WEBWIRE – Nov 5 – Oasis Dating Network's CEO Dave Heysen will discuss the issues over free and paid Australian dating services at the iDate internet dating business event. Oasis is one of the largest dating sites in the region. The iDate Down Under & Internet Dating Conference is held this week on November 8-9, in Sydney.
Category: All Worldwide (non UK/Euro/US)
Dubai Blocks iDating, But Lets People Discovery Sites Off The Hook
OPW – Nov 3 – Irena and I
were in Dubai for a few days so we thought we'd see which dating sites
were blocked and which made it past government filtering. Specifically
any 'Internet Content that contradicts the ethics and morals of the UAE
including Nudity and Dating' get blocked. iDating doesn't fit the
religion and culture of UAE. Matrimonials sites, on the other hand, are
ok.
Match, Plentyoffish and OKCupid were blocked. I thought
World Singles Arablounge.com might make the cut, but no. It was
blocked. China dating sites Zhenai, Baihe and Jiayuan were all blocked
as well. We got through to Facebook and thought we'd have more luck
with people discovery services. Badoo was blocked but Tagged and Meetme
were ok. Matrimonials sites made the cut. Shaadi, Bharat Matrimony
and Jeevansathi were all available in Dubai. We were especially pleased
that Online Personals Watch and Social Networking Watch were available
as well. Of course, as soon as I fired up my VPN I could get to
everything. Dubai Internet City also enjoys open access and alternative
ISP Du is more lenient than Etisalat. [Full Disclosure: POF and Meetme
are clients of Courtland Brooks]
Jiayuan Launches Izhenxin.com For Marriage-minded Singles
PR NEWSWIRE – Oct 30 – Chinese dating company Jiayuan has launched a new site designed specifically for marriage-minded singles. Izhenxin.com builds upon Jiayuan's proven platform with enhanced verification of personal information and user behavior analysis. According to Wu Linguang, co-CEO of Jiayuan, "A growing number of Chinese singles place a premium on simplicity and verified personal information.”
The full article was originally published at SacBee, but is no longer available.
Technology Addresses The Issues Of Dating In China
THE NEXT WEB – Oct 27 – China's national policies, economic reform, and urban migration have created challenges for the country's one billion residents when it comes to relationships. Chinese Internet companies are developing online dating sites designed to meet the specific issues men and women face here. One company is Jiayuan with nearly 70 million members. Momo, a Chinese iPhone social networking app has grown to 16 million members and raised $40m in funding with a $100m valuation.
Where Single People Mingle In South Africa
IOL LIFESTYLE – Oct 17 – MeetJoburg is a platform for singles 25+ to meet and mingle, and since it launched its first event in June 2011 it has garnered ~1400 members, hosting six to eight events a month. The Meet Joburg events are loosely themed along restaurants and dining, sports, arts and culture, and adventure, so that members with common interests can be pooled. The women to men membership ratio is about 60 to 40.
‘Cougars’ Are Becoming More Common
SMH.COM.AU – Sep 18 – There is a social stigma for men dating younger women. But, an older woman with a younger man is perceived as still being hot stuff – alluring rather than predatory. Wealthy, but unattractive, older men can attract cute young females in a mutually beneficial arrangement but older woman who is unattractive would not attract a younger man. It's generally more attractive older women, who are confident and knowledgeable sexually, who are dating younger men. One study that examined the age preferences in 22,400 singles ads on dating websites across 14 countries including Australia, found few men actively seek older women for a relationship. But the proportion of relationships where women were at least 10 years older than their partners rose 23% between 1996 and 2006.
Chinese Meetup App Momo Says Hello To $40M
VENTURE BEAT – Aug 28 – Momo Tech has raised $40M for its app that helps nearby strangers connect with each other. The product is similar to Grindr, Skout, Blendr and Badoo. Momo claims 10M users (acquired in just 1 year), 2.2 million of whom use the app daily, and the addition of 1M users a month. Momo means “Hi, stranger” in Mandarin.
by Rebecca Grant
See full article at Venture Beat
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
China’s Professional Women Bucking Tradition
BUSINESSWEEK – Aug 25 – Most younger women in China will still marry, but a growing number are choosing to focus on education and career over finding a mate. It is estimated that 7% of college-educated women in Shanghai remain single at age 45. Chinese women employed by multinational companies frequently work more than 70 hours a week. In March, China's top online dating portal, Jiayuan.com, released a report titled Confessions of a Leftover Lady. The survey confirmed the belief among Chinese women born in the 1970s and '80s that the more education they have and the higher their salaries, the harder the task of finding a husband.
by Christina Larson
The full article was originally published at SF Gate, but is no longer available.
Jiayuan Announces Q2 2012 Financial Results
ITNEWS ONLINE – Aug 16 – Net revenues for the Q2 2012 were RMB99.4M ($15.6M), a YOY increase of 19.2%. Operating income was RMB18.5M ($2.9M), an increase of 202.8% The number of registered user accounts was 67M, with~5.1M new users acquired during the quarter. The number of average monthly paying user accounts was 1,222,880, compared to 1,139,171 in Q2 '11.
Online Dating Scams Cost Kiwis $674K Last Year
NBR.CO.NZ – Aug 13 – New Zealanders lost $674K to online dating scams last year, making it easily the biggest internet fraud category in new figures released by Netsafe, which totaled $982K in total losses.