Month: December 2011

There’s No Love Lost For Online Date Frauds

Posted on December 6, 2011

Scammers1SYDNEY MORNING HERALD – Dec 6 - 1600 Australians reported losing $17M in the online search for romance this year, up from $15M last year. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is asking the online dating and romance industry to comment on draft guidelines for cleaning up the industry. A group of industry representatives has been working on draft guidelines since July. The ACCC would like dating agencies to provide clients with warnings about scams, and verify online profiles to ''detect and disrupt the activities of those seeking to engage in fraud''. It also wants dating agencies to set up internal complaint handling procedures. The ACCC expects to launch new guidelines early in the new year.

by Lucy Battersby
See full article at Sydney Morning Herald

Got News?

Posted on December 5, 2011

Got news1OPW – Dec 5 – We protect sources. We're looking for insider news and tips. Got something interesting? We will not share your contact information with anyone. We respect embargoes, and we absolutely will honor your privacy. Send your news directly at tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com.

Dating Sites For Those Who Know What They Want

Posted on December 5, 2011

Online_dating keyboard2TELEGRAPH.CO.UK – Dec 5 - The internet dating industry is worth £2.5 billion worldwide. But if people really know what they want, the big general websites probably aren’t for them. Specialist sites can connect them with vegans, pagans, bald men, short women, wannabe Wags or triathletes. Mark Brooks, an internet dating consultant and the editor of Online Personals Watch, says, 'Many users are addicted to choice, and this has helped cause expectations to rise.’ The truth is, 'People often don’t know what they really want. The more selective you are the less likely you are to be compatible on other levels.’ On the upside, he says, 'Niche dating can get the toughest questions out of the way up front.’

The Best Niche Websites
- Teeforetwo.co.uk sets up single golfers with partners to play with, and for dates
– Brainiacdating.com and sweetongeeks.com is for bright people
– Redhead-world.net is an international social network for redheads
- Paganpartners.co.uk for druids, shamans or wiccans
- Alternativedatinguk.co.uk specialises in goth, emo and, er, vampire dating
– veggieromance.com is for vegetarians
- ethicalsingles.com is for people with a humanitarian outlook

by Rebecca Seal
See full article at The Daily Telegraph

Seeking Fun, No Privacy Attached

Posted on December 5, 2011

Badoo logoTHE SUNDAY TIMES – Dec 4 – Users of Badoo.com can now check which of their friends have joined up using their email address. Facebook users are automatically informed which of their friends are on Badoo. The site also gives a visitor the option of checking their email contacts list to see which are Badoo members. In a 2009 study Joseph Bonneau and Soren Preibusch, researchers at Cambridge University, ranked Badoo worst for privacy out of 45 social websites, with a score of only 23%. MySpace scored marginally better with 28%, while Facebook and LinkedIn scored 53% and 70% respectively. Mark Brooks, a consultant specialising in online dating, said Badoo’s relaxed approach to privacy was a sign of the times: “One of the distinguishing features of dating sites has always been privacy. But there are advantages to people knowing who you are. The best way to meet people is through friends of friends — social dating — and that’s what Badoo is trying to emulate. This is the future. “Yes, it’s an erosion of privacy, but the younger demographic don’t care so much. Badoo is for people who are a bit less concerned about privacy.”

by Jonathan Leake
See full article at The Sunday Times (the article is behind paywall)

See all posts on Badoo

SmartDate CEO Starts Daily Deals Site

Posted on December 4, 2011

Squarechic logoOPW – Dec 4 – We've noticed quite a few dating company founders are foraying into the daily deals space. The latest addition is Fabrice LeParc, the founder of troubled (that's being kind) dating site SmartDate. Squarechic.com offers 2 for 1 deals, on "WHATever, and WHENever", starting with New York, London and Paris. An iPhone & Android app will give users a subscription based 'virtual pass' which pinpoints their exact location to show participating deals around them. The app is due to launch December 2011. Fabrice has teamed up with Daniel Kershaw who was formerly country manager for the UK based electronics retailer Dixons. Great business model, but a lousy name. 'WHATever, WHENever' is amusingly laissez-faire. Hopefully this business will fly more smoothly, and contractors and employees will get paid.

Jeevansathi Financials Now On OPW

Posted on December 3, 2011

FinancialsOPW – Dec 3 – Check out the left bar of Online Personals Watch. You can see summaries of the financials of Cupid Plc, Match.com, Meetic, SNAP Interactive, Spark Networks, FriendFinder, Jiauyan and now also Jeevansathi, one of the leading matrimonial dating sites in India.

eÇift.com Scores 3 Million Euro Round Of Funding

Posted on December 3, 2011

Ecift logoUNQUOTE.COM – Dec 2 – 3TS Capital Partners, the Growth Capital Investor for Central and Eastern Europe, invests in Elit Teknoloji, the owner of eÇift.com the market leading Turkish dating site. eÇift will receive 3M Euro. eÇift was established in 2009 by serial entrepreneurs Tamer and Akgün Kulmaç and Janset Çelik to serve Turkish speaking users looking for a serious relationship. In 2010 the business received equity financing from business angels; participants included b-to-v Partners AG, Parship.de co-founder Konstantin Urban and Hotel.de founder Stefan Morschheuser. By now eÇift became the leading Turkish language dating platform with ~1.5M registered users and cash-flow positive operation.

See full article at Unquote.com

See all posts on eCift

Apple Axes Match.com’s iOS App Over Billing Squabble

Posted on December 3, 2011

Match.com logo dalsiFIERCEMOBILE CONTENT – Dec 2 - Apple has removed Match.com's iOS application from its App Store after the dating site failed to adhere to the storefront's subscription billing policies. It enabled users to pay for Match subscriptions with a credit card using an external link, bypassing the App Store's billing mechanisms and denying Apple its 30% cut of subscriptions and content sold via iOS apps. Apple and Match.com are currently in talks on how to revamp the app to meet the App Store's guidelines.

by Jason Ankeny
The full article was originally published at FierceMobile Content, but is no longer available.

See all posts on Match.com

Muslim Matchmaking Is Big Business, Non-Muslim Entrepreneurs Need Not Apply?

Posted on December 2, 2011

Muslim population growth graphDATINGBEESKNEES – Dec 2 - Online dating has become increasingly popular among Muslims. According to new population projections by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, “the world’s Muslim population is expected to increase by ~35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030.” This growth is roughly at twice the rate of the non-Muslim global population for the next two decades. There was a quote in the article by the halfourdeen.com founder that struck a nerve: “Baba Ali explains that what is more worrying for him is the fact that a number of Muslim matchmaking sites are owned by non-Muslims.” Is Baba Ali implying that non-Muslim entrepreneurs should not have the opportunity to sit at the table and have a piece of this pie? The issue is not who’s behind the service, but rather how you are serving your customers.

by Saïd Amin
The full article was originally published at DatingBeesKnees, but is no longer available.

Dating Service Connects People Over Their Leftovers

Posted on December 2, 2011

Restdejting logoWIRED.CO.UK – Dec 2 - Farmers cooperative Lantmännen has developed a dating tool that connects singles based on what food they have leftover in their fridges. It might not sound like the level of psychometric filtering touted by other dating sites, but Lantmännen aims to pair up fellow environmentally-conscious single people to share leftover dishes or ingredients. According to Lantmännen, a fifth of all food in Sweden is thrown away. It was this figure that led to the creation of the dating service, called Restdejting. Lantmännen is a major player within food, energy and agriculture in Sweden. It is owned by 36K Swedish farmers and has over 10K employees.

by Olivia Solon
The full article was originally published at Wired.co.uk, but is no longer available.