PR WEB – Jan 20 – Manjam users can now connect using any mobile device without having to download an app from tightly controlled and censored app stores. The team at Manjam.com believe it is essential for companies to offer alternative ways for people to express themselves, without large tech companies editing what they can and can't say. Users can now break from app store restrictions by accessing the Manjam dating app directly from their device’s web browser.
Category: All Gay
How Grindr Makes It Easy To Stalk 5M Gay Men
ARS TECHNICA – Jan 15 – Geographic locations of Grindr users in the US and most other places can be tracked down to the very park bench they happen to be having lunch or bar where they're drinking and monitored almost continuously, according to research scheduled to be presented Saturday at the Shmoocon security conference in Washington, DC that shows Synack researchers we able to set up a free account and track the detailed movements of several fellow users who volunteered to participate in the experiment.
Grindr For Equality Campaign
SO SO GAY – Jan 8 – Over 250K Grindr users worldwide have helped raise the profile of a range of equality issues, from human rights to sexual health, last year. The campaign continues to request submissions and information pertaining to the LGBT community where users live; individuals and like-minded groups are encouraged to send an email with basic contact information and a brief description of how the issue relates to the LGBT community, and how the campaign could provide assistance.
by Elliot Herman
The full article was originally published at So So Gay, but is no longer available.
Joel Simkhai About His 6 Years Old Grindr
by Guy Trebay
See full article at NY Times
Grindr’s Users Just Want To See Profile Pictures
GIGAOM – Dec 15 - Grindr redesigned its iOS and Android app this month, abolishing text from users' profiles. If a user wants more information on someone than just their picture, they’ll have to click further. Grindr founder Joel Simkhai says he’s just giving the users what they want. “Men are visual creatures,” Simkhai says.
China’s Gay Hookup Apps Seen As Cash Cows
GLOBAL TIMES – Dec 8 – Blued, a gay hookup smartphone app, recently received $30M funding. Similar gay matchmaking apps have also attracted investment. Zank, an app similar to Blued, attracted a $3.25M investment this July. Zank has drawn ~5M users since its launch in 2013. Blued is the most popular gay app in China. The app has 10M users.
by Liang Chen
See full article at Global Times
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
How Grindr Is Selling Itself To Major Brand Advertisers
BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 26 - Grindr claims to be the largest all-male mobile social network in the world, with ~10M users in 192 countries. Those users are described in Grindr's pitch document to advertisers as "affluent, tech savvy men". However, it's also a potentially risky place for brands to advertise: it's predominantly used to organize no-strings sex. Grindr has a team of moderators that review for profanity and monitor behaviors prohibited on the app. Plenty of brands advertise on Grindr, including Uber, Airbnb, Audi, Groupon, Fiat, Live Nation and Dollar Shave Club. Ad revenue in the 12 months to October was up 118% on last year, and ads now make up 25% of total revenue.
Gay Dating App Join Forces To Decrease Attacks On LGBT People
LATIN POST – Nov 18 – 11 social networking and dating apps, including Grindr, Scruff, Jack'd, Hornet and Manhunt, have joined forces to decrease "violent attacks" on LGBT people who meet via social media interaction. They are providing discounts on the ads of Anti-Violence Project (AVP). AVP has created a platform that offers counseling to men and women about how to prevent hazardous situations and how they can report assaults.
by Marcus Scott
See full article at Latin Post
Chinese Gay Flirting App Blued Valued At $300M
WANT CHINA TIMES – Nov 17 – Chinese gay flirting app Blued is now valued at ~$300M despite having not made a single dollar of profit. Blued launched in 2012 by former police officer Geng Le. It has recently announced $30M funding from American VC firm DCM. 20% of the app's 15M accounts belong to overseas users. The company will soon launch new value-added services and cooperation deals with e-commerce and online gaming businesses.
The full article was originally published at Want China Times, but is no longer available.
Chinese Gay Dating App Blued Raises $30M In Funding
GAYSTARNEWS – Nov 3 – The app claims 15M users, 300K of whom are overseas and 20% of whom log on daily. In comparison, Grindr has 5M users. The company would use the investment to improve talent and the product.
by Darren Wee
The full article was originally published at GayStarNews, but is no longer available.
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.