August 2017 – Online Personals Watch

Tinder Gold Arrives In The US

Posted on August 31, 2017

THE VERGE – Aug 29 – Tinder Gold, a paid tier of the dating app, is coming to the US after months of testing in limited markets including Canada, UK, Mexico, and Germany. Tinder claims its paid service, which goes for $4.99 a month, has helped users receive 60% more likes than its free version. Tinder Gold gives users access to extra features like rewind (which undos swipes users might mistakenly make), unlimited likes, five Super Likes a day, and the Likes You feature, which tells users who have already swiped right and liked their profile. Tinder already has optional subscription features called Tinder Plus, which includes features like rewind, and the option to swipe from different geographic locations.

by Thuy Ong
See full article at The Verge

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Matchmaking Institute CEO To Speak At iDate In London

Posted on August 31, 2017

WEBWIRE – Aug 29 – Lisa Clampitt, Owner and President of the Matchmaking Institute, will present at the next iDate – Internet dating conference that is taking place on October 2-4, 2017 in London. Lisa will be leading the matchmaker masterclass along with several special guests. Matchmakers will learn specific tools for marketing and sales, diversifying their portfolio, and managing employees as well as difficult clients. Registration for the event can be made at http://www.idate2017.com/register-london-2017.php.

See full article at Benzinga

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3 Moderation Methods To Manage Hate Speech On Dating Sites

Posted on August 30, 2017

BESEDO.COM – Aug 28 - International news has recently been inundated with stories following the events of "Unite the Right rally", in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists marched while chanting hateful slogans. In the face of this, Bumble and OKcupid have stepped up and made it clear that hate speech is not going to be accepted on their sites. In a recent survey, Besedo – the content moderation and fraud fighting company, found out that 72% of users who see inappropriate behavior on a site will not return. Catching hate speech is never easy. With properly applied content moderation measures you can keep the tone civil and your users safe from cyber-bullies. Make use of the following methods:

Automatic filters (set up profanity filters, including lists of all the common words used by hate groups and extremists)
Machine learning models (using AI moderation, powered by machine learning)
Human expertise (a team of experienced content moderators should be applied)

Once you have put the right moderation processes in place, ask your users to report anything they see that they find is offensive. Review and react to these reports.

See full article at Besedo.com

(FULL DISCLOSURE: Besedo is a client of Courtland Brooks.)

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Survey: Money Is More Important Than Looks When It Comes To Online Dating

Posted on August 30, 2017

CNBC – Aug 29 – According to joint research by Discover and Match Group, 58% of online daters say good credit score in a potential partner is more attractive than driving a nice car. 50% say good credit is more important than an impressive job title. And 40% said they favor good credit over a physical fitness. That's because credit "scores don't lie," said Kate Manfred, VP of brand communications and insights at Discover.

by Shawn M. Carter
See full article at CNBC

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Krush Technologies To Focus On Media Business, Lays Off Some Digital Unit Workers

Posted on August 30, 2017

DAYTON BUSINESS JOURNAL – Aug 29 – Krush Technologies is laying off some of its employees as it refocuses on the growing Krush Media unit. While it did not say exactly how many employees would be let go, the company had previously said it had ~70 employees. The employees being let go are part of Krush Technologies' digital business, the part of the company behind its social apps like the ooVoo chat platform, matchmaking app Heystax, social game Flinch and VR simulator Moveo. Earlier this month, the company's ownership group set up a separate business, Krush Media as a full-service digital advertising and media company which is wholly owned by Krush Technologies.

by Tristan Navera
See full article at Dayton Business Journal

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Bumble’s CEO Takes Aim At LinkedIn

Posted on August 30, 2017

FAST COMPANY – Aug 29 – Bumble, the feminist dating app, is adding ~50k new users per day, and is on track to take in ~$150M in revenue in 2018. (~10% of its active users pay ~$9.99 per month for premium features). Whitney Wolfe, Bumble's CEO, is launching BumbleBizz in early October. On BumbleBizz, users can look for work, find a business partner, or hire new talent. The original dating service will be rebranded as Bumble Honey. This fall, Bumble is launching a targeted national ad campaign, geared toward women and men of varying ages, that will promote the idea that just one connection can transform your professional life. Bizz will debut with verified brand partners such as Postmates and Outdoor Voices.

by Karen Valby
See full article at Fast Company

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Spark Networks Prevails In Patent Infringement Case

Posted on August 29, 2017

ACCESSWIRE – Aug 24 – The United States District Court for the District of Delaware ruled to dismiss all claims against Spark Networks brought by Jedi Technologies, Inc. alleging patent infringement on the part of Spark Networks and certain affiliates.

See full article at Spark Networks website

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New App Hopes To Make Dating Accessible For All

Posted on August 29, 2017

RYE CITY REVIEW – Aug 27 – After experiencing discrimination for being blind while using online dating services, Andrew Kranichfeld decided to create his own dating app – Love is Blind, LIB. In 2008, the World Wide Web Consortium, W3C released its updated version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which said that web developers should include alternatives to text by offering things like content in video form, video captions and sign language interpretations. Yet, most of the dating sites out there offer any of the above. Working with Kranichfeld on the dating app is Jaime Urteaga, founder and CEO of Digital Chair, a marketing, web design and video production company. Kranichfeld hopes to launch his app by April 2018.

by Taylor Brown
See full article at Rye City Review

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Liberals And Conservatives Can’t Even Use The Same Dating Apps

Posted on August 29, 2017

MARKETWATCH – Aug 28 – When David Goss, co-founder of TrumpSingles.com, first started his dating site for supporters of President Donald Trump, he didn't know how far it would go. But a year later, the country is more divided than ever, and the app is thriving. It has gained ~52k members since Trump has been in office. In February 2017, OkCupid added Trump-related questions to its compatibility survey and found 72% of people thought supporting the president was a deal breaker in relationships. eHarmony has seen the number of users willing to date people of other political stripes shrink dramatically in recent months.