DOW JONES NEWSWIRE – Aur 21 – Chinese dating site Jiayuan.com filed to sell up to $100M of American depositary shares in an IPO. The company didn't specify how many ADSs it plans to sell or at what price. Jiayuan.com calls itself the biggest online dating platform in China. The company's revenue more than doubled last year, though its loss widened.
by Nathan Becker
The full article was originally published at WSJ, but is no longer available.
DINERO – Apr 21 – Yahoo! partners with Zonacitas.com in Colombia, Argentina Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. Zonacitas.com has ~400K registered users and is a leading dating site in Latin America, a market with a strong potential.
The full article was originally published at Dinero, but is no longer available.
AP – Apr 21 – Amid accounts of sex offenders using dating sites to find victims, lawmakers in several states are trying to pass legislation to help make online daters more aware of the potential pitfalls of the process. Bills are pending in Connecticut and Texas. Connecticut's bill requires Internet dating sites to provide a safety awareness notice during registration. Similar laws are already on the books in Florida and New Jersey. The Texas legislation requires online dating services to clearly disclose to customers whether they conduct criminal background checks. Match.com said Sunday that it will begin screening its users against the national sex offender registry.
The full article was originally published at Associated Press, but is no longer available.
BUSINESSWIRE – Apr 20 – PlayerBlock.com is offering a free API for additional screening of its members to Match.com and all other dating sites. The recent lawsuit of Match.com comes from one of its members claiming she was sexually assaulted by another member. The offending member in this case was in fact a registered sex offender. By going to PlayerBlock.com, users can search the database based on Name, Phone Number (including mobile) and now even with photographs through the use of its Facial Recognition Technology Software.
PEREZ HILTON – Apr 20 - A new survey from OkCupid has found that Twitter can be bad for relationships. Based on a pole of over 830,000 users that contrasted the length of relationships for those who use Twitter every day vs. "everyone else", the frequent tweeter's relationships last less time on average.
See full article at Perez Hilton
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.
OPW – Apr 19 – BBC Radio Scotland interviewed me yesterday for their Newsdrive programme. Here's the 3 minute segment which sums up my thoughts on the issue of Match.com sex offender checks..
CONSUMER AFFAIRS – Apr 19 – The “Jane Doe” in the Match.com sexual assault case has revealed her identity. Jane Doe, it turns out, is Carole Markin, who appeared on NBC's “Today” and ABC's “Good Morning America” today. Markin, a Harvard graduate and sometime screenwriter files suit against Match.com, alleging she was raped by a man she met on the dating site.
by Truman Lewis
See full article at Consumer Affairs
BROWN DAILY HERALD – Apr 18 – The new website eduHookups is the latest addition to a series of sites including Prospect and Meeting, Spotted at Brown, Browsing Brown and College ACB, aiming to connect students on campus. Soon after eduHookups' launch, other schools began to contact the site's creators requesting to join. It now includes 24 different universities and colleges from coast to coast, putting the membership at ~2,000 students.
by Sophia Seawell
See full article at Brown Daily Herald
OPW – Apr 19 – IDEA is building a panel of internet dating power users. Here's feedback from one of our friendly internet dating power users.
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GLOBAL PERSONALS – Apr 19 – Singles365.com has expanded its dating portfolio by expanding into the South African market and launching MatureSingles365 – a dedicated offshoot for the over 40’s. Singles365.com's network provider WhiteLabelDating.com has seen huge growth in both the South African and Mature markets. It has grown by 19% since January, with the Mature UK network also increasing by 18%.
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