Month: July 2016

Ashley Madison Facing FTC Probe, CEO Apologizes

Posted on July 6, 2016

Ashleymadison logo new apr 2010REUTERS – July 5 – The company faces a mountain of problems, including U.S. and Canadian class action lawsuits filed on behalf of customers whose personal information was posted online, and allegations that it used fake profiles to manipulate some customers. Avid said it does not know the focus of its own FTC investigation. Asked about the fembot messages sent to U.S. customers, Segal said: "that's a part of the ongoing process that we're going through … it's with the FTC right now."

by Alastair Sharp & Allison Martell
See full article at Reuters

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

FriendScout24 Rebrands As LoveScout24

Posted on July 6, 2016

Lovescout24 logoINTERNET WORLD – July 4 – The aim is to position the brand more clearly and to attract new customers, mainly the younger target group of 25- to 45-year-old singles. The company deliberately "chose a simple communication of the new brand name," says marketing manager Breiling. "Our market research has shown that further explanations are unnecessary. The Singles intuit that LoveScout24 makes sense as a new name and better related to this product promise." Membership numbers are showing it.

by Susanne Gillner
See full article at Internet World

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Ask.fm Sold By Match Group’s Parent Company

Posted on July 5, 2016

Askfm logoBBC – July 4 – IAC has sold the business to the asset management firm that specializes in tech. Ask.fm's Latvia-based management blogged that Noosphere was committed to keeping its 150M members safe. "Noosphere is committed to remaining vigilant on safety, and ensuring the progress made to date stays core to our DNA moving forward."

See full article at BBC

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

The App Boom Is Over

Posted on July 4, 2016

Nomura research app downloads numbersRECODE – June 8 – The mobile app boom kicked off in July 2008, when Apple introduced the App Store. Now it is over. Last month, the top 15 app publishers saw downloads drop ~ 20% in the US, according to research from Nomura. The average American smartphone user downloads zero apps per month.

by Peter Kafka
See full article at Recode

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Huggle Survey: Tinder Is Making People Self-conscious

Posted on July 4, 2016

Huggle logoBUSINESS INSIDER – July 2 – A new survey, carried out by social app Huggle, has found that 62% of people say dating apps like Tinder make them feel self-conscious and depressed about their appearance. Huggle doesn't use "face-swiping" and matches people based on the locations they go to. It works in a similar way to French dating app Happn. Huggle has received investment from Andrey Andreev, the Russian entrepreneur who cofounded dating app and social network Badoo. Huggle was founded by model Stina Sanders and gardening blogger Valerie Stark.

by James Cook
See full article at Business Insider

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

DateTix Buys Lovestruck

Posted on July 1, 2016

Datetix lovestruck logosAAP – July 1 – DateTix Group will buy Hong Kong, Singapore and UK-based online dating platform Lovestruck for 2M shares and an earn-out consideration of $270K. The purchase will increase DateTix's active user base by 259%. Lovestruck had revenues of $2.3M in 2015, with 96% coming from recurring membership subscriptions. The company will look to localise Lovestruck for the Chinese market, whilst launching DateTix into Europe via Lovestruck's UK footprint.

The full article was originally published at News.com.au, but is no longer available.

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

MuslimMatch.com Hacked, Taking Break For Ramadan

Posted on July 1, 2016

Muslimmatch hacked downMOTHERBOARD – July 1 – ~150K MuslimMatch's user credentials and profiles have been posted online, as well as over half a million private messages between users. Launched in 2000, MuslimMatch is a free-to-use site for people looking for companionship or marriage. After being contacted by a reporter, MuslimMatch went temporarily "down for maintenance" on Wednesday. Shortly after, the site was back, but stated it was taking a short break for Ramadan.

by Joseph Cox
See full article at Motherboard

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

ChristianMingle Opens Doors To Gay Singles Under Settlement

Posted on July 1, 2016

Christianmingle screenshotWSJ – July 1 – Spark Networks, the parent company of ChristianMingle.com, has agreed to let gay and lesbian users search for same-sex matches under a judge-approved settlement of discrimination claims. Two gay men filed class-actions claims against Spark Networks in 2013 alleging that ChristianMingle.com and several other sites in the company's portfolio excluded users looking to meet singles of the same sex. Spark Networks agreed to pay each plaintiff $9K and $450K in attorneys' fees to the two men's lawyers.

by Jacob Gershman & Sara Randazzo
See full article at WSJ

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Facebook’s Algorithm Changes Leave Dating Apps Frustrated By Reach Restrictions

Posted on July 1, 2016

Facebook-datingIBTIMES – July 1 – On Wednesday, Facebook announced a tweak to its news feed algorithm. Facebook wants to show more personal posts about friends and family, and therefore it is going to de-emphasize other types of posts. The change that would prioritize friends' posts over those from publishers quickly led media industry types to declare it, once again, the end of media. The downgrade could encourage more companies to pay for Facebook ads. The problem is, not every dating site is able to advertise on Facebook. Facebook introduced restrictions in early 2014 on the dating industry that required all companies to be pre-approved.

by Kerry Flynn
See full article at IBTimes

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

“Power Pose” – The Best Body Language To Use In Online Dating Profile

Posted on July 1, 2016

Man on pool floatBUSINESS INSIDER – July 1 – HBS professor Amy Cuddy saw her now husband for the first time on Facebook. She noticed his photo because he was positioned "in the most extreme 'power pose' imaginable." "Power pose" is a term that Cuddy coined in her 2012 TED Talk, and it describes an expansive posture that can make you feel more powerful and confident. Research suggests that we're more attracted to people in expansive – as opposed to contracted – postures, even if we don't consciously realize it.

by Shana Lebowitz
See full article at Business Insider

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team