MARKETWATCH – Nov 6 – Rules on workplace relationships are becoming increasingly common in the #MeToo era. The firing of McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook because of a consensual relationship with an employee is just the latest reminder that office relationships are tricky terrain, and can end badly if they aren't handled carefully. Some companies have procedures for disclosing relationships, but others outright ban it. Almost 80% of companies frown on subordinate-manager dating, according to a survey by the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That's up from 70% in January 2018. Dating analyst Mark Brooks said he doesn't know of a single app that proactively helps users spot co-workers and then block them. "This seems like a logical and valuable feature, and perhaps a dating app will jump on it now. Simply adding a question, 'Where do you work?' and 'Are you allowed to date co-workers?' would help dating apps protect users from the fate of the McDonald’s CEO," Brooks said. "Sour relationships breed sour workplaces. Unfortunately, there seems to be a mismatch between dating-app features and guarding users against this kind of faux pas," he added.
Category: Courtland Brooks Press
What Online Dating Experts Think About Facebook Dating
THE ZOE REPORT – Sep 30 – "We found that 40% of online daters don't feel that there's a dating app, site, or platform that meets their needs," said Charmaine Hung, the Facebook Dating project manager. "Facebook Dating makes it easier to find love through what you like," she explains. So, what do online dating experts think of this venture? Mark Brooks, consultant to internet dating CEOs at CourtlandBrooks.com, says he's all for the digital dating platform. "It's vastly superior to the average startup dating app because Facebook is instantly at critical mass," he notes. When it comes to features, he says he's particularly a fan of Secret Crush. "The 'double like' features in HotOrNot, Badoo, Tinder, and POF always made sense," he says, praising FB for offering a similar option. Plus, "putting a cap on crushes by allowing nine is brilliant. It's just enough to quickly identify the very topmost mutual crushes, which should really be thrilling for many." All in all, Brooks has high hopes for the dating platform. "Facebook knows when they've been successful. Over time they should be able to see their patterns of success that will allow them to improve their algorithms over time," he concludes. Fellow online dating consultant Steve Dean, founder of Dateworking and host of the Modern Connection Podcast, has been using the platform himself for a couple of weeks – and so far, he's not impressed. "It currently feels as though Facebook has done nothing whatsoever with its matching algorithms, leaving users with a lineup of truly terrible matches," he says. "Worse, the structure of the app essentially forces users into 'Tinder-ized' dopamine loops where they're simply liking or rejecting users based on photos. He compares its user experience to Tinder and its profile setup to Hinge, giving it an overall vibe that's "disingenuous and very uncreative." But despite his criticisms, Dean admits that Facebook has a unique vantage point when it comes to data, something that could benefit its matching structure in the future.
U.S. Orders Chinese Firm to Sell Dating App Grindr Over Blackmail Risk
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Mar 27 – U.S. national-security officials have ordered a Chinese company to sell gay-dating app Grindr, citing the risk that the personal data it collects could be exploited by Beijing to blackmail individuals with security clearances, according to people familiar with the situation. Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., which acquired a majority stake in Grindr in 2016, would have no choice but to share information on Grindr users if demanded by the Chinese government, U.S. officials believe. That triggered the recent order from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., known as Cfius. National-security experts said a Chinese company would never be allowed to buy a company like Facebook Inc., for example.
"If Cfius only applies to companies China acquires from the U.S., and not companies China builds, what can it possibly solve?" said Geoffrey Cook, CEO of The Meet Group.
Potential buyers for Grindr could include Match. Mark Brooks, a consultant in the dating industry, said Spark Networks and The Meet Group could be among other potential contenders.
by Georgia Wells & Kate O'Keeffe
See full article at Wall Street Journal
Navigating (Dating) Industry Disruption, Mark Brooks HBS Interview
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Dating Apps and Algorithms
L'EXPRESS – Feb 14 – Can an algorithm determine the success of a marriage? Can it predict the duration of a relation even before it begins? Dating apps are constantly improving, now incorporating a dose of AI. Tinder's "Elo Score" is now the subject of harsh criticism. This algorithm, inspired by the ranking of chess players, is matching people with lower score with people who also have a lower score. If someone with a higher score is interested in you, your initial score increases. Another matching technique is "Clustering" – which is based on matching you with people who are talking to people who are like you. "Dating apps don't know who your best match is so they rely on people who look like you to have a better idea. It's brilliant," says Mark Brooks, consultant and online dating expert. "Dating apps are still very young but are already delivering better results than hanging out in bars", he says.
by Sébastien Julian
See full article at L'Express
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Late Night Discussion on BBC Asian Network About Online Dating with Mark Brooks
OPW – Jan 9 – Mark Brooks was interviewed on BBC Radio Asian Network on Tuesday night about dating apps and Indian dating. You can listen to the episode here (Mark is at 52:56).
4 Experts Predict Online Dating in 2024
PHERAMOR BLOG – Dec 12 – According to a new study conducted by Imperial College London and eHarmony, DNA will continue to play a role in online dating. In the future, will we make deeper romantic connections via technological advancements? What trends in online dating will remain the same?
Mark Brooks, CEO of Courtland Brooks and the IDEA
Mark sees potential with the online dating world integrating with virtual reality (VR) which allows users to engage in experiences through the use of software and specialized devices. "A media shift keeps the door open for a new player," says Mark. In the future, whether we fully embrace VR dating or not, online daters ultimately expect utility and a viable product. "A dating app should help people not fall in love with the wrong person."
Lorraine Adams, Head of Matchmaking at The Dating Lab
She and the Dating Lab team predict online daters will increasingly expect valuable customer service as part of mobile apps and website. This should include some profile guidance and dating advice. "Online users are far more likely to spend money on upgrades if they are adequately helped".
Steve Dean, Online Dating Consultant, Dateworking
The biggest problem among online dating consumers is that they are fatigued and overwhelmed. As a result, users do not know where to start engaging if it all looks the same. Steve is hopeful of companies offering a fresh approach to design or products. Steve is cautious about the market’s appetite for VR dating. He believes that users will ultimately desire a human connection.
Marc Lesnick, Founder of the iDate Conference
He sees a big integration in the near-future of online dating: artificial intelligence (AI). The process may be slow in coming, and, the capital needs to be secured for AI to become a reality.
by Alley Lyles
The full article was originally published at Pheramor Blog, but is no longer available.
Cheats Spark More Interest On Tinder
SUNDAY TIMES – Oct 21 – 25% of the dating app's users are in long-term relationships, say researchers. "A lot of people use Tinder while in a committed relationship," said Elisabeth Timmermans, a social scientist based at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, whose study of online dating included users in Europe and the US. Timmermans and her colleagues studied the dating habits and lifestyle of 1,482 Tinder users and asked them to take personality tests to see if genuine singles were any different from cheats. Individuals scoring high on psychopathy were more likely to use Tinder "in order to create a target-rich mating environment", says the study, published last week in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour. Also, attached men on Tinder are often just seeking approval. Only 50% of them reported having sex with a Tinder partner. All women who were using dating apps while in a committed relationship reported engaging in sexual intercourse [outside the relationship]," reported Timmermans and her colleagues.
Q&A With Mark Brooks
Sunday Times: Is the industry aware and concerned of the very high proportion of non-singles using the dating apps?
Mark Brooks: Yes, absolutely. They tend to lurk and 'test the waters.' I think when Ashley Madison started to come on the scene they sucked up many of the marrieds, and gave them a better home.
ST: Do you warn users about this?
MB: Some dating apps require Facebook login, and when they see status is married, they don't allow them in. Hinge used to do this for example. But most dating apps make no attempt to sift out marrieds. It comes with the territory to some extent, but it would be great if dating services did more to protect the interests of those who do not want to meet marrieds.
ST: The research suggests that the non-singles using Tinder are nastier people and should be treated with caution. Is this fair?
MB: Nastier is a strong but apt word. I think marrieds who are on Tinder are renegade. They're going to naturally have character traits that lead them to sign up and mislead singles. But many of the marrieds are mostly there to prop up their egos to see if they've still got game.
ST: The research also warns that such apps are designed to be addictive. Do you accept this?
MB: OMG! Absolutely. Tinder was definitely designed to be highly addictive and game-like. It was spawned on campus and the creators tried to steer clear of dating nomenclature. It was and still is a game.
ST: What are the benefits of using apps like Tinder for a) singles b) non-singles?
MB: It's a great starting point. But I think singles tend to need for more, and that's the brilliance of Match acquiring them. People will tend to want more, and upgrade to other dating apps, like Match.
ST: Is there any evidence that single people meeting via apps like Tinder are likely to have better quality relationships because they have effectively already been matched?
MB: There should be, but I see little compelling research. Dating apps seek to improve on the real world, and I think they do. But they do not meet their potential. We're leaving a lot of value on the table IMHO.
ST: Have you any stats on the numbers of longer-term relationships resulting from meeting on Tinder?
MB: I wish. That would be golden. I know of no longitudinal studies on the subject alas. eHarmony made some attempts in the past, but I've not seen anything emerge from Tinder yet.
This Philly Dating Service Charged An 85-year-old Widow $4,750 And Gave Her One Option
by Christian Hetrick
See full article at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Internet Dating, The Story So Far
OPW – Oct 9 – From Webpersonals to Match, to POF and Tinder. This is a tidy little overview of the story of Internet dating so far, according to Visual Politik and IDEA/Online Personals Watch.
and here's the Spanish version
Full Disclosure: I (Mark Brooks, bio) worked with FriendFinder and POF in the past.
Post by Mark Brooks, CEO IDEA