Month: January 2012

iTiggy.com Turns Online Dating Upside Down

Posted on January 10, 2012

Itiggy logoMARKETWATCH – Jan 10 - iTiggy.com connects strangers who have already connected. iTiggy CEO and Founder Daniel Hua said: "We have received numerous e-mails from members thanking us for creating iTiggy as it has allowed them to find the person that they were looking for. Additionally, it appears that in some cases relationships are being born in situations where people, unlike those using traditional dating sites, weren't even actively seeking a relationship."

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

Twoo.com Named In Top 10 Dating Sites

Posted on January 9, 2012

Twoo logoREALWIRE – Jan 9 - Just eight months after launching, Twoo.com is the world's No.6 most popular dating site according to the latest comScore data.

Dating Website Total Unique Visitors (000)
Jiayuan.com 8,610
Plentyoffish.com 6,851
Match.com 6,835
MeetIC Match 4,882
Mail.Ru Love 4,500
Twoo.com 3,832
MSN Dating & Personals 3,301
Zoosk 2,924
Speeddate 2,763

Twoo.com had 2.88M monthly active users in December and grew by ~1000% between June and November 2011. Twoo doesn't match users based on complex personality analysis, as it takes a more real-world approach. It leaves it up to individuals to make a connection just as they would in a bar, at the workplace or any other social setting.

See full article at Realwire

WhatsYourPrice.com Lands An Episode On The Anderson Cooper Show

Posted on January 9, 2012

Whatsyourprice logoPR WEB – Jan 9 - WhatsYourPrice.com, the dating website where anyone can "name a price" for a first date, is featured on the Anderson Cooper Show today on its "Dating for Dollars" episode. Launched on March 29, 2011, WhatsYourPrice.com currently boasts ~300K registered users and has successfully arranged ~750K first dates. On the show, Dr. Michelle Callahan, a Relationship Expert who is a critic of the dating site says the site is an escort service. Three members of the website who were featured on the show disagree with her.

The full article was originally published at SF Gate, but is no longer available.

See all posts on WhatsYourPrice.com

Special Mergers And Acquisitions Meeting At iDate

Posted on January 9, 2012

Idate2012 logoWEBWIRE – Jan 9 - The "Buyers and Sellers Gathering" is a closed door event on January 23, 2012 and requires special pre-registration. For VCs, investors and CEOs, it help business buyers meet sellers at the beginning of the event.

See full article at Webwire

Ignighter Fires Up $1.8M

Posted on January 9, 2012

Ignighter logo newCITY BIZ – Jan 6 – Group dating site Ignighter has raised $1.8M of a targeted $2.4M from six investors. Previously, the company raised $2.7M of a $3.1M offering from 25 investors. Ignighter launched in NYC in August of 2008 and has users in 28 countries.

by Richard Rabicoff
The full article was originally published at City Biz, but is no longer available.

See all posts on Ignighter

Online Dating Made Easy With Mobile App

Posted on January 9, 2012

EHarmony-iPad-AppFOX4NEWS – Jan 8 – More and more marriages are starting out with an online connection. FOX 4′s Rich Demuro shows how the matchmaking app makes meeting people easy. “Over 20% of the people have met their spouses in some way online,” eHarmony Senior Research Scientist Gian Gonzaga said. "542 people a day on average get married after meeting on eHarmony, which is pretty extraordinary,” Gonzaga said. eHarmony recently launched a new iPad app.

by Sarah Clark
See full article at Fox4News

See all posts on eHarmony

Tingle Claims To Be Safer Mobile App

Posted on January 9, 2012

Tingle on cell phoneEXAMINER – Jan 6 – Tingle is Canada’s most popular mobile-only iPhone dating app, and is now extending its service to the U.S. It comes with some interesting new features, including a Voice Chat system that allows people to talk via phone without actually exchanging phone numbers. Another feature is called "Karma" – so named for its intention to bring out better behavior in Tingle's users. Karma prevents people from setting up fake profiles and discourages them from stalking other users. Members have to earn their Karma points to reach more people and send more messages.

by Kelly Seal
The full article was originally published at Examiner, but is no longer available.

See all posts on Tingle

Fake Pals Are Better At Hitting On Women

Posted on January 9, 2012

Hireabostonwingwoman headerWSJ – Jan 6 - Thomas Edwards, runs a service called "The Professional Wingman." For a fee of $125, Mr. Edwards accompanies his clients to the event and posed as their good pal. Susan Baxter, founder of "Hire a Boston Wingwoman," says she launched her business specifically because her friends were fatigued by online dating. Ms. Baxter, whose fees start at $130, insists that clients who go out with a pro have better odds of success than those who troll with an untrained male buddy. Often, the friend "says stupid stuff, like 'my friend thinks you're hot,'" she says. Josh Mitchell started his Indianapolis wingwoman service, "Miss Pivot," last year after attending an event for young entrepreneurs. Mr. Mitchell now runs Miss Pivot with a team of five friends, including a "head coach," plus eight freelance "pivots" for hire at $45 to $65 an hour. For the dates, the pivots generally stay away from nightclubs, and go to bookstores, coffee shops or pubs.

by Jennifer Levitz
See full article at WSJ

Jiayuan.com Flirting With Disaster

Posted on January 9, 2012

Jiayuan logo newTHE STREET – Jan 6 – Jiayuan.com is a very popular dating site in China. However, like most of the Chinese Internet space, the shares have been pummeled recently, falling by more than 70% from 2011 highs. RenRen, which many investors felt would bottom out at $5.00, now trades at just over $3.00. On Dec. 21, Jiayuan hit an all-time low of $5.50, prompting management to announce a share buyback program of up to $10M. The share price immediately jumped as much as 20% to over $6.50. However, the initial enthusiasm has proven to be short lived and the share price has drifted back down to the $5 to $6 range once again.

by Rick Pearson
See full article at The Street

See all posts on Jiayuan.com

Online Voting Ends Today For The iDate Awards

Posted on January 4, 2012

Idate awards logoWEBWIRE – Jan 4 - Called by the press "The industry equivalent of the Oscars," the iDate Awards highlight the best and most innovative aspects of the online dating, matchmaking and date coaching industry. Online voting ends today. Voting is online at http://www.idateawards.com. Over 2000 votes have already been cast so far.
 
12 categories exist for the awards:

  • Best Dating Site
  • Best Dating Site Design
  • Best Software Provider
  • Best Mobile Dating Site
  • Best Matchmaker
  • Best Dating Coach
  • Most Innovative Company
  • Best New Technology
  • Best Payment System
  • Best Affiliate Program
  • Best Marketing Campaign
  • Best Up and Coming Dating Site

See full article at Webwire