RECODE.NET – Sep 16 - Online Buddies is launching Dandy, a newly acquired German dating app along the lines of Tinder’s “hot-or-not” swiping style. Dandy joins Online Buddies’ portfolio of companies, including the newish Jack’d and Manhunt.
by Nellie Bowles
See full article at Recode.net
HOUSTON CHRONICLE – Sep 16 – Hinge launched in Houston last month. The dating app mostly matches users with their second- and third-degree connections on Facebook. Other sites and apps are taking the same route. Coffee Meets Bagel gives users a single daily match culled from their extended Facebook network. SparkStarter, which launched earlier this year, lets users match up with friends of Facebook friends. Even Tinder has a Facebook component that reveals whether the users know any of the same people. Connecting over Facebook takes away the relative anonymity of online dating.
by Alyson Ward
See full article at Houston Chronicle
See all posts on Hinge
See all posts on Coffee Meets Bagel
See all posts on Tinder
PRESS RELEASE – Sep 15 – Previously, John Ray was the Industry Head of Lead Generation at Google. He worked with sites such as Match.com and eHarmony to support them in driving qualified traffic.
TECHNOLOGY TELL – Sep 15 – The movie "Christian Mingle" is about a lady who lies about being Christian to get dates. The movie is directed by L.A. Law’s Corbin Bernsen, starring Lacey Chabert, and featuring Christian dating site ChristianMingle.com.
(video no longer available)
by Alexandra Richmond
See full article at Technology Tell
PRESS RELEASE – Sep 15 - Parship has announced that Tim Schiffers will run the company after current CEO Arne Kahlke retires. Arne Kahlke has led the company since 2012. Henning Rönneberg stays as COO and Marc Schachtel as CTO.
FORBES – Sep 14 – The League, a new dating app for people who are “kind of a big deal", has launched in private beta in San Francisco. Unlike in other dating apps like Tinder, users in The League can limit who sees their profile — no Facebook friends, coworkers, LinkedIn contacts, etc.
CNBC – Sep 14 – Apple introduced its first smartwatch on Tuesday. "Apple Watch is the most personal device we've ever created," said CEO Tim Cook. "It's an intimate way to connect and communicate." The Apple Watch has what the company calls the "Taptic Engine", the watch's ability to produce a slight tap on your wrist. This can be used for notifications from apps, but users can also tap other people. It's not hard to imagine the amount of tapping that might take place between two teenage lovebirds equipped with the devices.
NY TIMES – Sep 14 – IAC has been snatching up dating sites for the last several years. In March, IAC increased its majority stake in Tinder. As of the end of last year, IAC said it hosted 30M active users among its dating properties, 3.4M of which are regular paid subscribers. The Match Group is now responsible for about one quarter of IAC’s overall revenue. “We are not just the acquirer of choice,” said Sam Yagan, CEO of the Match Group, “we are the only acquirer.” Investors seem nervous. They have been pushing for IAC to spin off the Match Group as soon as possible, probably because they think the popularity of dating sites is about to crest. Dating through mobile is exploding and has remained a weak spot for much of the industry. Another problem is that the market has become crowded. Mr. Yagan is not worried. He said there was still plenty of business to go around.
ABC.NET.AU – Sep 14 – The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is concerned some websites do not screen their users closely enough, resulting in fake profiles that scam money from innocent people. In 2013, Australians lost $25M to dating and romance scams, the ACCC said. ACCC is also seeing problems about not being clear about costs, hidden fees, great difficulty at cancelling contracts. The ACCC is telling people to visit the ScamWatch website for tips on how to protect yourself or to report any suspect activity on dating sites.
