MIRROR.CO.UK – Apr 2 – To mark its 20th anniversary, Match.com is looking for a "Date Explorer". The successful candidate will jet off on an all-expenses-paid, around-the-world trip to gather dating tips and expertise from New York, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Paris and Stockholm. To apply visit www.match.com/dateexplorer. Applications open on April 2 and close on April 30.
Month: April 2015
Tinder Would Be Worth $1.6B As A Standalone Business
BUSINESS INSIDER – Apr 2 – JMP Securities analysis says that Tinder would be worth ~$1.6B as a standalone business, 20% of IAC's market cap. JMP is also optimistic about the number of users who will start paying for Tinder. It says that monetisation from Tinder could become 5% of IAC's revenue in 2016, bringing in $121M from subscriptions. JMP also predicts that 2.2% of Tinder users will pay for Tinder Plus by 2016. Tinder could bring in $70M in ad revenue by 2016.
How Does Your Dating Site Rate On BBB, And Does It Matter Anymore?
COURTLAND BROOKS – Mar 2 – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) non-profit was founded in 1912 and is one of the places consumer look to check up on company reputations, and to complain. Unlike RipoffReport, BBB helps consumers reach an agreement. Each company gets an A+ to F grade, based on multiple factors, such as number of complaints, size of the company, responsiveness and willingness to resolve the issue, etc. We've looked at the top dating sites to see how they're doing on BBB.
- Match.com: A+ rating, 1954 complaints, 1333 were resolved, and Match.com made a good effort to resolve the remaining 621
- eHarmony: A+ rating, 743 complaints, 600 were resolved and made a good effort to resolve the rest.
- Zoosk: A+ rating, 383 complaints, 365 resolved
- Manhunt.net: A+ rating, 7 complaints, 6 resolved
- SparkNetworks: B+ rating, 340 complaints, all responded to, 249 resolved
- SeekingArrangement: B rating, 6 complaints, 5 resolved
- SnapInteractive: C rating, 9 complaints, 7 resolved, 1 not answered
- OKCupid: F rating, 91 complaints, 14 resolved, failed to respond to 52 of them
- POF: F rating, 187 complaints, failed to respond to 183
- AshleyMadison: F rating, 45 complaints, 27 resolved, failed to respond to 13
- DateHookup: F rating, 2 complaints which were ignored
- Other dating sites with F ratings are Adam4Adam, FarmersOnly.com, PeopleMedia sites.
But does anybody really bother checking the BBB anymore? Is it worth getting the BBB accreditation (fee involved) to show your potential customers that you're a trustworthy business? Some argue that BBB (a once reputable organization) has become corrupted by their own “revenue generating” accreditation process. Your comments please….
Oakley Capital Bought German Dating Site Parship
PRESS RELEASE – Apr 2 – Oakley Capital bought Parship, one of the leading online dating services in Europe, from the founding company Holtzbrinck Digital. The transaction is expected to close in May. Parship was founded in 2001. The company saw ~60M Eur in revenues in 2014, an increase 35% YOY. Oakley Capital, headquartered in London, is a private equity firm which focuses on investments in telecommunications, information technology and media.
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
New Dating App Mesh Is Ideal For Filtering Out Creeps
NY DAILY NEWS – Apr 1 – Mesh, a new dating app, is launching in the next two weeks. It helps protect women from creepers and all its users from spam messaging by auto-filtering messages and profiles based on pre-defined parameters such as use of curse words, vulgar material, bad grammar, etc. The app also has the technology to scan pictures and recognize whether a person’s facial assets match the requirements established by another user. Mesh Beta was launched in Sep 2014 and has gathered ~8K users in NYC.
DNA-based Matchmaking Offered By Instant Chemistry
CBC – Mar 31 – For $199, Instant Chemistry offers two genetic tests based on a saliva sample, along with a psychological test. It then compares the results to others in its database to find potential matches it considers genetically compatible. But not everyone is convinced. Arthur Schafer, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, suggests people should focus on other characteristics such as looks and sense of humour. "Instead of spending $199, try kissing and snuggling for a bit", he says.
Google Update For Mobile Friendly Sites
PLATFORMDATING – Mar 31 – On April 21st, Google will role out its latest search update. The big focus is on mobile friendly sites. The rumours suggest that this update will penalise sites that are not mobile friendly but we don’t expect it to be an issue when searching on a desktop. Logic would suggest that when searching on a mobile device Google will show mobile sites and when on a desktop show desktop sites. Hundreds of dating sites are not ready for this update. You can test your own site with Google Page Insights tool.
App Revenues To Reach $99bn Annually By 2019
JUNIPER RESEARCH – Mar 31 – According to a new research from Juniper Research, annual revenues from apps are expected to reach $99bn by 2019. Games would be responsible for the largest share of revenues, followed by lifestyle apps (such as dating and navigation) and eBooks. Other findings from the report include:
- ~235bn apps will be downloaded worldwide this year
- ~1% of apps are now paid for at the point of download
You can purchase the report "Apps & App Stores: Market Trends & Forecasts 2015-2019" here.
Match.com And Tinder Announce Their Newest Dating Project: Inferno
OPW – Apr 1 – When Match.com purchased Tinder, the initial plan was to keep the two properties separate. That all changed today when San Yagan, CEO of Match, announced that the two icons of online dating would be merging to create the next stage in the evolution of electronic romance, Project Inferno.
“When you take a match to tinder, the result is a blazing fire,” said Yagan, “Tinder continues to be one of the fastest growing online dating applications available, with downloads tripling in just the last 12 months. Bringing the tens of millions of singles from both products together is sure to cause some sparks.
“While details of the new dating app are sparse, Yagan shared that Inferno would be the first dating app that works in conjunction with the Apple Watch. Instead of having to go through the time consuming effort of swiping left and right, the app will sense your desires by measuring changes in your heart rate through the watch.
Nigerian Phishing Scammer Forgoes Jackpot For True Love
OPW – Apr 1 – Emmanuel Okafore is the type of man they warn you about online. For years, Okafore has been trolling online dating sites as both a man and a woman, catfishing unsuspecting singles and then swindling them out of their life savings. At least, that used to be his M.O.
Late one night, last August, the 31 year old Nigerian had just locked on to his new target, a 67 year old widow from Jersey City with the username Knittin_Kitten. It started as just another scam for Emmanuel, but as the two exchanged more and more emails, he knew that he’d broken the cardinal rule of phishing… never fall for the mark.
“There was just something about Edna, “remarked Okafore, “The way she would talk about each of her 27 cats… I’d never seen someone with so much love to give. It wasn’t long before I began to wish that I was the one on her lap.” After just 6 messages between them, Emmanuel came clean and confessed his true feelings.
At first, Edna felt betrayed, and ignored Emmanuel for over a week. “My friend Diane lost a lot of money to an online scammer, and I wasn’t sure what to think, “said Edna “but I started to miss him and eventually let him back into my life. We’ve been growing closer ever since.”
Edna and Emmanuel continued to email and video chat for the next few months before Okafore took some of the cash he swindled from other people and sent her a ticket to come visit him in Nigeria. She’s excited to start her new life with the man she loves, and she can’t wait to make the move… as soon as she finds a home for all of her cats.