WLD BLOG – Feb 3 – WhiteLabelDating.com partner Web Sites Ltd is launching Love.co.uk, a brand new online dating site that will be going live on Valentine’s Day in the UK. Prior to the launch, the public will have the opportunity to enter a launch prize draw.
Month: February 2011
Love The One Who Loves What You Love
THE GLOBE AND MAIL – Feb 3 - Creative Mates, 420 Dating, Veggie Connection, Date My Pet: All push partner customization one step beyond, matching users with specific careers, musical preferences, drug habits, etc. “These specialty sites pander to those people who are looking for this mirror image of themselves,” says psychologist Eva Fisher, “an idealized, enhanced version of themselves.” Cupidtino launched last June, and has attracted ~27,000 users across the globe. "Mac and Apple fans often have a lot in common,” explains Cupidtino founder Mel Sampat. Tastebuds.fm is another example of hyper-vertical dating sites. The site invites users to plug in the names of their favourite bands and artists for a matchup.
The full article was originally published at Globe and Mail, but is no longer available.
See all posts on Cupidtino See all posts on DateMyPet
See all posts on Tastebuds.fm See all posts on Veggie Connection
‘Dating’ Site Imports 250,000 Facebook Profiles, Without Permission
WIRED – Feb 3 – Two provocateurs Paolo Cirio and Alessandro Ludovic launched Lovely-Faces.com with profiles, names, locations and photos — scraped from publicly accessible Facebook pages. The site categorizes these unwitting volunteers into personality types, using a facial recognition algorithm, so you can search for someone in your general area who is “easy going,” “smug” or “sly.” Facebook is not amused. “Scraping people’s information violates our terms,” said Barry Schnitt, Facebook’s director of policy communications. “We have taken, and will continue to take, aggressive legal action against organizations that violate these terms. It’s a bit funny hearing Facebook complain about scraping of personal data that is quasi-public. FULL ARTICLE @ WIRED Finding A Valentine With The Help Of A Professional
LA TIMES – Jan 31 – Professional matchmakers use their intuition and extensive social databases to find potential romantic matches for their clients, said professional matchmaker Julie Ferman, founder of Cupid’s Coach in L.A. She claims to have orchestrated more than 1,100 marriages and long-term committed relationships since she started professionally matching couples 20 years ago. Her clients tend to be successful and attractive people who simply don’t have time to look for dates, Ferman said. The cost for her services ranges between $3,000 and $15,000 depending on the level of service a client wants. More individual coaching increases the cost, she said. LA-based matchmaker April Beyer works with only 10 to 15 bachelors each year, each of whom pays her $40K. She does not have female clients, but the single women who register on her website, aprilbeyer.com, can submit photos and their information.
The full article was originally published at LA Times, but is no longer available.
Dating After Divorce Or BreakUp
WOMAN'S WORLD MAGAZINE – Feb 2 – The dating scene can be daunting whether you're 25 or 55. Lisa Daily, the dating expert, recommends to go online, speed dating events and Lock And Key parties. At Lock And Key events women get locks, men get keys and both wander around trying to find the person they "fit" with. It's a simple and fun conversation starter. FULL ARTICLE @ WOMAN'S WORLD MAGAZINE: page1 / page 2
FriendScout24 Launches Casual Dating Site
PRESS RELEASE – Feb 3 - FriendScout24, Germany's leading dating site, is launching a casual dating site Secret. The new site is aimed at women and men who are looking for a flirt.
The full article was originally published at Presse Portal, but is no longer available.
OkCupid CEO: We Will Not Charge Users Following Match.com Acquisition
MASHABLE – Feb 2 – Match.com had acquired OkCupid for $50M in cash. "Our goal is that the acquisition will have no effect whatsoever,” CEO Sam Yagan said, saying that no positions will change within the company, and that it will continue full-steam ahead as usual — sans censorship or fees. Yagan says it will be releasing a location-aware app in the coming months, as well as a new OkTrends piece. FULL ARTICLE @ MASHABLE
IAC 4Q Revenue Up With Online Ad, Match.com Growth
BLOOMBERG – Feb 2 – IAC/InterActiveCorp said that its fourth-quarter revenue jumped 27% due mainly to growth in online advertising and in its Match online dating business. For the quarter that ended Dec. 31, IAC earned $87M, or 90c per share, compared with a loss of $1.0 billion, or $7.94 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2009. For IAC's Match unit, which includes Match.com and Chemistry.com, revenue jumped 30% to $108.3M. Total subscribers to IAC's dating sites climbed 30% to 1.8M by the end of the quarter.
The full article was originally published at Bloomberg, but is no longer available.
WooMe: $20 Million In Funding – And One Huge Scam
TECH CRUNCH – Feb 2 – WooMe targets anyone who signs up for the site with automated messages from women within minutes. And there’s not a single thing you can do on the site that doesn’t lead to the payment page, where the company tries to lure you into registering for $9.99 per month (if you sign up for 6 months, and pay the whole amount upfront). It’s classic bait-and-switch, from the horrible kind. All three of Europe’s finest venture capitalists, Index Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners and Atomico Ventures have backed the company, together with leading angel investors Klaus Hommels and Oliver Jung. And then there’s the experienced management team, which includes CEO Stephen Stokols and VP of Marketing Steven Sesar. Stokols says that WooMe does not send messages from “fake” users. He claims new users appear on top of people page results, which is why they get disproportionate attention after they just signed up. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH
iDate Awards Photos Now Online
OPW – Feb 2 - Photos from the 2nd annual Internet Dating Awards are now up online at the iDate website. The winners were announced at the National Hotel in Miami Beach on January 20, 2011. iDate conventions are the most prominent and beneficial events for executives in the online personals and matchmaking industries to meet, learn and share. It's also a great venue for other industries and supporting vendors to learn and connect with the idating executive. The next Internet Dating Conference will take place in Los Angeles on June 22 – 24th 2011.