FAST COMPANY – July 5 – Happn is launching locally in San Francisco. The app is already live in New York City and a few other U.S. markets. In total, the app boasts 2.5M users worldwide. Like Tinder, Happn's functionality relies on users' location, but instead of surveying the surrounding neighborhood or city, it zooms in much more closely, to a 275-yard radius. The app's purpose is to help users "find the people they've crossed paths with." Happn offers users a form of digital flirtation called "charms." If users haven't matched up yet, they can send somebody a charm to get their attention. Every user gets 10 free charms. Once those are used up, they can purchase 10 more for $1.99.
Month: July 2017
Half Of Brits Admit To Checking Social Media At Work
LGBTQ Rights In China Looking Gloomy After Taiwan’s New Ruling On Same-sex Marriage
Courtland Brooks Launches The Dating Industry ‘Instant Advisory Board’
OPW – July 4 – Online Personals Watch (OPW) looks over the news every day and bubbles up and summarizes the daily Internet dating industry news so you, as dating industry executives and innovators, can be better informed and make better decisions.
OPW is powered by the Courtland Brooks team, and we consult with and help Internet dating companies to grow. We also occasionally help {best-in-class} companies that want to talk to the dating industry, like iovation and Scamalytics.
We noticed recently that we know over 500 people who have worked in the industry, and moved on to other industries. Senior managers of big and innovative companies, in many cases. So we started inviting some of the more stand-out and senior C levels and VPs onto the Courtland Brooks team. To our delight, they were actually quite keen to join the team and help our clients.
So we've extended the Courtland Brooks team to include notable senior managers who formerly worked in the dating industry. The "Instant Advisory Board" is an extension of the Courtland Brooks team, and is available to advise clients on strategy, business development, product and marketing. Please let me know if you'd like to know more.
Post by Mark Brooks @ Courtland Brooks
Global Classifieds Conference Presentation, By Mark Brooks
OPW – July 4 – In June I presented at the Global Classifieds Conference. 250 people were in attendance. The classifieds industry is mainly focused on real estate, auto and jobs. Personals are beyond tertiary for them, and the segment is rife with abuse. Here’s my presentation to the classifieds industry on the subject of online personals.
Post by Mark Brooks @ Courtland Brooks
iPhone Celebrates 10th Birthday
USA TODAY – June 30 – It has been 10 years since Apple launched its most revolutionary product, the iPhone, one of the best-selling products of all time. Then along came apps, a popular and lucrative industry. The iPhone made millionaires out of these app makers:
- Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, Snapchat
- Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram
- Mikael and Niklas Hed, Angry Birds
- Sean Rad and Justin Mateen, Tinder
The app launched in the iOS app store in 2012. It initially targeted college students, with 90% of users 18 to 24 years old. The user base continued to grow rapidly and by 2013, there were 7B profiles on Tinder. Tinder said it produces 26M matches per day and has accounted for ~20B matches since its launch. It continues to be in the top 100 overall apps on the iOS app store.
Grindr Asks Judge To Toss Suit Condemning Gay Dating App
ASSOCIATED PRESS – June 30 – Grindr wants a judge to dismiss the claims of a New York man who says he's been accosted at home and work by ~1k sex-hungry men after an ex-boyfriend posted fake profiles soliciting men interested in exploring violent fantasies. Herrick sued Grindr earlier this year in Manhattan federal court, saying he couldn't stop a steady stream of unwelcome visitors despite ~100 complaints. He seeks unspecified damages. Grindr said it can't be blamed and lawsuit must be dismissed because Herrick's lawyers "cannot identify any cases in which a court found that a website owed a duty to protect a plaintiff from third-party content. This is unsurprising, given Congress' explicit instruction in the CDA that no such duty exists."
by Larry Neumeister
The full article was originally published at US News, but is no longer available.
EliteSingles Criticized For Violating Domestic Laws In South Africa
IOL.CO.ZA – June 12 – EliteSingles, a German based dating site which touts itself as "no 1 dating site for educated singles and professionals", has been criticized by South African users over its renewal and cancellation policy. EliteSingles automatically renew memberships unless users cancel 24 hours in advance. SA Consumer Protection Act (CPA) requires they send a membership expiry reminder at least 40 days beforehand (and not more than 80 days before). "EliteSingles is violating our domestic laws", the consumers say. Ouma Ramaru, media liaison for the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, stresses: "They need to abide by our laws and regulation. They are not considering the provision of the CPA in relation to cancelling fixed-term contracts."
Hornet App Featuring HIV-Positive Men In New Ad
INSTINCTMAGAZINE – June 28 – In commemoration of National HIV Testing Day, gay dating app Hornet has launched an ad campaign featuring the experience of people living with HIV.
by Nigel Campbell
The full article was originally published at Instinct Magazine, but is no longer available.
Who Pays On The First Date? No One Knows Anymore
WALL STREET JOURNAL – June 27 – The popularity of the dating apps means singles are going on more first dates than ever. Many women say they have stopped doing the reach for their wallets because they are not only more likely to end up splitting the bill, but also more liable to cover all of it. The rules aren't complicated, according to etiquette experts. "If you invite, you pay," said Diane Gottsman, author of "Modern Etiquette for a Better Life." "But the reality is that the other person may not know the rules or realize it's a date."