Month: November 2011

Woo Media Acquired By Zoosk

Posted on November 3, 2011

Woome zoosk logaPR WEB – Nov 3 - Woo Media, the live interactive video network, with web properties including WooMe.com, Shufflepeople.com, and Monsterchat.com, has announced its sale to Zoosk, the world’s largest social dating site. WooMe’s 10M users will soon be able to engage directly with Zoosk’s user base of over 100M users. In addition, all properties owned and operated by Woo Media will also be merged into Zoosk. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The full article was originally published at PR Web, but is no longer available.

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Tru.ly’s Tech Takes A Crack At Verifying Online Identity

Posted on November 3, 2011

Truly-logoXCONOMY – Nov 3 - Tru.ly enables users to verify that they are who in fact they say they are online. Web users can apply for credentials via Tru.ly, with information like their full name, date of birth and zip code. Tru.ly pulls some of these basic credentials from a user’s Facebook account and matches it up against government records, offering a credential to the user if it’s accurate. For one, it lends more credibility to the Internet users for services like online dating sites, says CEO and co-founder David Gordon.

by Erin Kutz
See full article at Xconomy

Meetic Q3 2011 Results

Posted on November 3, 2011

Meetic logo newPRESS RELEASE – Nov 3 - The Meetic Group's consolidated revenue for the first 9 months of the year is 136.2M Eur, 1.1% decrease YOY. The Group has a total of 797,093 subscribers, compared to 844,435 at 30th June 2011.

See full article at 4-Traders

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Instant Date With An App

Posted on November 3, 2011

Dating1-articleLargeNY TIMES – Nov 3 - The idea of meeting someone through a mobile app may seem like a risky proposition. But the operators of these services say they are aware of the potential pitfalls and allow users to control how much information they divulge. Some of the apps are stand-alone, while others are new features of established dating sites; including Blendr, OkCupid Locals and HowAboutWe. OkCupid Locals is part of OkCupid, a larger dating site, which says a tenth of its 2.5M active members use the location features in the mobile app. HowAboutWe began a little over a year ago as a site where people post suggestions for dates they would like to have.The trailblazer among these services is Grindr, which is geared toward gay men and has signed up 2.6M members. In late summer its creators released Blendr, aimed at a broader audience.

by Jenna Wortham
See full article at NY Times

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iDate Cruise Jan 27-30, 2012

Posted on November 3, 2011

Idate2012 logoOPW – Nov 3 – iDate2012 Miami, the Internet Dating Conference, is scheduled for January 23 – 26. This year you are invited to take a 4 days Bahamas Cruise with us on January 27 – 30. Part business, part pleasure, it's the perfect breather after the conference. Well, sometimes we deserve a break! You can book your cabin here.

Event: Examination Of The Online Dating Romance Scam

Posted on November 3, 2011

Icon_calendar2OPW – Nov 3 – Over 200,000 people living in Britain may have fallen victim to the online dating romance scam, according to a recent study. University of Leicester, E.S.R.C (Economic & Social Research Council) and University of Westminster are hosting a seminar on Friday, November 18th in London (The Kinds Fund Building, London, 11-13 Cavendish Square London). This seminar provides an opportunity for interested parties to learn about their year-long project that has examined:

– the personal characteristics of the victims of this scam
– the persuasive techniques used by the scammers
– the psychological impact on the victim.

In the seminar they'll make recommendations for: online dating companies, law enforcement agencies, policy makers as well as counsellors. Contact Monica Whitty if you are interested in attending the seminar.

Online Dating Is The Future Of Your Business

Posted on November 3, 2011

BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 2 – David Teten gave a talk as part of TEDx Silicon Valley on "Online Dating is the Future of Your Business". In his talk he discussed how some of the successful online dating startups are models for new businesses. He mentioned dating sites such as TRUE.com, BeautifulPeople, HowAboutWe, Ignighter, InterracialSingles and AshleyMadison.

by David Teten
See full article at Business Insider

Study: Knowing Your Own Mate Value

Posted on November 2, 2011

Internet dating science logoINTERNET DATING SCIENCE – Nov 2 - Internet Dating Science, a service by Courtland Brooks, summarizes the best academic papers so you can improve your idating site.

The researchers of this article used speed dating events to show that singles who exhibit high levels of certain behaviors (flirting and confidence in men, agreeableness in women) are more likely to know their own value to a potential mate and thus perform better in the dating world.

FULL SUMMARY

Kathryn Lord: Based on this information, you should:

  1. Educate your customers on how to figure out their value on your dating site. Tell them hile all profiles are real people only a small percentage will be interested in them.
  2. Inform users on how likely their first emails are to be answered. 
  3. Educate your members about the importance of preparing to date. 
  4. Stress the importance of honesty and congruence.

Grindr Is The Gay Foursquare

Posted on November 2, 2011
Grindr blendr logosIRISH TIMES – Nov 2 - Most social networks connect people in the virtual world but Grindr helps gay people meet for real. And now its founder is launching an app for the straight community too. Grindr is uncomplicated. Create a profile, upload a photo and see gay men in your area who have done the same. Blendr replaces sexuality as a commonality with categories of “interests” concerning everything from sport to religion. But there are also complexities in creating a safe environment in which heterosexual people can interact.

by Una Mullally
See full article at Irish Times

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