Month: October 2013

How Twine Stands Out

Posted on October 16, 2013

Twine appTHE STAR – Oct 16 – Twine initially hides member identities and appearances, according to Mark Brooks, an Internet-dating industry analyst and consultant. "It vows to keep an even ratio of men to women, which solves a criticism of digital dating that women get inundated by guys and guys are often ignored,” Brooks says. “Twine hit on two major elements: the privacy issue, and the ignoring/inundation element.”

In 2011, for the first time, users spent more time on dating apps than on dating sites, according to IBISWorld. “This app world we live in now is not going to be around forever," says Marc Lesnick, iDate organizer. "Users complain about the limited features, along with advertisers who don’t like the size of their ads."

Etan Berkowitz, co-founder of Twine, vows Twine “will always be advertising-free. Perhaps we’d monetize, but it’s not on the table now.”

by Dan Nakaso
See full article at The Star

See all posts on Twine

CougarLife Is Launching In Germany

Posted on October 16, 2013

Cougarlife logo new Oct 13GRUENDERSZENE – Oct 15 – AvidLife Media is launching CougarLife in Germany. CougarLife, a site for women 30+ looking for toy boys, started in 2009 in Canada, and claims $4.5M members worldwide. The women/men ratio is 52/48. CougarLife.de's competition in Germany is Zuckerjungs.de and Altersvorsprung.de.

by Georg Räth
See full article at Gruenderszene

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Mixi, Japan’s Social-networking Pioneer, Turns Matchmaker

Posted on October 16, 2013

Mixi logo noveJAPAN TIMES – Oct 15 – Mixi was Japan's biggest social network but has been replaced by Gree, Mobage, Twitter, Facebook and most recently Line. Mixi is venturing into the marriage/dating business and will purchase the marriage-support business division from Line in Dec, and Confianza, a dating events company. In Japan online dating is not respected as a business. Japan’s low marriage and birth rate are at crisis levels.

by Akky Akimoto
See full article at Japan Times

This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.

MeetMe Launches Dating App Charm

Posted on October 16, 2013

Charm app screenshotTECH CRUNCH – Oct 16 – Social discovery site MeetMe is launching a dating app called Charm. It works like Tinder but instead of swiping profile photos for yes/no, users swipe videos which are created the same way as on Vine. If two users like each other, Charm unlocks their chat functionality.

by Jordan Crook
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Friends Worldwide Launches Affiliate Program

Posted on October 15, 2013

Friends worldwide logoPR WEB – Oct 15 – Friends Worldwide, a company that owns 64+ online dating brands, is launching an affiliate program. Friends Worldwide will pay the referring partner 50% of revenue generated for the lifetime of that member.

See full article at PR Web

This post also appears on InternetDatingAffiliates.

Can DNA Screening Help You Find Your Soul Mate?

Posted on October 15, 2013

Dna1CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Oct 15 – Claudia Haase, an assistant professor in Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy says that the formula – Two People + DNA Test = Marital Bliss – is a misinterpretation of the research. "There's no perfect match," she said. "It really depends on the particular couple, and on what you want." There's a gene called 5-HTTLPR (Love Gene) however, which is involved in the body's regulation of the hormone serotonin, which can lead to feelings of happiness. The study found that the length of one's Love Genes can predict how emotions will affect a relationship. A person who has two shorter Love Genes tends to feel the highs and lows of marriage more deeply.

by Rex W. Huppke
The full article was originally published at Chicago Tribune, but is no longer available.

Asia’s Heavy Mobile Usage Helps Dating Sites Thrive

Posted on October 14, 2013

Phones1SMART PLANET – Oct 12 – Online dating's catching on in Hong Kong. Heavy mobile usage works to dating sites' advantage. Lovestruck first expanded outside of Britain to Singapore and Hong Kong after finding the cities receptive to mobile dating. Hong Kong’s mobile penetration is ~230%, since the average person uses more than one cell phone. Hong Kong’s cultural urgency for people to get married before 30 holds strong. Lovestruck’s Hong Kong member base has grown 40% each year since 2009.

by Vanessa Ko
See full article at Smart Planet

See all posts on Lovestruck

The High-End Matchmaking Service For Tycoons

Posted on October 14, 2013

Kelleher Jill and AmberNY TIMES – Oct 11 – High-end matchmaking service Kelleher International is hosting a private matchmaking event on Necker Island in Caribbean in January. The cost of the trip per person is ~$45K, excluding the flights and optional spa treatments. Kelleher International has 16 offices around the world and receives ~1K inquiries per month. Of those, ~700 are women, ~10 of whom are accepted as clients. A fee of $15K buys a year’s worth of unlimited matches in one city.

by Dan Crane
See full article at NY Times

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AshleyMadison.com Launches In Hong Kong

Posted on October 14, 2013

Ashleymadison logo new apr 2010TRUTHDIVE – Oct 12 – AshleyMadison.com has now been launched in Hong Kong after starting first in Japan. Hong Kong is the 29th market of the infidelity site, which started 11 years ago in Canada.

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

See all posts on AshleyMadison