DIGIDAY – May 4 – Q.Digital, publisher of digital media brands like Queerty and Gay Cities, has relaunched Into, the publication launched by Grindr which shuttered it in January 2019. The new owner says Into will fill a gap in the LGBTQ+ media market by speaking to both the Gen Z and BIPOC community. Q.Digital acquired Into in December 2020 for an undisclosed amount. Grindr had previously shut down Into after a 17-month run, following controversial comments made by Grindr president Scott Chen about same-sex marriage, which led to a few employees stepping down in protest.
Month: May 2021
Founder of Coffee Meets Bagel: “Being an Immigrant Had a Huge Impact on My Identity”
CNBC – May 4 – This story is part of the Behind the Desk series where CNBC gets personal with successful business executives to find out everything from how they got to where they are to what makes them get out of bed in the morning to their daily routines. For Dawoon Kang, co-founder of dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, entrepreneurship is in her blood. Both her parents started their own businesses in Korea. Kang emigrated from Korea to the U.S. when she was 12 with her sisters Arum and Soo. Arum had the idea to create Coffee Meets Bagel in 2011, and the following year Kang quit her job at JPMorgan to launch the app with Arum and Soo.
Study: Associations Between Social Anxiety, Depression, and Use of Dating Apps
PSYPOST – May 4 – A study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking suggests that dating apps are especially alluring for men and women with social anxiety and depression. But the data revealed that these men were less likely to reach out to matches. People with social anxiety carry heightened fears of rejection and may withdraw from approaching potential romantic partners. The study, "Associations Between Social Anxiety, Depression, and Use of Mobile Dating Applications", was authored by Ariella P. Lenton-Brym, Vincent A. Santiago, Beverley K. Fredborg, and Martin M. Antony.
DiHola – a New Dating App for Hispanic and Latinos
ACCESSWIRE – May 4 – The team behind dating app Say Allo is launching a new dating app for Hispanic and Latinos singles throughout the US and Mexico, called DiHola. Similar to Say Allo, DiHola has a unique video forward approach and smart algorithm to connect singles. DiHola also lets users send icebreakers, video chat, or display profile prompts that include country of origin, and Covid-19 vaccination status.
Brits Have Spent More on Dating Sites Since the Start of 2021
METRO.CO.UK – May 3 – More people than ever are investing their money into online dating sites and apps. There was also a significant rise in online dating spending in the first three months of 2021, as people looked for love after lockdown. The number of transactions in this category increased by 46% YOU, while total spending was up by more than a third (34%).
Dating App TrulyMadly Flooded With Requests for Plasma Donors
BUSINESS TODAY – May 3 – Delhi-based dating app TrulyMadly is flooded with requests for plasma donors on its week-old feature update which uses its matchmaking algorithm to connect Covid patients with plasma donors near them as the country battles a more virulent coronavirus strain. The number of registered plasma donors has gone up from around 450 to 632 as on Monday, even as the team is tweaking its platform to improve the success rate in matching the two categories of people. "In the next 3-4 days, we should hit the 1,000 donors-mark," said TrulyMadly CEO Snehil Khanor.
OkCupid’s Dating Data Center: Post-pandemic Dating Behaviors
OKCUPID DATING DATA CENTER – May 3 – 4 in 10 singles are looking forward to traveling after the pandemic, more than hanging out with friends, going on dates, and visiting family. After a year stuck at home, 36% of people on OkCupid said they're ideal post-pandemic date is anything outdoors, followed by coffee and drinks, dinner or a movie, or hanging out at someone's home. 8 in 10 (84%) OkCupid daters are looking for a steady partner. People are 2x more likely to say the pandemic has made them want to settle down sooner, rather than later, than they thought.
Patti Stanger – Dating Apps Should Partner With Matchmakers to Provide a VIP Experience
LTR – May 3 – Patti Stanger, CEO & Owner of Millionaires Club, discusses her invaluable experiences as The Millionaire Matchmaker in this interview with Mark Brooks, CEO of Courtland Brooks. Finding love for the ultra-wealthy presents unique challenges and requires a comprehensive approach. The personalized matchmaker approach can be scaled to integrate into online dating. Stanger believes that dating apps should form alliances with matchmakers to provide a high-service option for users who desire assistance. There is an excellent opportunity to increase revenues by servicing these VIP customers. Patti Stanger discusses the benefits that matchmakers can bring to dating apps in the latest video in the LTR Conference series.
LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.
The February LTR was kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Utopia Analytics, Tawkify, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.
Q&A With Kim Kaplan, Founder of Snack Dating App
LINKEDIN – May 3 – "Every 8 to 10 years there's a new dating app that enters into the space, and Tinder's now nine years old. So it is the right time for that next dating app to come in and usurp them. I believe that's what Snack is doing with a video-first approach," said Kimberly Kaplan. Snack is a video-first dating app that asks users to create a video and post it to a feed. Users can scroll through a feed (like Instagram) and when someone likes a video, it opens up the ability to comment. Once two users have liked each others’ videos, DMs are open.