Month: June 2013
Cupid Gets Approached For Casual Dating Sites
REUTERS – June 20 – Cupid said it has been approached by multiple parties for its casual dating sites and added that it expects core earnings for the first half to be hit by higher marketing costs. Cupid was in talks to sell its casual dating business that operates benaughty.com and flirt.com. EBIDTA for the six months ending June 30 is estimated to be ~2.5M pounds ($3.9M).
Match.com Introduces Offline Game Nights
PR NEWSWIRE – June 20 – Match.com is kicking off a 25 market Stir Game Night series by partnering with seven board game manufacturers to provide singles with a combination of icebreakers and party games. These live events will take place at bars and restaurants in select cities throughout the summer and fall.
The full article was originally published at WSJ, but is no longer available.
AYI App Download Up 200%
PR NEWSWIRE – June 19 – AYI, owned by Snap Interactive, reports strong mobile growth (200% increase) on its iOS and Android platforms. New subscriber counts also increased by 91% for the iOS platform and by 147% for the Android platform in May 2013 as compared to April 2013. The increases are primarily attributable to increased marketing through Facebook's Mobile App Install Ads. Facebook's Mobile App Install Ads enable companies to target users on very granular levels including by age, gender, location, and user's specific interests.
YouShouldTotallyMeet: Six Degrees Of Online Dating
BLOGTO – June 18 – YouShouldTotallyMeet is an
app that lets Facebook friends play matchmakers and make introductions
into their social circle.
Q: Where did the idea come from?
A: The best way to meet quality,
non-crazy people is through the friends we know. If they can vouch for a
potential suitor they're no longer a stranger.
Q: What differentiates you from Match.com and POF?
A: We rely on your Facebook friends and we don't claim to match people with fussy algorithms or compatibility formulas.
Q: How do I set up an account?
A: It's easy and free. Go to facebook.com/youshouldtotallymeet
and install the app. It'll ask for basic permissions to your profile.
Then, you choose whether you want to be a wingman for someone, or the
one who wants to be set up.
Q: If wingmen are required to set up accounts, don't people get concerned about who knows their business?
A: We don't see it that way. The only notification your Facebook friends will see is when you install the app.
Q: Are there other options similar to YouShouldTotallyMeet?
A: A couple, but they don't have the simplicity. There's LikeBright who we think is great.
Q: What's your perspective on the future of Online Dating?
A:
It's still a very independent system where you do all the work by
yourself. No one should feel embarrassed for wanting a relationship. The
more people who know you're on the lookout for someone special, the
better your chances of finding that person.
by Jonathon Muzychka
See full article at BlogTO
Dallas Singles Dating Service Delivers Duds
NBC5 – June 19 – A former employee of a local, high-priced dating service, Dallas Singles, said some individuals with a criminal past are allowed to be members. The owner said in some circumstances members can have a criminal record. On its website, the company promises to perform “a thorough background screening including a criminal history check on every client.”
by Deanna Dewberry
The full article was originally published at NBC5, but is no longer available.
Top Dating Sites In UK
METRO.CO.UK – June 18 -
- MySingleFriend
– £13.17 a month - Plenty Of Fish
– Free - Guardian Soulmates
– £16 a month - Lovestruck
– £16 a month - Doing Something
– £10 a month - eHarmony
– £9.95 a month
Parents Using Dating Sites To Find Matches For Their Children
OPPOSING VIEWS – June 17 – Mothers are now signing up for sites like TheJMom, Duo and Telugu Matrimony that help mothers find their sons and daughters a significant other. TheJMom.com, a Jewish matchmaking site, has ~5K registered members. A six-month subscription package costs $78. A Personal Concierge Service costs $199 and includes one-on-one advice and a profile makeover. Similarly, Duo, a South Korean matchmaking service, helps parents find matches for their children. The site is not free, with annual fees starting at $2K.
by Ashley Davis
See full article at Opposing Views
Speed Dating In Vancouver: 100 dates In 100 minutes
METRO NEWS – June 18 – 200 singles signed up for a massive speed-dating event in Vancouver this Thursday. Rendezvous Club owner Chris Hall has been running the annual “100 Dates in 100 Minutes” mega-mixer in Vancouver for the last five years, and thinks speed dating is a cut above online dating because it offers something a profile on a screen can’t. “It’s the first impression,” he says. Rendezvous’ regular events are usually more intimate, with 30 guys and gals chatting for five-minutes each, but this one is designed to be a matchmaking machine.
Paul Shurey – CEO & Founder Of Illicitencounters.com
GUARDIAN.CO.UK – June 15 – Paul Shurey (aged 54) died after a fall in India this April. He was one of the key movers and shakers in the rave scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He began running unofficial parties from 1989. He decided to launch Tribal Gathering with several different stages and DJs. Later he moved into digital marketing and went back to university to study television production. He founded IllicitEncounters.com, a dating site for married people who wanted to have affairs. Shurey was still running the site when, in March this year, he travelled to India. He was there when he suffered a fall, hitting his head and suffering injuries from which he never recovered.
Paul Shurey, born December 24, 1958, died April 24, 2013.