Month: July 2017

We Can Tell If A First Date Is Going Well Based On Language Choice

Posted on July 22, 2017

BUSINESS INSIDER – June 3 – Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New York Times writer, former Google data scientist, and author of "Everybody Lies" reveals the common language used on successful first dates. A man can increase his odds of getting a second date if he shows support. If he says things like, "that must be tough," or, "that sounds hard." He can also increase the odds of a second date if he laughs at a woman's jokes and doesn't interrupt her constantly. For men, the most beautiful word is "I." When a woman talks about herself more, it's actually a sign that she likes him, she feels comfortable opening up.

by Noah Friedman, Shana Lebowitz & Alana Kakoyiannis
See full article at Business Insider

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Israel’s AppDate Allows Video Profiles

Posted on July 22, 2017

Appdate logoGLOBES.CO.IL – July 19 – AppDate is a new Israeli dating app that enables users to add a short nine-second selfie-video stating the person's name, age, and city of residence to their personal profile. The app recently began a pilot in Israel.

by Eitan Baigel
See full article at Globes.co.il

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Mandy Ginsberg, CEO Of Match: “Online Dating Hasn’t Solved The Hardest Part Of Finding Love”

Posted on July 22, 2017

Match group mandy ginsberg officialBUSINESS INSIDER – July 20 – "No matter what medium you use to meet people, you're going to face the same challenges in finding a relationship", said Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Match Group. "It's not like you're this holy grail that came into the dating category. You still heard the same things you heard, which is ability to have chemistry, or someone not being sure about their intent, or going out on endless first dates and nothing ever clicking. People are still people — now you're just being introduced to a bigger pool of them. That doesn't mean you won't meet the love of your life online but it may take some rejection and disappointment before you get there."

by Shana Lebowitz
See full article at Business Insider

See all posts on Match Group

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

China’s Love-Hate Relationship With Matchmaking

Posted on July 22, 2017

China matchmakingSIXTH TONE – July 20 – Matchmaking in China makes parents feel anxious. It is becoming evident that Chinese society has failed to prepare for its own rapidly aging population. Public services rarely cater to the needs of the elderly, and many retired Chinese become marginal members of society. In this context, elderly Chinese men and women have turned to matchmaking to find a partner for their children. Matchmaking has become a source of controversy, as it relies on a cruel hierarchy loaded with prejudice and contempt. Those who find themselves at the top of this hierarchy are usually white-collar workers with a car, a house near the center of town, and a monthly income in excess of 20,000 yuan for women or 50,000 yuan for men ($3K or $7K, respectively). Men who hold doctoral degrees sit at the top of the food chain, while women who are just as educated often sit at the bottom. Also at the bottom are women born in the Year of the Sheep. This is because many elderly people believe that these women suffer misfortune in their family lives, ending up childless or widowed. The overwhelming majority of young Chinese people disapprove of this hierarchy.

by Zeng Yuli
See full article at Sixth Tone

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Prison Dating Sites Are Under Threat

Posted on July 21, 2017

Love behind barsBLOOMBERG – July 21 – Sites like loveaprisoner.com, inmate-connection.com, and inmatepassions.com promote companionship between those living inside and those living outside prison walls. Recently some inmates have seen their access to such sites restricted or banned altogether, as states and the federal government spar over criminal justice reform. Officials in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and Pennsylvania have restricted the access inmates have to pen-pal websites. Florida banned them altogether. Beyond helping inmates endure their sentences by letting them know someone on the outside is thinking of them, prison dating sites may be able to help reduce recidivism, says the University of Alberta's Churchill. He's surveying 2,500 inmates and pen pals in the U.S., and he says he's seen enough already to determine "it can have a positive benefit for those inside and out." The flip side, critics say, is that dating sites give criminals a chance to prey on the emotions and bank accounts of the naive.

by Mary Pilon
See full article at Bloomberg

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Ashley Madison Class: It Will Be Challenging To Find Claimants Who Don’t Want to Be Found

Posted on July 21, 2017

Ashleymadison screenshot 2017LAW.COM – July 20 – The settlement over Ashley Madison's data breach presents a unique conundrum: How do you find class members who don't want to be found? Those who pursued cases asked a federal judge in Missouri to allow their clients to use pseudonyms, but they weren't successful. Many of them gave fake email or street addresses and they might not want notices of the deal sent to their businesses or home addresses. As a result, lawyers came up with a plan to distribute notices to all online dating users through People and Sports Illustrated magazines and on banner ads, rather than emails or mailboxes. They also plan to advertise the agreement "in a prominent location" on the websites of the lawyers' firms. And the settlement will have its own website, although the URL won't make reference to Ashley Madison or any other information identifying it "as being related in any way to the substance of this litigation or purpose of ashleymadison.com." But not all the $11.2M will go to class members. The eight plaintiffs' law firms plan to seek ~30% of the $11.2M.

by Amanda Bronstad
See full article at Texas Lawyer

See all posts on AshleyMadison

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

UK Dating Startup Accepted To NASDAQ Accelerator Programme

Posted on July 21, 2017

Jigtalk picYORKSHIRE EVENING POST – July 21 – UK-based dating startup JigTalk has become the first UK startup to be accepted onto a San Francisco-based accelerator programme run by the tech stock exchange NASDAQ. Aimed at early-to-mid-stage entrepreneurs, the Milestone Makers programme provides participants with a package of mentoring, coaching, training and support from business leaders that is worth an estimated quarter of a million dollars. JigTalk was set up after co-founder Max Adamski became frustrated with dating apps that solely focus on a user's looks. On JigTalk, photos are initially covered by 16 jigsaw pieces that are removed one by one as an online conversation progresses.

The full article was originally published at Yorkshire Evening Post, but is no longer available.

See all posts on JigTalk

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Crush, A New Dating App, Lets Women Choose The Right Guy

Posted on July 21, 2017

Crush iconPR UNDERGROUND – July 21 – Crush is a new iPhone dating app that implemented swipe left-right feature. The difference is that women can set a 'self-define questions' for guys, and they'd have to give the right answers to impress them. If the answer is deemed correct by the lady, then she can unlock the chat. Crush is now available globally on App Store.

See full article at PR Underground

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder Adds More Gesture-Based Navigation

Posted on July 19, 2017

Tinder new july 2017TECH CRUNCH – July 18 – With new tappable gestures, Tinder's photos become more like Stories. In the updated app, photos now take up more screen space. The way users move between photos and profiles has changed too, as they now tap on different parts of the screen to navigate between the photos and the text. Swiping is taking a back seat. Users can now move backward and forward between photos just by tapping instead. For example, to move to the next picture, they would tap on the right side of the screen; and to go back to the last photo, they'd tap on the left. A tap on the bottom of the photo will open up the user's profile.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Q&A: Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder & MD, BharatMatrimony

Posted on July 19, 2017

Matrimony murugavel janakiraman 2017INDIA INFOLINE – July 18 – Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and Managing Director, BharatMatrimony (Matrimony.com), revolutionized the process of arranged marriages in India, by providing an online platform for matchmaking through its flagship matchmaking service BharatMatrimony. The company's free registrations have grown from 2.64M in FY16 to 3.21M in FY17. The company has ~702K paid users.

Q: What are the 3 major changes in the marriage services sector in the recent past?
A: The mobile and internet penetration has been growing. Second, an increasing number of Indians are leaving their native places and moving out of India or their own societies in search of a job or a better lifestyle. Also, there has been an increase in the freedom an individual can exercise over life decisions.

Q: What makes you better than your competitors?
A: We cater to the needs of various communities through CommunityMatrimony. We also offer personalised matchmaking through Elite Matrimony and our Assisted Service package.

Q: Tell us about the issue size of the IPO. How will the company use the capital?
A: The offer details are as follows: Primary (Rs. in Millions): 1,300. Offer for Sale (in Equity Shares of face value Rs.5 each): 37,67,254. We will use the Net Proceeds for:

  • Advertising and business promotion activities;
  • Purchase of land for construction of office premises in Chennai;
  • Repayment of our overdraft facilities; and – General corporate purposes.

Q: How big is the marriages service industry in India?
A: It is estimated that in 2016, of the 107M single individuals, there were ~63M individuals who were actively seeking prospective life partners. The marriage services industry is estimated to be worth ~3,7B in fiscal 2016.

Q: What are your plans to ensure sustained monetization?
A: We will be investing in technology to make our sites and apps more user-friendly.

by Priyanka Sharma
See full article at India Infoline

See all posts on Matrimony.com

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team