Month: March 2018

Running Remote, In Bali In June :: Conference Discount

Posted on March 18, 2018

Running remote conferenceOPW – Mar 18 – Occasionally we spot new conferences that look exceptional. This one looks amazing. It's in Bali in June, after iDate L.A. Those of you who have remote teams, or are looking to use remote teams are encouraged to check this out. And you can use the following feel-good discounts.

20% discount expiring March 31st: markbrooks20
10% discount unlimited: markbrooks10

IDEA is a remote team. We couldn't possibly afford to bring together our world-class team in one location. We're all over the map at this stage, with 22 people (remote contractors only) and growing. I think people need more freedom to be at their best these days. Having freedom of location and freedom of time-of-work is bliss. It's also very challenging to work and coordinate at times. But by-and-large we've cracked it. The solution :: the right incentives + paying people weekly + a great project management system. Anyway, if working with remote teams is your thing, check out Running Remote.

Post by Mark Brooks, CEO IDEA

Match Group Is Suing Bumble For Patent Infringement

Posted on March 17, 2018

Patent infringementRECODE.NET – Mar 16 – Match Group is suing Bumble for infringing on two of its patents, including a design patent for Tinder's now-famous swipe-to-connect feature, according to the suit. Match also claims that early Bumble executives Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, who both previously worked at Tinder, stole "confidential information related to proposed Tinder features," including the idea for a feature that lets users go back if they accidentally skip someone, according to the suit. Tinder and Bumble have a long and interesting history. Most recently, Match made an offer to buy Bumble last summer for $450M, according to TechCrunch. One source tells Recode that Match is still interested in acquiring Bumble, which means this lawsuit may very well be a bargaining chip – albeit an unfriendly one. Badoo is Bumble's majority owner, with a 79% stake.

by Kurt Wagner
See full article at ReCode

See all posts on Match Group
See all posts on Bumble

Summarized by the IDEA team

These Redditors Made Graphics To Visualize Their Dating Lives

Posted on March 17, 2018

Reddit infographicWASHINGTON POST – Mar 12 – Melissa McEwen is a tracker. She wears a Fitbit. She keeps a spreadsheet of hair products. When she wanted to make room in her closet, she tracked what she wore every day for more than a year, figuring out what to ditch and what to spare. And since 2015, McEwan has tracked her dating life, recording which online app she uses for each interaction and how far along the messages go. Earlier this year McEwen posted an infographic on Reddit titled "How I met my boyfriend – 6 months of dating in 2016," joining a trend of redditors sharing their personal experiences via data visualization. Other entries include "My 180 days of lesbian online dating," whose creator seemed to have better results starting with a GIF than a message, and "My last 90 days of gay social apps," which included 471 interactions, 41 photos of genitalia and sex with 27 different men. The graphics are sometimes imperfect and difficult to grasp at first glance, but they all tell a story.

by Keith Plocek
See full article at Washington Post

Summarized by the IDEA team

Russian Biggest Social Network “VKontakte” Launched Tinder Clone

Posted on March 16, 2018

Vkontakte znakomstva screenshotLIFE.RU – Mar 16 – VKontakte added an inside app called "Znakomstva" ("dating" in Russian) into its social network platform. The app is similar to Tinder. Users swipe of profiles and if there is a mutual interest, the system will connect them and offer a chat.

by Andrey Stavitskiy
See full article at Life.ru

Summarized by the IDEA team

Lawsuit Against Grindr Dismissed

Posted on March 16, 2018

Lawsuit dismissed nov 14LEXOLOGY – Mar 16 – The lawsuit was dismissed under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which continues to act as one of the strongest legal protections for social media companies. The case involved a dispute between Grindr and an individual who was maliciously targeted through the platform by his former lover. Plaintiff Herrick alleged that his ex-boyfriend set up several fake profiles on Grindr that claimed to be him. Over a thousand users responded to the impersonating profiles. Herrick's ex‑boyfriend, pretending to be Herrick, would then direct the men to Herrick's work-place and home and telling them that he had certain rape fantasies. The impersonating profiles were reported to Grindr (the app's operator), but Herrick claimed that Grindr did not respond, other than to send an automated message. When Congress enacted Section 230 of the CDA in 1996, it sought to provide protections that would permit online services to thrive without the threat of crippling civil liability for the bad acts of its users. Over 20 years since its passage, the Act has indisputably served that purpose.

See full article at Lexology

See all posts on Grindr

Summarized by the IDEA team

Got News?

Posted on March 16, 2018

Got news picOPW – Mar 16 – We protect sources. We're looking for insider news and tips. Got something interesting? We will not share your contact information with anyone. We respect embargoes, and we absolutely will honor your privacy. Send your news directly at tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com.

Grindr In Hot Water For Allegedly Divulging Users’ HIV Status

Posted on March 16, 2018

Grindr logo new dec 13SPUTNIK NEWS – Mar 16 – Dating app Grindr has been found to be sharing users' immune status with an external company in a possible violation of EU rules, prompting indignation across Scandinavia. The Norwegian Consumer Council is considering reporting the dating app, national broadcaster NRK reported. An investigation carried out in collaboration between national Swedish broadcaster SVT and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF, presenting itself as "Scandinavia's largest independent research company," found out that the sensitive data the users submit about themselves, including age, sexual preferences, gender and, most importantly, HIV status, is being transmitted unencrypted. Therefore, the deeply personal information can be easily accessed by computer buffs. Additionally, the information about the users HIV status is being shared with an external company headquartered in the US. At present, common EU legislation imposes requirements about the protection of and handling of personal data once it is moved outside of Europe.

See full article at Sputnik News

See all posts on Grindr

Summarized by the IDEA team

Dating App Reveal Is Raising Money Through Crowdfunding

Posted on March 15, 2018

Reveal app logoOPW – Mar 15 – Reveal is a new dating app that allows females to browse anonymously, only becoming visible to males they like. Matched users can then reveal mutual intentions. The app launched in December 2017 and has already been downloaded 4K times. The app has launched a Crowdcube campaign to raise £50K.

See all posts on Reveal

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Post by the IDEA team

PositiveSingles Adds 11 New Member Features

Posted on March 15, 2018

Positivesingles logo 2017NEWSWIRE – Mar 15 – PositiveSingles.com, a dating site and app for people with an STD, has launched 11 new features. These features include Live Support, Let's Meet, Live Dating Advisor, Successful Dating Advice, Success Stories, Inspirational Stories, Treatment Stories, Care Locations, STD Q & A, STD-related legal information, and an Offline Helping Guide.

See full article at Newswire

See all posts on PositiveSingles

Summarized by the IDEA team

Tinder: We Don’t Ban Transgender Users

Posted on March 15, 2018

Tinder pic1TMZ – Mar 15 – The statement was made in reference to the lawsuit filed by a user against them. "We do not ban users from Tinder due to gender identity, which is why Tinder offers ~37 gender options," Tinder's spokesperson said. The user's attorney Ben Meiselas says Tinder's missing the real issue, which is "that Tinder is banning users who are reported by other users because they identify as transgender or gender nonconforming in their profile." He adds if Tinder is really concerned about inclusivity, it should have no problem agreeing "to an injunction that would change its algorithm and require employees to stop banning transgender users for terms of service violations because of how they identify. We ask that Tinder stipulate publicly to this relief."

See full artilcle at TMZ

See all posts on Tinder

Summarized by the IDEA team