Month: February 2011

Facebook Has Already Trademarked ‘Face’ In Europe

Posted on February 7, 2011

Facebook book-trademark TECH CRUNCH – Feb 6 – Facebook is close to trademarking the term ‘face’, at least in relation to online social networking and related activities, in the US. But as far as I know, nobody has yet pointed out that Facebook has already pulled that stunt in the EU. Mark Brooks, an authority in the online dating industry, was kind enough to point me to the filing (screenshot below), which dates back to May 2004, when Facebook was still in its very early days. As you can tell from the screenshot, the EU-wide trademark was granted in October 2006, with the expiration date set to May 24, 2014. Like in the United States, Facebook is also pursuing a trademark for the term ‘book’ in the EU, notably in relation to online communities, social networking and Internet dating services. This filing was made more recently, in early November 2010. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.

Grindr App Goes Straight

Posted on February 7, 2011

Grindr logo GUARDIAN.CO.UK – Feb 6 – Grindr, the mobile app that helps gay men track their nearest potential date, is launching a new service that will allow women to turn their mobiles into GPS-powered dating tools. Joel Simkhai, Grindr's founder, said he had received tens of thousands of requests from women asking for a straighter, female-friendly version of Grindr. Project X, which will be named in the next few weeks, will be very different to the gay version. "Proximity is less of a turn-on for women than it is for men," said Simkhai. "For gay men just the fact that there is someone 400ft away and gay is interesting." But the new app will incorporate specific features to appeal to women. "For a straight woman, a guy who is 400ft away from her? So what. It happens all the time. We have got to provide more," he said. "Grindr is very photo-centric. Women obviously want to see someone that they might find attractive, but they need to know more than that." FULL ARTICLE @ GUARDIAN.CO.UK

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Singles Are Signing Off From Dating Sites

Posted on February 7, 2011

Introvertsocial group NATIONAL POST – Feb 6 – Introvert Social is a Toronto-based group for self-described “introverts” who discover one another on the Web. The group has 780 members, a population that’s doubled since Aimee Buxton, a 30-year-old designer, took over its reins last year. Her directive? Take the group offline. “We don’t interact much through the website. It’s just where people log on to RSVP for the next event.” A survey released last week by Shape magazine claims “digital dating,” i.e., contacting someone through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, has made us more promiscuous, and that 72% of women have snooped around the Facebook page of their boyfriend’s ex. According to Dr. Mark Berber, a professor of psychiatry, social lubricants like board games or cooking classes can help ease the burden of moving into the real world after devoting excessive time to being online. FULL ARTICLE @ NATIONAL POST

If You’re Following These 3 Rules, It’s No Accident You’re Single

Posted on February 7, 2011
Datebuzz logo DATEBUZZ BLOG – Feb 2 - John Grays’ Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus tells its readers that men and women are from different planets. Neil Strauss’ The Game presents readers with a slightly different paradigm, where men are locksmiths and women locks to be picked. Input the right code (pick-up line or body posture) and you might get her phone number. Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider, co-authors of The Rules, telling women not to talk to a man first, call him, stare at him, talk too much or return his phone calls too often. Sherry Argov, author of Why Men Love Bitches, backs them up on this. In the world of online dating, an arena unconstrained by the traditional restrictions of offline dating, rules were made to be broken.  As a guy or a girl, this means four things:

   1. Responding to someone’s message as soon as you’d like to if you’re interested – no need to wait.
   2. If you’re female, why limit your choices to just the guys that have sent you a message? Go ahead and take the leap by sending off a few first messages of your own.
   3. And for the guy obsessed with mastering the perfect first message or the ideal pick-up line – focus on just being yourself.  
   4. And for those that are wondering about that message they sent last week but didn’t hear back on – move on.  He (or she) is just not that into you.

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

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CTO/Co-Founder Wanted

Posted on February 5, 2011

Job_opening1 OPW – Feb 4 – CTO/Co-Founder wanted for a next generation online dating business. Join an ex-Match.com/Yahoo VP on the quest to reinvent the dating industry by marrying social networking and online dating. Wireframes 85% complete, business model is disruptive and multiple funding sources are interested. Seeking a hands-on CTO/architect who is a great communicator and team builder who has a strong passion for challenging the status quo. Experience preferred: Facebook Apps/Connect, iPhone/Android. Founder equity and title included. Location is open. Please send all inquires to NextGenDating@gmail.com.

Everything You Think You Know About Singles Is Wrong

Posted on February 5, 2011

Match.com logo dalsi MATCH BLOG – Feb 4 – Match.com called on renowned biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher, Professor Stephanie Coontz and University of Binghamton’s Institute of Evolutionary Studies to help them design a comprehensive study of all aspects of the single life.  Here are the results:

Myth: Women are needy and clingy in relationships.
Fact: Women need more independence in relationships than men do.  

Myth: Guys don’t want to get married and have to be pushed into having kids.
Fact: 33% of men and 33% of women said they want to get married.  More men (24%) than women (15%) say they want to have children.

Myth: Older people don’t care about sex.
Fact: Older men and women are less likely to compromise on either love or sexual attractiveness in order to have a committed relationship.  

Myth: Single parents have no social life.
Fact: More single parents are currently dating someone (21%) than those without kids (16%).

Myth: Young singles today are promiscuous.
Fact: More people in the 21-34 age group say they have never had sex. 24% of men and 23% of women ages 21-34 are virgins.

Myth: Unemployed means unlucky in love.
Fact: 50% of singles would be open to dating someone unemployed if they found the person interesting.

Myth: Hook-ups never turn into relationships.
Fact: 36% of singles are open to a casual hook-up in the near future; and 54% of singles have had a one-night stand.  35% of singles have had a one-night stand that turned into a long term partnership.
FULL ARTICLE @ MATCH BLOG

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Global Personals Experiences Record Growth In January

Posted on February 4, 2011

Globalpersonals.co.uk logo WLD BLOG – Feb 4 – Global Personals, the online dating company in Europe that owns platform WhiteLabelDating.com, has experienced a tremendous start to the year breaking the company record for revenue collected and new member registrations over the January period. Overall network revenues grew by 30% YOY. The General network's revenue is up 70%. Media partners who power branded dating sites on the WhiteLabelDating.com platform including Bauer Media, NatMags and The Independent, witnessed a 45% increase to registrations compared to last year. The strong start to the year was however not just confined to the UK. The South African network also had a very strong start with registrations up 43% compared to January 2010 and revenue collected up 46% over the same period.

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Manhunt Mobile Adds 175,000 Users In First Month

Posted on February 4, 2011

Manhunt logo PRESS RELEASE – Feb 4 – Manhunt Mobile, the companion app of gay male hookup site, Manhunt.net, has added 175K users in its first month. The launch of Manhunt Mobile has also increased membership to the website. Before the launch, the website averaged 28K new sign-ups each week. Since January, that number has grown to 30K a 10% increase.

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Men, Women Flip The Script In Gender Expectation

Posted on February 4, 2011

Matchlogo USA TODAY – Feb 4 – According to a new survey conducted by market research firm MarketTools for Match.com, men are more interested in love, marriage and children than their peers in earlier times; women want more independence in their relationships than their mothers did; and hooking up and one-night stands aren't necessarily meaningless sexual encounters. "Men are now expressing some traditionally female attitudes, while women are adopting some of those long attributed to men," says biological anthropologist Helen Fisher. Data show men are quicker to fall in love and more likely than women to want children: 54% of men say they have experienced love at first sight, compared with 44% of women; among singles without children under 18, more men (24%) than women (15%) say they want children. 77% of women say having their personal space is "very important," vs. 58% for men; 78% of women say the same about having their own interests and hobbies (vs. 64% for men). And 35% of women (vs. 23% of men) say regular nights out with the guys/girls are important. FULL ARTICLE @ USA TODAY. Also read in TIME or watch on ABC NEWS.

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First Date: Dinner And A Movie Is So Last Decade

Posted on February 4, 2011

Howaboutwe logo WASHINGTON POST – Feb 4 – ~45,000 first dates were proposed last year on HowAboutWe.com. One proposal drew an unheard-of 70 responses? A man who suggested a date to get manicures. Founded by childhood friends Aaron Schildkrout and Brian Schechter, the online dating site eschews elaborate profiles and questionnaires, asking members instead to suggest dates in the hopes that someone out there wants to go. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST

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