TORONTO SUN – Apr 29 – Between 2007 and 2012 the online dating industry more than doubled its revenue, going from $900M to $1.9 billion annually, and had a jump in visitors from 20M to 40M a year. But it's not just dating sites matching mates; it's social media too. A British survey found 72% of respondents used both dating sites and social networks to search for love, while 19% used social media sites alone.
Month: April 2012
Mixr, Inc Is Now The Company Behind SpeedDate.com
OPW – Apr 26 – SpeedDate is announcing its name change to Mixr, Inc. SpeedDate will continue to operate as one of their branded product. Mixr is currently developing new products that focus on virtual environments where people can meet for a variety of social scenarios from dating, friendship, shared interests and beyond.
Three Niche Dating Sites For Targeted Romance
CNN – Apr 26 – Single Fit People, a free dating site, allows folks who like to work out to find other folks who like to work out to. The site even organizes events where singles can mingle and run around. Tastebuds.fm is a free dating site that help you avoid anyone out there who "likes everything but rap and country". The site allows you to easily port over your musical interests from Facebook or Last.fm so as to weed out anyone not familiar with that most important holiday in the world, Record Store Day. A little site called Tawkify aims to act as your guide through the morass of online social interactions. For about $15 a pop, Tawkify matches up potential soulmates based on their Klout scores (a service that measures your social influence online) as well as other factors.
39% Of Americans Spend More Time Socializing Online Than Face-to-Face
MARKETWIRE – Apr 25 – 39% of Americans spend more time socializing online compared to face-to-face, more than in the U.K. (36%) and Germany (35%), according to a study by Badoo. Aside from feelings of loneliness, the survey revealed that people could embellish the truth when sharing online, perhaps to appear more interesting to others, or to "control" their online persona. 25% of American respondents admit they have exaggerated or lied about who they've met or what they've done on their social networks, with a staggering 39% having shared bad news, such as a death or divorce.
The full article was originally published at MarketWatch, but is no longer available.
Facebook Takes Down Manhunt’s Fan Page
INSTINCT MAGAZINE – Apr 26 – According to the popular gay dating site Manhunt.net, its Facebook page was taken down without notice on April 4. This isn't the first time a gay related Facebook presence has been suspiciously moderated. A month ago Facebook mods came under fire for taking down an innocuous picture of two men kissing in protest of homophobia. Though Manhunt's content may have been a little more charged, did it warrant being banned without notice?
by Jonathan Higbee
The full article was originally published at Instinct Magazine, but is no longer available.
ChristianDating.com Domain For Sale For $500K
PR WEB – Apr 25 – ChristianDating.com is available for $500,000 or through offers at http://www.superniche.com. ChristianDating.com has massive search engine potential and can be utilized to capture highly qualified leads that are more likely to convert to memberships, giving your existing company or start-up a unique competitive advantage over other niche Christian dating sites. According to the Google Keyword Tool, the “Christian Dating” keywords get almost 35% of the same U.S. search volume as “Dating.”
Students Join Sugar Daddy Dating Sites
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Apr 24 – Female students are flocking to 'sugar daddy' dating sites to meet rich older boyfriends as they struggle with debts which will average £53K for those starting degrees this year. SeekingArrangement.com has released figures showing the 20 British universities with the highest number of students joining the controversial site. Top is Nottingham University with 61 sign-ups, followed by the University of Kent (57) and London School of Economics (51). Cambridge University came fourth with 46 students signing up to the dating website. The SeekingArrangement.com site is clearly more than happy with the influx of student signups. New members who are also students are upgraded by the site to a premium account, and they are given a 'college sugar babe' stamp on their profile. Members with these stamps get three times more responses than regular female members of the site. 35 % of the site's 50K UK members are students.
by Deborah Andrews
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk
Mark Brooks To Provide The State Of The Mobile Dating Industry At iDate
WEBWIRE – Apr 24 – Mark Brooks, publisher of Online Personals Watch and CEO of Courtland Brooks, will provide an annual address to the dating industry on the state and size of the mobile dating market at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on June 20-22, 2012.
Is There A Science To Compatability?
PSYCHOLOGIES MAGAZINE – Apr 24 – The problem with online dating is that it’s easy to overlook potential ideal mates. The top-notch scientists hired by dating agencies insist that you have a far greater chance of meeting The One this way. ‘It’s online introducing,’ says Helen Fisher, anthropologist and chief scientific adviser at match.com. ‘You’ve got to get out there and get to know someone.’ Professor Robin Dunbar, a psychologist at Oxford University suggests that much of the interesting research on what makes people click has been based on friends rather than romantic partners. ‘Social psychologists have identified six key elements for compatibility in friendships,’ he says. ‘These are: speaking the same language and a similar background; education level; moral/political outlook; hobbies/interests; and a shared sense of humour.’ When it comes to fireworks between men and women, however, it is difficult to predict how far these basic rules of compatibility apply. Sometimes opposites attract, but we know they can just as easily repel. Most experts agree that the more you know yourself, the better. Everyone is the right and wrong person, there is no totally right person.