Category: FriendFinder

Online Dating Leader FriendFinder Acquires Spring Street Networks Tuesday

Posted on July 27, 2005

Spring_streetBUSINESS WIRE — July 26 — The company powering online dating personals for websites such as Nerve.com, The Onion and Salon.com has been acquired by privately held Various Inc., the parent company of FriendFinder. Spring Street Networks is the leading provider of private-label online personals solutions for a network of more than 200 media companies, including outlets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas and Miami. Terms of the merger between the two privately held companies were not disclosed.

Mark Brooks: Wow!  I heard Spring Street was up for grabs.  Well done to Dr Conru for sealing the deal.  I though CGI Holding would be all over this one, by they just bought Vintacom so probably have their hands full. 

Online Dating: Easy?

Posted on June 14, 2005

Friendfinder_1POTOMAC NEWS — June 13 — Thousands of uncreative personal ads, dozens of first dates, one three-month relationship, but still, Aaron Tax believes in dating online.  “Just like the real world, it’s a crapshoot,” said Tax, 29, a lawyer.  “You can really find anyone you’re looking for,” said Tim Chanaud, PR manager at FriendFinder.  Members on Amigos and FilipinoFriendFinder are very focused on marriage, he said, while SeniorFriendFinder users have different goals in mind.  “They’re looking for companionship, friendship,” he said.  Maansi Kashyap, spokeswoman for Shaadi (means 'marriage' in Hindi), said marrying within a similar culture is vital in many South Asian countries.

The full article was originally published at Potomac News, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: Shaadi is the leading matrimonials site.  FriendFinder does not appear in the top 15 online dating sites…but if you rolled all of their 20 sites together they would be in the top 3 every month.  Really!  They fly nicely under the wire because Hitwise, Comscore and Nielsen refuse to list AdultFriendFinder, Passion (same database as Adult FriendFinder but with a PG home page and users have to opt in to see naked profile pictures), Alt and Outpersonals in the online personals category.

Former Friendfinder Executives Face Civil Suit

Posted on May 21, 2005

FriendfinderXBIZ — May 18 — Friendfinder (Various Inc) filed suit against affiliate managers, Jack Mardack and Sean Barrett for breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and defamation, among other charges, after they left the company and formed Profit Lab, which does consulting work for competitor Sex Search.  Mardack is accused of poaching the company’s affiliate list and that both execs embezzled and diverted company funds.  The suit further alleges that Mardack shared its affiliate list with competitors, helped set up a competing joint venture while employed at Friendfinder and brokered unauthorized payouts while paying those funds to himself and Barrett, and that Mardack made false statements that the company’s “payment processing was in jeopardy due to Friendfinder’s bad financial condition.” Mardack denies all allegations and says he left FriendFinder because of a "hostile environment.  "I am saddened by the retaliatory sentiment and paranoid tone from Friendfinder. I didn’t take away such an affiliate list.  One who does business in this industry knows that everyone who works in it also has a personal list.” Friendfinder seeks damages and a permanent restraining order against Mardock and Barrett from future use of its affiliate list.

The full article was originally published at XBiz, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks:  Fascinating.  In the sales world salespeople can walk away with their rolodex.  How is the affiliate world different?  I would argue that an affiliate manager should be able to take his 'relationships' from affiliates that he has recruited for the company.  But, not the affiliates already in place.  How to track?  Just what is a 'personal list?'  This case may well lead to some significant affiliate management legal precedents.  Watch this space.

Online Dating Meets Cybersex

Posted on April 30, 2005

Wired_news_2 WIRED — Apr 29 — Would you have cybersex with someone you met through an online dating site? Would you go on a date with someone you met through a cybersex chat room? HighJoy is betting that you will.  Lynn Borne, the director of marketing, asked me to hold the Doc Johnson iVibe Rabbit while he walked me through the chat client and the online control panel for the toy. Amir Vatan, the CEO, retreated to his office so he could be on the other end of my virgin HighJoy chat. Amir describes the company as something between AdultFriendFinder and Match.com. "Just online dating? Or online dating and these tools?" he says, gesturing to the array of vibrators on the conference table. He sees HighJoy as the logical next step for those who enjoy making connections online. I suspect the first wave of members will sign on for the promise of virtual sex and the hope of hooking up in person. I don't see the eHarmony crowd migrating to HighJoy, but fans of SuicideGirls, Nerve and PalTalk's adult communities will probably feel right at home.  

The full article was originally published at Wired, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: The next logical step?  Your comments please :-)  ?

Concerns About Florida Online Dating Bill

Posted on April 30, 2005

Netcoalition_1PRNEWSWIRE — Apr 26 — America's leading internet and technology firms and trade associations expressed deep reservations about the Florida bill that would impose government oversight on online dating and require criminal background checks or disclosures for users of online dating services. In a letter to the Florida legislature, the group noted that the bill would impose new liabilities and responsibilities upon not only Internet dating sites, but on an almost limitless array of Internet sites and services and has the potential to create a false sense of security for users.  Although there have been very few, if any, instances of online dating related crimes in Florida, the legislation would require background checks or disclosures that the services do not screen customers.  "Consumers are in the best position to determine which services provide them with the most security and comfort," concluded Netcoalition spokesperson Erickson, "not the government."  NetCoalition serves as the public policy voice for: AeA, Amazon, AOL, Association for Competitive Technology, CareerBuilder, eBay, eHarmony, Electronic Retailing Association, FriendFinder, Google, IdeaOasis, Information Technology Association of America, Internet Alliance, Internet Commerce Coalition, Lavalife, Match.com, Microsoft, MyEMatch.com, NetChoice, ProfileDoctor, Singles Industry Trade Association, Spark Networks, TechNet, The Right One, Trufina, Userplane, U.S. Internet Service Provider Association, VeriSign, Yahoo!

Mark Brooks: Weighty opposition to the background checks legislation.

Finding a Second Act on the Internet

Posted on April 12, 2005

Jdate_dating_success_photoNY TIMES — Apr 12 — Hani joined JDate where she met David, a fellow graduate of Lafayette High School, class of '59. Her email,"David, is that you?"  According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, the number of online dating site users 55 or older rose 19% in the last year.  "As older folks and baby boomers become increasingly Internet-savvy, a lot of them are turning to online dating to find both romance and companionship," said Kristin Kelly, Match.com, whose 50-plus membership has tripled since 2000.  "It's one of our fastest-growing segments," said Andrew Conru, CEO of FriendFinder, which operates SeniorFriendFinder with 400,000 members.  FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES

Mark Brooks: My mother is learning to use a computer now, at 72.  She's kicking it's ass at Scrabble.

Dr Conru; FriendFinder CEO Interview

Posted on April 5, 2005

Dr_andrew_conru_of_friendfinderWALL STREET REPORTER — Mar 31 — Some summary facts about FriendFinder; 25 million active members, 90 million signups since 1996, 80-90,000 registrations a day, 20 dating verticals including adultfriendfinder, alt, asiafriendfinder, amigos etc.  180 Palo Alto employees, 80 abroad in customer service and photo reviewing, 250 all in.  Friendfinder just acquired Cams.com (and hired Legendary Lars).  In the future FriendFinder will become more of a personal agent for online daters.  They are in acquisition mode and more amenable and interested in going public than in the past. 

Mark Brooks:  Employee numbers would include FriendFinder's marketing spinoff Medley.  Dr Conru got it right in 1996, and is now enjoying the rewards of some very early, very smart decisions.  He actually started webpersonals.com in 1994 and sold it off while he was at Stanford Uni.  Webpersonals ended up with Lavalife.  At the beginning of 2004 Dr Conru was quoted as expecting FriendFinder to make $75-$100 million revenue in 2004.  I'm sure they aced those numbers.  An Alexa rank of 53 for AdultFriendFinder, no less. There are two very clear strands in society emerging that are being reflected in the online dating arena.  (The uncommitted and the comitted).  On the one hand, casual/sex dating sites are doing very well, on the other, relationship sites such as eHarmony, True and PerfectMatch are ruling the roost. 

Niche Dating Sites Allow Special-interest Singles to Find Each Other

Posted on April 5, 2005

ARIZONA TRIBUNE — Apr 5 — The online personals industry is experiencing "The Big Squeeze." Mark Brooks, an online personals industry analyst and editor of Onlinepersonalswatch.com, says hundreds of small dating sites have emerged in the past five years. They are now competing for advertising dollars with the big guys like Match.com. But lower profits don’t mean the online dating bubble is about to burst, says Brooks. "It’s actually quite the opposite in some ways. Online (dating) is as solid as ever. It’s no longer cheesy and it’s no longer sneered at."  Brooks estimates there are about 900 Internet dating sites, and he claims that more people than ever are signing up.  Niches are the growing trend among these smaller start-ups. "There’s really something for everybody."  People who enjoy hiphop can find love on Hiphopsinglesconnection.com and (young) women looking for generous men to shower them with gifts may find success at Sugardaddyz.com. There are also companies that cater to "varying levels of singleness."  People looking for a spouse may have the best chance on eHarmony. The site is known to include members who are motivated and serious about ending their singlehood, says Brooks. On the other hand, Friendster.com helps individuals create a social network and don’t necessarily aim to make love connections. "They do a good job of modeling the real world."  FULL ARTICLE @ EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

Mark Brooks: I recommend some of the niche sites such as ChristianCafe.com, DateMyPet and SeniorFriendFinder.  Never heard of Hiphopsinglesconnection and Sugardaddyz though.  They look like intriguing, but have no traffic (according to www.alexa.com) and probably just a handful of members.

AdultFriendFinder Sex Survey

Posted on March 30, 2005

AdultfriendfinderBUSINESS WIRE — Mar 30 — How long can you go without sex?  For members of AdultFriendFinder.com, the world's largest adult online dating site, the answer is: not long.  45% of the 11,000 respondants said they can't go more than a week without showing signs of deprivation. 14% say they are "masters of their own domain" and can go sexless indefinitely. The survey shows men need (or at least want) sex more: 44% say they can't go more than a week, compared to 34% of women. Only 12% of gay men (survey of 1000 on outpersonals) said they can go without for 1 to 2 months. 

Mark Brooks: The dating sites that seem to be doing really well right now are either focused on serious relationships and personality based matching or, at the other end of the spectrum, casual/sex focused.  AdultFriendFinder (aka Passion.com) attends to the masses who are looking to lead with their sexual preferences.  The site is huge, was started in 1996 by Dr Conru and flys under the wire because of it's sexual content which eliminates it from the online personals rankings on Hitwise, Comscore and Nielsen…who avoid the segment like the plague.  I've (boldly) added a ranking for the adult sites to OPW so you can be a little better informed. 

Match.com; Senior Singles

Posted on February 20, 2005

WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL — Feb 20 — You were dating when Paul McCartney was a young rocker. Now you’re dating again and he’s an icon, which is what you are when you’re 62 and still get to rock the halftime show at the Super Bowl.  Match.com reports that memberships for ages 50 and over boomed by 322% from 2000 to 2003 and that about 10% of their total members are over 50. Older singles told a Match.com survey that intelligence is the most important personal characteristic, followed by fidelity, confidence and humor. 

Mark Brooks: SeniorFriendFinder is the category leader.  Spark Networks runs SilverSingles