institution just like football
and apple pie. Right now there is no better fit for our service than
the world of professional sports." FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE

See all posts on AshleyMadison