MEDIANAMA – June 16 – DesiSpark.com has been launched as a free online matrimonial portal. The pitch which DesiSpark makes in its press release is that it is trying to end India’s Matrimony Monopoly, highlighting a key differentiator is that compared to the others, it is free. Can a free service matrimonial disrupt existing paid businesses? Probably not. It is key for matrimonial services to be able to put a certain barrier to entry for contacting prospective partners, else they will be over-run with non-serious solicitations. In fact, there’s a market for a higher barrier to entry, which has seen the launch of Elite Matrimony.
Month: June 2011
Economy of Sex: It’s Cheap These Days
WASHINGTON TIMES – June 15 – We put a price tag on sex. Sex, at one level, is an exchange. Each person gives the other person something of themselves. But it is typically a different something", said University of Texas sociology professor Mark Regnerus. Mr. Regnerus and co-author Jeremy Uecker use sexual economics theory in their new data-driven book, “Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think About Marrying.” Many young women like to spend some time in the sex market before moving on to the marriage market,” Mr. Regnerus said. The new sexual economy is especially disadvantageous to any woman who wants to remain a virgin until her wedding day. These women essentially never enter the sex market, but instead “hold out for the highest price for sex, which is marriage.” Today, that is a high-risk strategy, Mr. Regnerus explained, using a housing-market analogy: “You can’t just decide that your house is worth $500,000 if everyone else is getting $200,000. The price of sex is pretty low.”
Forbes Innovation Awards Recognizes Dating Site
OPW – June 16 – Apple is in top spot. Forbes recognized the top 50 most innovative companies on the planet, and one dating site was in the mix. Can you guess which one?
Actually, its not quite a dating site. A matrimonials site, to be precise. Our friends at Shaadi made the cut, as the most innovative company in the idatingsphere, on the planet. Well done! We interviewed Anupam Mittal, the CEO, in August 2009.
Here's the full Forbes Innovation Top 50. And here's Shaadi's mention at no.39. Now how on earth do they decide no.39? Who's to say that Shaadi doesn't have more impact and show more innovation than even the venerable Apple? God, I love Apple, but I love my wife more. (see comment section for retort from Irena) - Mark Brooks
FirstDate Growing Fast in Sweden
DAGENS INDUSTRI – June 15 – FirstDate is the fastest growing dating site in Sweden, growing by 55% annually. Firstdate was founded in 2006 by friends Chris Engleus and Martin Trollborg, and officially launched in Dec 2008. Match and Meetic are strong in the Nordic region and became even stronger when they merged in 2009. “We came in very late and had to have a different concept. The existing sites are focusing on older people. Our target group is 18 – 35-year old. In 2009, Firstdate's revenue was SEK 10M ($1.5M). Last year the revenue almost doubled to $3M with $1M profit. This year FirstDate is expecting $5M revenue.
Virtual Dating Industry Conference Is Today, June 15 at iDateVirtual.com
PRESS RELEASE – June 15 – Today, June 15th, is the free iDate virtual networking conference. The one day free online event allows dating industry professionals to meet, discuss issues, negotiate business, collaborate online and plan meetings. The virtual pre-event is also for the June 22-24, 2011 Beverly Hills iDate Dating Industry Conference. iDate examines new technology, business models, marketing, startups and management strategy best suited for an online dating business.
Dating Site for Doggers
OPW – June 15 – "Park & Ride" is the tagline of a new website for outdoor sexual activities lovers, called DoggingDirect.com. Dogging is a British euphemism for engaging in sexual acts in a public place or watching others doing so. According to DoggingDirect.com survey, 1 in 500 UK adults have been dogging and a majority of people were more familiar with the term "dogging" than "blogging". Members of DoggingDirect.com can post updates to their pages, share videos of their exploits, and use the dogging locator, enabling them to find dogging meets.
Special Start-Up Pre-Session at the iDate in Los Angeles
WEBWIRE – June 14 – Mark Brooks, publisher of Online Personals Watch and CEO of Courtland Brooks will provide a special 3 hour session for dating industry start-ups on June 22. The session will cover an overview of the Online Dating Industry, business models, financial examples of Online Dating Businesses, software choices, marketing strategies, latest business trends, new technologies (including Mobile), customer service issues, pitfalls other sites faced and buyout opportunities.
DateMySchool Extends Access
EASTERN ECHO – June 13 – DateMySchool is a dating site that allows college students to connect with one another based on their universities, colleges & departments. DateMySchool.com went live in Nov 2010 exclusively for students of New York’s Columbia University. Within a week of their debut, the number of registered users surpassed 1,300, which is ~ 5% of Columbia University’s student population. In Dec 2010, DateMySchool.com expanded to include students from New York University. By February 2011, the Fashion Institute of Technology of State University in New York joined the fray and helped DateMySchool rocket up to 7K registered users. Most recently, DateMySchool.com has opened up to students at universities in Michigan and Washington. This expansion has helped the site surpass 20K registered users in 8 months.
by Jerome Nichols
See full article at Eastern Echo
Better Dating Through Data
O'REILLY MEDIA – June 13 – OkCupid is a free dating site with 7M users. The site’s blog, OkTrends, mines data from those users to tackle important subjects like “The REAL ‘stuff white people like’.” OKCupid was founded by four Harvard-educated mathematicians. “A lot of other dating sites are based on psychology,” said CEO Sam Yagan. "We think that dating is a problem to be solved using data and analytics. There is no magic formula that can help everyone to find love.” OkCupid works by having users state basic preferences and answering questions like “Is it wrong to spank a child who’s been bad?” Users are matched based on the overlap of their answers and how important each question is to both users.
by Ciara Byrne
See full article at Forbes
Mark Brooks: Psychology works it way into those equations. eHarmony is taking the high road, while OKCupid takes the low road. Shrink-rappers vs Quant-tappers.
Facebook: Modern Dating in 2011
TIMES UNION – June 13 – The Internet, Facebook, and Texting have rewritten the book when it comes to modern day relationships. Conducting foundations of relationships on Facebook has now become a common practice. Couples can be found flooding each other’s wall with sweet nothings and liking every picture in their “Summer ‘09” album. "It’s a very common trap. You’ll only regret it when things don’t work out for you", says Patti Feinstein, a dating coach from Chicago. And when the relationships come crashing down, Facebook can easily become a playground where hurt lovers can unleash their revenge.
by Tobi Walsh
See full article at Times Union
Mark Brooks: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Especially when she can see who her ex-boyfriend is dating, and their conversations on Facebook.
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.