CHANNEL NEWS ASIA — Nov 1 — Political relations between Singapore and Malaysia are much warmer than before. One Singapore businesswoman is hoping to cash in on this – by promoting a cross-border dating service. Ms Violet Lim, Founding Director of Lunch Actually, has some 800 clients in Singapore and has signed up 60 young Malaysians willing to go on cross-border dates. (US$260 for 13 lunch dates)
The full article was originally published at Channel News Asia, but is no longer available.
The full article was originally published at The Star Online, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: 5000 people! That's insane. Cupid has the strongest singles events position with it's acquisition of Predating in 2004. Match killed it's event service, Matchlive, last year. Word on the street is that larger players are still very interested in events, but have bigger fish to fry right now. Events are tough, risky, and don't earn enough money to be worthwhile. But, they do spur great word of mouth, if done right…and terrible, crucifying word-of mouth if done poorly…they're a double edged sword, for sure. They are also a nice differentiator. I guided and recommended Cupid's acquisition of Predating. Cupid 'owns' radio. They market exclusively via radio, and radio loves events. They've grappled with the Predating acquisition but they have by far the strongest position of any online dating site when it comes to events, which will enhance their attractiveness as an acquisition target in the future.
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED — Oct 18 — Speed dating has taken root in India, mixing traditional and modern ideas about love. Some of the clientele — mostly young professionals who can afford the fee — are sent by their families to find a partner, while others lie to their families about what they're doing. LISTEN TO STORY @ NPR
Mark Brooks: Keep your eyes on Cupid.com/Predating.
PR NEWSWIRE — Oct 12 — Ticonderoga Ventures announces the seventh Online Dating Conference, to be held on February 1-2, 2006 in Miami at the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort. The Conference and expo will focus on management, technology and marketing for the industry. Mobile dating, cultural marketing, event planning, metrics, advertising strategies and software will be discussed at this event. Attending the event will be senior execs, marketing firms, telecommunication firms, software companies, affiliate managers, affiliates of singles related sites and entrepreneurs. Also in 2006…May 18-19, 2006, Beijing China – Mobile Dating, Internet Dating and Social Networking to the Far East. September 25-26, 2006, Amsterdam – Mobile Dating, European Internet Dating and European Social Networking.
Mark Brooks: Europe. Now is the time to make your move if you intend to enter this market.
HINDUSTAN TIMES — Mar 3 — Says The Pew Internet & American Life Project, of the 15 million that started or ended a romantic relationship in the past two years, 15% say the Internet played a crucial role in the event. Of 8 million people that tied the knot, 14% indicated the importance of the Internet. In India there are scores of indigenous dating sites, catering specially to the Indian community. However, most of these are either outdated, or technically inferior to foreign/global sites. i.e. DatingClubIndia.com. Adsmela.com on the other hand, is more like an online version of a newspaper classifieds column, while Indiandating.com stands out with a neat layout and diverse offerings. New communication techniques are getting introduced, and handheld devices are making the entire Net experience easier and more accessible.
Mark Brooks: Shaadi.com is the top matrimonials site.
INDEPENDENT ONLINE — Sept 26 — Ben Sassman set up an online dating agency in South Africa two years ago, for people living with HIV/Aids. The Internet enthusiast, who works at an international recruitment agency for medical personnel by day, says his HIV-positive friends would complain of how prospective dates tended to slip away the moment they disclosed their status. As a result, http://www.thepositiveconnection.co.za, was born – apparently the first online service of its kind in the country.
The full article was originally published at Independent Online, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: A great public service.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD — Sept 23 — At least four Sydney men have been abducted and robbed at knifepoint in an internet dating scam in the past week, police say. The victims were lured to locations in Sydney’s south-west, believing they were about to meet women after blind dates were set up via websites. When the victims went to meet the women, they were ambushed at knifepoint, kidnapped, robbed and then later released. None of the victims were harmed. FULL ARTICLE @ SYDNEY HERALD
Mark Brooks: Always meet in a public place. Let me repeat. Always meet in a public place.
WIRED NEWS — Aug 08 — Cyworld blends homepage building and social networking with other online activities, including Sims-like role-playing. It's owned by South Korea's SK Communications and jumped from 10 million to 13 million users in 2004. A quarter of the country's 48.2 million people have signed up, including 90% of the 24- to 29-year-old age group. Users get their own page, a virtual living room called a minihompy where they can create diaries, publish images, network, host legal background music and more. Members personalize their minihompy with virtual objects they purchase from Cyworld, and enhance it with up to 10 tracks of background music they can buy and play for visitors. 100,000 tracks a day are sold through Cyworld. Cyworld's online stores accounted for 80% of Cyworld's $54 million revenue in 2004, selling such digital goods as virtual furniture, page backgrounds and avatars. The word Cy in Korean means relationship. Cyworld uses real names for users' pages, so if people meet at a party, it's increasingly likely they'll swap Cyworld addresses, not phone numbers. People ask, 'Do you Cy?' Cyworld is spreading across Asia this year. It launched in China in June 2005, hopes to reach Japan in October and has Hong Kong and Taiwan on its to-do list. Cyworld U.S. is slated to launch in early 2006.
The full article was originally published at Wired News, but is no longer available.