JEZEBEL – Sep 29 - According to JDate survey, 52% of Jewish married couples who met online met on JDate (compared to 17% on Match and 10% on eHarmony). 63% percent of the online dates the users went on were set up through JDate. And 76% of Jewish online daters used JDate at some point, even if they didn't find a spouse on it.
by Anna North
See full article at Jezebel
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EHARMONY – Sep 20 – eHarmony apps on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android launched in late Q3 2010 and since then ~1M members have downloaded the apps to date. Currently ~500k eHarmony profiles are viewed on mobile applications each day. Keeping it Real, Warm and Elegant is eHarmony’s Newest Design Challenge. When they thought about “warm” experiences outside of software, one experience jumped to mind – Starbucks. Starbucks has created an incredibly warm and inviting environment. The idea of being real or authentic is at the core of all eHarmony's creative and brand imagery. (Real success couples). With their final design goal, they set about making this application feel like a very personalized, simple experience versus a run-of-the-mill-dating search and browse experience. (parchment paper, bamboo, handwritten notes and script fonts).
OPW – Sep 19 – eHarmony no longer associates with Focus on The Family, but it was the springboard for their start. ChristianCafe.com, meanwhile, loves Focus on the Family. Husband and wife team Sam and Polly Moorcroft are the co-founder (Sam) and CEO (Polly) of ChristianCafe.com and were featured on Focus on The Family's single ministry show, Boundless, to discuss the history of internet dating and Christian dating. Listen here.
AD AGE – Sep 9 - CBS's syndicated late-night dating show, "Excused," will use Jazzed.com, a new site from eHarmony that will allow viewers to virtually meet and maybe even physically date contestants on the show. During each 30-minute episode of "Excused," references will be made to the contestants' Jazzed.com profile pages, where viewers can learn more about individuals' likes, dislikes, background and more.
FAST COMPANY – Aug 19 - Online dating startups are using quirky concepts, and emerging technology–from facial recognition to geolocation. Online dating is a $1.5 billion per year industry in the U.S. Match.com generates ~$400M; eHarmony ~$150 million; and Adult Friend Finder earn ~$250M in annual revenue. On most sites, users take the time-honored route of writing up anecdotes about their lives. OK Cupid broke that model by combining traditional "about me" profiles with a personality test a la 20-questions. Dutch startup Soul2Match is using facial recognition software to pair people with similar bone structure. HowAboutWe requires users to suggest unique date ideas to one another. Spoondate asks its members to disclose what they want to eat and where, to match them based on cravings. Luv@FirstTweet tracks its users’ Twitter history to get a sense of their interests and personality.
by Sean Captain
See full article at Fast Company
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INTERNET DATING SCIENCE – Aug 31 – These two reports, one each from eHarmony and Match.com, cover findings from their surveys.
eHarmony estimates that 4.77% of all new marriages in the US between 1/1/2008 and 6/30/2009 resulted from people who met on eHarmony. 542 eHarmony members marry every day, on average. These figures have doubled since 2007.
17% of couples marrying in the last three years met on an Internet dating site according to Match.com study. More than twice as many couples met on a dating site than those who met in bars, clubs or other social events. (Friends or family: 27%; Work/school: 38%; Church: 4%).
These two studies only present findings that enhance their own product. For marketing purposes, this is an excellent strategy: collect data that presents your service in the best possible light.
BUSINESSWIRE – Aug 25 - Jazzed, a social dating site from eHarmony where individuals share, meet and connect with interesting and like-minded people, has officially launched. Launched in beta last October, Jazzed now has 500K and its mobile app have been downloaded ~250,000 times. Everyone on the site must have at least three photos on their profile in order to have a full site experience.
The full article was originally published at Sun Herald, but is no longer available.
REUTERS – Aug 23 - Two of eHarmony's main backers stand to gain extra leverage over the company when redemption rights from its last financing round kick in — an unusual development in the venture capital business. The rights come into play after November 5 for Technology Crossover Ventures and Sequoia Capital, which invested when eHarmony raised $110M in 2004. The firms will have the right to require eHarmony to buy back their preferred shares in four quarterly installments.
WSJ – Aug 17 – Online dating can expand the pool of prospects and the technology itself can be used in ways to find better relationships, according to Gian Gonzaga, the senior director of R&D at eHarmony. Previous research has shown that when there are endless choices, it is more likely that people get overwhelmed and pick nothing at all. So eHarmony doesn’t match you with every single potential compatible person, but rather the ideal number of right matches that will get you to talk to the greatest number of them, says Gonzaga.
SOCALTECH – Aug 11 – eHarmony has named Jeremy Verba as its new CEO. Verba joins the firm from Zynga, where he was founding General Manager of that firm's Treasure Isle title. Verba had previously served as President and CEO of teen community site Piczo, as well as AOL, E! Online, and CNET. The site said that Verba will help the firm as its expands its markets internationally and via mobile.
The full article was originally published at Socal Tech, but is no longer available.