COURTLAND BROOKS BLOG – Nov 13 – Here's an example of a site review that the Courtland Brooks team ran, a year ago, fyi.
Month: November 2010
Gaydar Launches iPhone App
SHINY SHINY – Nov 11 – Gay dating site Gaydar has finally released an app for iPhone and it has leapt into the top 40 social networking apps on iTunes in 48hrs. Gaydar launched in 1999 and has 6M members worldwide. It may be too late to unseat its younger rival app Grindr, which is still steady at number 13 in the social networking app rankings. FULL ARTICLE @ SHINY SHINY
AnotherFriend Launched iPhone App
PRESS RELEASE – Nov 11 - AnotherFriend.com, Ireland’s leading dating site, has launched its iPhone app. With ~480,000+ registered members and ~10 years in business, AnotherFriend claims to be responsible for over 200 marriages.
Spark Networks Reports Third Quarter 2010 Financial Results
PRESS RELEASE – Nov 10 – Spark Networks' revenue for the Q3 '10 was $9.9M, a decrease of 10% compared to $11.1M for the Q3 '09, and a decrease of 4% compared to $10.3M in the prior quarter. Net income was $1.2M, compared to $1.0M in Q3 '09. Jewish Networks revenue was $6.8M, a 4% decrease YOY. Other Affinity Networks revenue was $2.7M, a decrease of 14% YOY. General Market Networks revenu was $264,000, a decrease of 54% YOY. For more details, download Spark Networks Financials PDF or or visit the link on the side bar under 'FINANCIALS'.
The full article was originally published at MarketWatch, but is no longer available.
BeNaughty Top Mobile App In Android Download Charts
PR WEB – Nov 11 – A new mobile app from online dating service Easydate is #1 app in the Android download charts, according to Androidzoom. The recently launched mobile app version includes several new features, including a location based search feature which is a major hit. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB
Dating Site For Married People
HBL.FI – Nov 11 – VictoriaMilan's target group are married people and unmarried couples who want to check if the grass is greener on the other side. The site's managing director Sigurd Vedal sees no real moral problem with the site. According to him, it offers only a service that people are looking for anyway. But here, they don't need to lie about their marital status. "These people would find their way to other dating sites otherwise", he added. In a dream world nobody would be cheating but we know that 50% have been, are or will be unfaithful to their partners, "said Vedal.
The full article was originally published at HBL.FI, but is no longer available.
7 Cities, 9 Flights, 2 Week North American Tour
OPW – Nov 10 – I started my tour by jetting off to London to keynote at the White Label Dating / Global Personals annual partner conference. It was fascinating getting the inside-track on the company, attending their two day conference. They've had a tough year beating off scammers, and then elevating their conversion factors to new highs. They've done some especially innovative work turning their customer service department into a profit center. Next, Toronto, to meet with Justin and Annabelle of Fastlife.com. I paid Noel at Avid Life Media. The Toronto IDEA soiree went very well. In L.A. a visit with Spark Networks, and then eHarmony to meet the CEO and tour the eHarmony Labs. Absolutely fascinating! Its so nice to see some true primary research coming from an internet matchmaking company. I ran a little IDEA soiree in L.A. A quick trip to Palm Springs next, to pay Conciant a visit. They have an interesting offering in the works for idating companies. San Francisco next, to visit Zoosk. I first met Jeff at iDate Miami 2004. He was one of the best speakers the conference has ever had the pleasure of hosting. In Dallas, Mandy is driving Match.com to new heights. $106 million last quarter. I caught up with Trish from TRUE. It will be a nice acquisition target in a year or so. – Mark Brooks
SNAP Interactive Expects Surge In Q3 Revenues
STOCK MARKETS REVIEW - SNAP's projected revenue for Q3 is $1.65M, more-than-double compared to $0.80 M reported for the last year's comparable quarter. This projected revenue represents the largest quarterly revenue in the company's history. FULL ARTICLE @ STOCK MARKETS REVIEW
Big Think Interview With Sam Yagan
BIG THINK – Nov 10 –Q: What’s new about OKCupid?
A: I think of OkCupid as an online bar. Imagine if you had a video camera in every bar in the country and you could watch every interaction that took place. Imagine how much could you learn about people and dating. We’ve got that on our online bar.
Q: What has the reaction been to OKCupid’s approach?
A: We have published some things that have made other dating executives worry about us and wonder why we’re "hurting the industry." For example, we published the average response rate on OKCupid is about 33%. Our entire brand is about transparency. We want that data out there because if you are only getting one in three messages replied to, you’re normal.
Q: How is OKCupid different from other dating sites?
A: We believe that people are single and therefore turn to online dating, not because they don’t know what they’re looking for, but because they don’t meet enough people in their day-to-day life.
A: We believe that people are single and therefore turn to online dating, not because they don’t know what they’re looking for, but because they don’t meet enough people in their day-to-day life.
A: How do you make money?
Q: From advertising.
Q: What have you learned about human behavior by looking at online dating patterns?
A: Men lie about their height by almost exactly two inches. We also looked at what words people use in their profiles. And we categorized those by race and gender. White men use "Tom Clancy", white women "The Boston Red Sox", black women reference spirituality.
A: Men lie about their height by almost exactly two inches. We also looked at what words people use in their profiles. And we categorized those by race and gender. White men use "Tom Clancy", white women "The Boston Red Sox", black women reference spirituality.
Q: What statistics and trends should online daters be aware of?
A: We did some research that showed that the very first word of your message that you send a girl can have a very accurate prediction of whether you’re going to get a reply. If you just say, “Hi.” You’re much less likely to get a reply than if you say, “Howdy,” for example.
Q: What would you say to someone who’s having trouble succeeding at dating online?
A: The first thing we’d suggest is, read the blog, look at the tips that we’ve got. The second thing to do is invest in your profile. Take the time to write a very careful profile.
Q: Is online dating changing us?
A: Online dating will have an impact on the way people match up and ultimately marry and ultimately reproduce.
Q: What role will technology play in the future of dating?
A: Online dating is going to continue to become mainstream. And much like online shopping. Also dating is going to become more mobile. I’m not as bullish on video mostly because, at least in our current state, women tend not to like videos of themselves nearly as much as men do. Women tend to be much more self-conscious about themselves on video.
The full article was originally published at Big Think, but is no longer available.
Meetic’s Q3 2010 Results: Down 2.2%
OPW – Nov 9 – Meetic, the European online dating leader, released its results for the Q3 '10. The revenue was €46.3M down 2.2% compared to Q3 '09. Meetic had 869,000 subscribers at the end of Sep compared to 858,000 at the end of June, an increase of 11,000 subscribers over the prior quarter. Marketing investments totalled €23.3M in Q3 which represents 50.3% of revenues. Total marketing investments since the start of the year stand at €79.3M, or 58% of revenues over that period. Meetic has been penalised in its growth by competitive pressure from new competitors on the Matchmaking segment in Germany who have massively invested on their main market. Meetic will reassess its German market strategy. For more details, download Meetic Financials PDF or visit the link on the side bar under 'FINANCIALS'.