Month: May 2011

Match.com Sex Offender Screening Only Partial Solution

Posted on May 31, 2011

Match logo new IOVATION BLOG – May 29 – After being sued by a woman who was abused by a man she met on Match.com, the online dating site created a system to check registered users against sex offender registries. While this system will filter out some sex offenders, it won't catch them all. It is still up to online daters to be cautious and protect themselves. Registered users are recognized by their credit card, though additional measures likes device recognition could also be used to block known offenders.

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

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IAC Offers to Buy Out Remainder of Meetic for 15 Euros/Share

Posted on May 30, 2011

Meetic matchcom loga REUTERS – May 30 – InterActiveCorp's Match.com unit offered to buy all of the outstanding shares of Meetic for 15 euros a share. Match.com already owns 27% of the French online dating service. Meetic is valued at 347 million euros, or $497 million. The offer is 7.3 times EV/EBITDA, with a PE ration of 13.9. Match has no plans to delist Meetic.

by Christian Plumb
See full article at Reuters

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California Rejects Social Networking Privacy Bill

Posted on May 30, 2011

Paragraf KABC – May 28 – The California Senate rejected a proposed bill which would have increased personal privacy on social networking sites. The legislature would have allowed parents to edit their child's profile, among other measures. The bill was strongly opposed by Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Skype and online matchmaking sites.

See full article at ABC7

Grindr Has Over 1 Million Users Across 180 Countries

Posted on May 28, 2011

Grindr logo VANITY FAIR – May 27 – Grindr, the popular location based social networking and dating tool for gay men, has more than 1 million users in 180 countries. Grindr is most popular in the UK with 160,000 users, 62,000 of which are in London alone. The app even has members in Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Haiti, Iraq and Iran, where homosexuality isn't tolerated.

by Matt Kapp
The full article was originally published at Vanity Fair, but is no longer available.

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U.S. Spends $581K to Study Racism in Online Daters

Posted on May 28, 2011

MONEY-DOWN-THE-DRAIN WEASEL ZIPPERS – May 27 – According to an oversight report released by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, the National Science Foundation spent $581,000 to study whether online dating site users are racist. This was part of a total of $1.2 billion the NSF has lost due to waste, fraud, duplication and mismanagement.

See full article at Weasel Zippers

JapanDatingSite.com Meets a National Need

Posted on May 27, 2011

Japandatingsite logo SB WIRE – May 26 – Marriage and birthrates in Japan are so low that they have attracted the attention of the country's government. A new dating site, JapanDatingSite.com has launched with the aim of helping to remedy the situation, and it has received the government's blessing. The site is part of WorldFriends Networks, a leading multi-lingual travel and language community.

See full article at SB Wire

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MeetAtTheAirport.com Launches, Hopes to Make Traveler Love Connections

Posted on May 27, 2011

Meetattheairport screenshot PR WEB – May 26 – MeetAtTheAirport.com is a new international dating and social networking service aimed at airline travelers. The site specializes in bringing together people waiting for their flights or looking for some pre-flight socializing. The site is 100% free to all users.

See full article at PR Web

Police: Varaschin May Have Met Her Murderer on PlentyOfFish.com

Posted on May 26, 2011

Varaschin THE STAR – May 26 – Ontario Provincial Police believe that Sonia Varaschin, who was found murdered on Sep 5, 2010, met her killer on PlentyOfFish.com. Varaschin was active on the site, so police investigating her murder are particularly interested in the men with whome she was communicating.

by Curtis Rush
See full article at The Star

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Cloud Girlfriend: Dating Site With Fake Profiles

Posted on May 26, 2011

Cloudgirlfriend logo NY TIMES – May 26 – New dating site, Cloud Girlfriend, proposes that completely faking it can be the start of a relationship. Users build fantasy profiles by selecting a photo from a bevy of attractive people and creating a fictitious biography and name. A series of questions shapes a personality and matches it with other fantasy profiles. If the match agrees to “date,” they can start sending messages to each other. From there, the relationship can remain a fantasy; or, if the users decide to reveal their true selves, it can progress or die. Users would receive the emotional benefit of sweet talk without being in a relationship, said David Fuhriman, a founder of the site. In the month preceding the site’s start in late April, 85K people signed up.

by Austin Considine
See full article at NY Times