NY TIMES — Dec 24 — Chemistry's new campaign is targeting eHarmony by criticizing that the site doesn't match same sex couples. Chemistry addressed this issue in the form of a $20 million campaign titled "Rejected by eHarmony" this past spring. The campaign has helped the site grow 80% and the number of gay and lesbian users have risen 200%. The budget for this next ad is planned to be increased from the last one. FULL ARTICLE @ NEW YORK TIMES
Category: All Gay
Industry Jobs: MyPartner Is Hiring
OPW — Nov 19 — MyPartner, a new online dating and private matchmaking agency for gay men, is looking for: Executive Assistant to CEO (direct daily support to the CEO and myPartner's top matchmaking clients, salary: $15-20/hour), Membership Sales Director ($75k-$140k, base + bonus), Executive Matchmaker (provide executive matchmaking services to multiple clients, fulfilling client contracts and searches, $50k- $75k base + bonuses), Telesales Rep ($40k-$55k, base + uncapped commission).
myPartnerPerfect Becomes MyPartner.com
PRESS RELEASE — Nov 11 — The company, which is the Gay Man's answer to eHarmony, recently shortened its name to myPartner.com. The site is targeted at gay men looking for relationships rather than casual dating and offers matchmaking and dating advice. It uses a process called the Partner Perfect Compatibility™ Matching System developed by its founder, Dr. Patrick H. Perrine, which is specific to the complexities of gay men seeking gay men. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWSWIRE TODAY
Mark Brooks: The myPartnerPerfect.com domain was just a little too long. myPartner.com is a name that is on par with the eHarmony.com name. Now myPartner just needs $20 million for Q1's TV ad budget… (Disclosure: myPartner is a Courtland Brooks client)
Candidates Lack Of Understanding Of Internet Ads Causes Embarrassment
THE NEW YORK TIMES — Nov 6 — In the last two days there were at least 32,000 impressions of ads for Mitt Romney on Gay.com. But Romney opposes same sex marriage. Rudy Giuliani’s ads appeared on the liberal blog DailyKos. John McCain’s ads have shown up on the liberal Huffington Post. Embarrassing mistakes? FULL ARTICLE @ THE NEW YORK TIMES
Mark Brooks: The optimization engines are pushing ads to those sites because they are getting click-thrus. Why is it a bad thing for them to try and increase their chances of getting votes within constituencies that would normally oppose them. They’re encouraging conversation at least.
Meetic Concludes Takeover Of Cleargay
FINANCIAL MIRROR — Oct 19 — Meetic officially has acquired 60% of FC&CO’s capital and its voting rights for 3 million euros. FC&CO publishes Cleargay, the largest gay dating site in France, which has 5,000 subscribers and recorded 750,000 euros in revenue last financial year.
The full article was originally published at Financial Mirror, but is no longer available.
Gay.com Parent Company Sells Travel Business
PINKNEWS.CO.UK — Oct 15 — PlanetOut – parent company of The Advocate, Out magazine, Gay.com, and PlanetOut.com – has announced plans to sell its travel business RSVP Vacations to Atlantis Events. PlanetOut, which recently was rescued from bankruptcy by investors such as Bill Gates, is attempting to reverse declining advertising revenues.
The full article was originally published at Pink News, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: Gay.com is down 5.6% over last year. Manhunt.net is up 38%. Free site, Adam4Adam is also up 38%. I tested Manhunt's customer service out after their CEO, Adam Segel, mentioned to me at the Shanghai Social Networking Conference that Manhunt.net has 20 minute email response times. Surely not?! But, it's true! And they picked up their phone line on the 3rd ring when I tried the customer service line. What's your site's email response time?
Gaydar Launches U.K. Mobile Dating Service
MAD.CO.UK — Aug 23 — Gaydar on the Go is the first mobile dating service being launched by a major dating brand. The new service will allow U.K. users to check messages, "see" who else is online nearby via location-based services (LBS), and take part in either voice or live video calling.
The full article was originally published at Mad.co.uk, but is no longer available.
Gaydar Co-Founder Leaves $13 Million Estate
GUARDIAN UNLIMITED — Aug 21 — Gaydar co-founder Gary Frisch has left an estate worth about $13 million to his business partner and former boyfriend Henry Badenhorst. Gaydar, the world’s largest gay online dating website, accounts for 72% of the internet’s gay and lesbian usage in the U.K. and has about 3.5 million users worldwide. FULL ARTICLE @ GUARDIAN UNLIMITED
Australia’s Fastest-Growing Online Gay Dating Service
GAY IN WA — Aug 21 — Gay Match Maker is Australia’s fastest-growing online gay dating service. With a membership of over 170,000, the site provides a dating service, personals, and free chat rooms. FULL ARTICLE @ GAY IN WA
Gay Dating Sites Accused Of Enforcing Stereotypes
PINK NEWS — Aug 20 — A professor at Salford University has accused Gaydar and other online gay community websites of using "Village People clichés" to categorize gay men into stereotypical groups. Gaydar has dismissed the assertion that they group their members into narrow profile types on the basis of their sexual identity. FULL ARTICLE @ PINK NEWS
