Month: June 2016
Niche Dating Apps Are Bad for Love
WIRED – June 7 – According to a 2015 study out of France, after 2006, niche dating sites began specifically pushing endogamy. "In love," the researchers wrote, "people have long looked for their other half; now it seems that we are rather looking for our double, as if reflected in a mirror." This is narcissism; at worst, it's a kind of social inbreeding that, in the case of the most exclusive apps, begins to look suspiciously like eugenics. Drastically reducing the pool of potential matches, is not only hurting users, but is ruining online dating for those who want to keep options open.
Hornet Rolls Out New Features
GAY TIMES – June 8 – While they've promised to keep their traditional grid feature they're also offering up Discover and the Activity Feed. With Discover users can browse guys that have similar interests and use hashtags to make searches more effective, as well as 'New Guys' and 'Who Checked You Out' features.
by Anthony Sinclair
See full article at Gay Times
Happn CEO: Don’t Blame Dating Apps For Hook-ups
ECONOMIC TIMES – June 8 – Didier Rappaport, the CEO of Happn, puts the onus on the users. "Every user is mature enough to decide what he/ she wants," he said during a recent visit to Mumbai. "My job is to provide him with a service that will allow him to meet and connect with people around him. People can then do what they want."
Wango Launches In SA
Crosspaths Christian Dating App Launches On Android
MARKETWIRED – June 8 – It is the latest app launched by Spark Networks has been helping millennial Christians meet, date and relate since first launching on the Apple iOS platform in the fall of 2015. Crosspaths uses patented mutual matching technology which only connects two people when they're both interested, allowing them to get to know each other and then meet when they're ready to take that next step using Facebook to verify each and every member's profile so that people can make real connections with actual people on the app.
See full article at Spark Networks website
JDate Closes Its Israel Office
HAARETZ – June 8 – The Israeli JDate website will continue to be maintained from the U.S. including Hebrew-language content, and CEO Shai Trotzman will serve as the company's Israeli contact. The company will outsource its customer support to Israeli customers to a local supplier. This is part of a broader series of cuts around the world that includes the closure of a U.S. office in Utah. Spark Networks' revenues are said to have declined from $13.5M in Q1 2015 to $9.9M in Q1 2016. Its Jewish sites accounted for about $4M of the $9.9M, a decline of 22%.
Ohlala, Make Money With Each Encounter
NY OBSERVER – June 7 – Ohlala.com calls itself "the dating app designed to empower female users" – but others call it an escort service. Once they sign up for Ohlala, male users create date requests and list their budget. Their requests are posted for 21 minutes. When a female user accepts the man's request, a chat opens up and both parties can agree to the terms and go on a date. The amount daters are willing to spend on Ohlala varies, depending on the day of the week and the duration. Longer dates on the weekend tend to cost about $700 to $1,000.
SDVentures Founder To Keynote At The iDate In Cyprus
WEBWIRE – June 7 – Dmitriy Volkov will discuss ways to improve image for the premium international dating industry as well as its investments into AnastasiaDate and other dating brands. He will be joined by Mark Au, a Chairman of Dating.com Group.
Lovoo Appoints Marketing Analytics Lead
BRANDING IN ASIA – June 7 – Lovoo has appointed Faria Chughtai as its Marketing Analytics Lead within its headquarters in Berlin. In this role, Chughtai will lead evaluation of Lovoo's global mobile marketing campaigns (including app store optimization) and continuously monitor marketing KPI's while reporting to Tobias Börner, the CMO.