BUSINESS WIRE – Mar 8 – DateNight, a new concierge service that creates fun and engaging dates for busy couples, officially launched in the Washington DC area today. “In today’s busy world, most couples are so consumed with work and family obligations that when they do manage to go out together, they rarely have the time, let alone the energy, to do anything beyond the same-old dinner and a movie routine,” said DateNight CEO and co-founder Robert Schumann. “DateNight wants to change that. Our mission is to revitalize marriages by helping couples rediscover the pleasure of having fun together.”
Month: March 2011
Cupid Revenues Up 202% At £25.7M
STOCK MARKET WIRE – Mar 8 – Cupid's revenues rose 202% to £25.7M in the year to the end of December. Organic UK revenues were up by 101% to £15.1M and the firm said international expansion continued with 42% of fourth quarter revenues from outside the UK.
The Russian Mail-order Brides
SALON – Mar 8 – Ten years ago, Katerina was a 22 years old student when she advertised in a catalog. Her old-fashioned values caught the attention of a plumber from Atlanta. Within a year, she was married and living in her new American home. That's when he told her the reason he brought her to the US was for housekeeping and sex. Katerina was a victim in the world of international marriage. In 2006, the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) was enacted as a means of protecting foreign women like Katerina. It requires a client check against the National Sex Offender Public Registry, a lifetime cap of two visa petitions per male client and a shift of responsibility to the organizations involved. Anastasia International is one of the world's largest international marriage brokers with ~460K male clients. The IMBRA legislation is a sticking point for the company, a measure it considers costly and disproportionately onerous. GM of Anastasia International Dan Sykes says: I don't get involved with my clients. I consider my business a communications and translation company. We do not make matches or arrange marriages in any way."
by Shonna Milliken Humphrey
The full article was originally published at Salon, but is no longer available.
Gay Dating App Grindr Now On Android
MASHABLE – Mar 8 – Grindr, the popular location-based app gay guys use to find other gay males, is out today with an Android version. 1.5M male users already use the iOS and BlackBerry apps in 180 countries.
The Changing Marriage Trends In India
TIMES OF INDIA – Mar 7 – Trends are changing in the great Indian wedding bazaar. Gone is the rebelliousness of the 1980s and the 1990s, when the young and carefree defied parents to follow their heart to the altar. In the last few years, eligible youngsters and their families are not at loggerheads over weddings any more, said Anupam Mittal, CEO of Shaadi.com. Mittal founded the matrimonial site in 1996. The site currently has 20M users, of which 70% are Indians based in the country. The site claims 1.3M success stories, and is used by 65% men and 35% women. "Compatibility has become more important." Mittal said.
The full article was originally published at Times of India, but is no longer available.
Of Love And Criminal Background Checks
HERALD SUN – Mar 7 – trulytrue4u.com.au is a new dating site that has gone to extreme lengths to ensure it's not flooded with creeps – it makes all its members pass a police check first. The company also makes contact with all new members in an effort to confirm that profiles come from real people. The agency rejects anyone who has committed an act defined as criminal under Australian law. Parking fines, speeding tickets and bankruptcy are not included in the checks run by trulytrue4u, though the company is looking into ways to incorporate marriage records into its checks. Match.com.au says criminal checks do little to protect daters from dubious contacts.
by Danielle Cahill
See full article at Adelaide Now
Mating Game: Too Much Choice Will Leave You Lonely
AFP – Mar 6 – Scientists have made a surprising discovery: The more options you have for choosing a lover, the likelier you are to end up with no-one. The study tracked 1,868 female and 1,870 male participants at 84 speed-dating events. When candidates were too dissimilar, speed-daters became confused by many conflicting factors – and often failed to choose anyone. "Dealing with variety requires attention and memory, and we have only so much capacity for each," said researcher Alison Lenton at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Perfect Matchmakers Tap A Rich Seam Of Lonely Hearts
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD – Mar 6 – Trudy Gilbert is Sydney's own millionaire matchmaker, responsible for marrying off famous faces, executives of blue-chip companies and the social elite. Her company, Elite Introductions, is an exclusive dating service where membership is a cool $4995 per year and applications for membership have grown 25% in the past three months. More than 90% of her members want to go on a second date with the person they are matched with. She has had eight marriages, one baby and says 7 out of 10 members are in long-term relationships.
Internet Dating Use Up 500% In Ten Years
EHARMONY BLOG – Mar 6 – An Oxford Internet Institute international study has revealed that 30% of men and women who use the Internet and are interested in starting a relationship have tried online dating sites. That’s up from 6% in 1997. The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) conducted an online questionnaire with 12K couples from 18 countries. Middle-aged men and women (aged 40-69) were the most likely to use online dating sites, with 36% revealing that they met their current partner online.
by Grant Langston
The full article was originally published at eHarmony blog, but is no longer available.
Dating Sites Should Eliminate Ability To Select Racial Preference
SKIFF.COM – Mar 3 – According to a report in Time that examined racial preference in dating sites, whites were more likely to state they had no racial preference but still only communicated with fellow whites. On the other hand, black people were more likely to state they were interested in other blacks on their profiles but were also more likely to communicate with whites. Psychologist Jerry Mendelsohn said in the report that segregation has become a social norm and "is sort of built into the social scene for the time being." eHarmony and Match.com subconsciously encourage stereotypes in their advertisements. When Americans see couples on TV that feature two individuals of the same race, they ultimately accept that portrayal as a norm.
by Wyatt Kanyer
The full article was originally published at Skiff.com, but is no longer available.