This is the news for the week of November 6th through November 12th, 2009. We hope you enjoy the new weekly news format. Here is the news we covered for this week:
OPW INTERVIEW – Nov 9 – Gelato combines online dating and real-time search. Profiles are created by pulling information from members’ accounts across Facebook, Twitter, Netflix and other commercial sites. I spoke with founder Steve Odom about Gelato’s revenue model, the site’s API usage and how his own dating life has influenced his work. – Jenn Rubin
Why did you decide to start Gelato?
I got divorced a couple of years ago and found myself on dating sites that I felt could be so much better. About the same time, I started using Twitter. I found that if I followed somebody on Twitter for a couple of weeks that I really got to know them. I knew their schedule, what they complained about and what they liked.
I wanted that type of experience on a dating site, so I started building Gelato about a year ago.
What would I do first upon arriving at the site?
We don’t ask for email addresses or passwords. You sign in with either your Facebook or Twitter login. Next, you have an option to import what you want from, say, your Facebook profile, whether it’s your relationship status, your profile picture, the books that you like, etc. This forms the basis of your Gelato profile. You can also sync your Gelato profile with accounts on Twitter, Netflix, Flickr and more.
Are you partnering with Facebook, Twitter and these other sites directly?
All of these sites have application interfaces, or APIs, which allow you to integrate this user information.
Why did you decide to merge Gelato with content from various social networking sites?
The problem that I found on other dating sites was that it took a long time to create a profile. Despite having to write a lot of information, many of the profiles still sounded the same. We all like long walks on the beach and to have a good time. I wanted to make it easy to create a profile on Gelato.
For instance, instead of just writing about my favorite movies, I can also show you what I’ve rented at Netflix. That tells you more, and it gives you a richer view of what kind of movies I like.
Second, I wanted Gelato’s profiles to be more authentic. We’ve all heard of people fibbing on their profile. Gelato pulls information from the stuff you’re doing on Twitter or Flickr, so it’s more authentic. You get a better idea of who I really am.
How do you plan to grow Gelato’s membership base in the months to come?
We launched this fall at the Demo Conference in San Diego. We have less than 5,000 users. We’re not focused on growth right now. I still need to understand the metrics of the site, what users are doing, how long they’re staying and how long until they’re coming back.
How will Gelato make money down the road?
I don’t think that we’re going to have advertisements. The way Gelato will make money is a premium option. So for some amount, say $10 a month, you’ll get additional features like analytics — who has viewed your account, how long they stayed, real-time alerts and more.
Tell me more about the real-time alerts feature.
With a premium account, I can create an online alert to ping me on my phone or email if someone signs on who is, for example, a woman 30 to 40, non-smoker in Austin, Texas who mentions World of Warcraft in her profile.
Who are some of Gelato’s backers?
I’ve been the sole backer. The great thing is you can build a site for less than $100,000 these days. We’re not at the point yet where we’re ready to take on additional capital.
There are hundreds of online dating sites. Why should singles pick Gelato?
Gelato helps you find others who share your specific interests and present yourself in a more authentic manner. If two people are authentic, you have the basis for a good connection.
What is your goal for the site over the next year?
The next big feature we will be releasing is recommendations and compatibility. We have a lot of interesting data about who you are. We plan to leverage that and be able to show you other people that are compatible with you.
CHICAGO NOW – Nov 3 – Worldwide, the mobile dating market, which included app, mobile Internet services and text-based services, has grown from $330 million in 2007 to $550 million in 2008. That figure is expected to more than double to $1.3 billion by 2013, according to Juniper Research. Skout, SpeedDate, DateCheck, Zoosk, Grindr, Radaroo and Gelato are but a handful of offerings in this market. Traditional online dating sites are also realizing the need for a mobile dating solution. Match.com and OkCupid have made strides in this direction. Traditional online dating sites must offer a mobile solution in order to remain competitive.
The full article was originally published at Chicago Now, but is no longer available.
SF CHRONICLE – Oct 27 – Some argue that social media such as Facebook or Twitter, which provide a more accurate snapshot of users' lives, can lead to better connections. Gelato, a new dating site, lets users create their profiles based on information from Twitter, Facebook, Hulu, Netflix and Last.fm. Thread, a site that opened in September, takes a jab at the awkwardness of navigating the Internet to meet strangers by helping Facebook users connect with the friends of their friends. Zoosk claims to be a combination of social networks and online dating. Co-founder Shayan Zadeh said that the site's platform is the digital equivalent of going out to a bar with friends and meeting new people. Blackbox Republic, another newcomer for sex-positive people, describes itself as a social dating site. It provides an environment where people can create networks they can retain even after finding new love interests. In a way, its goal is to challenge the shop-and-go spirit of the classifieds system, Blackbox Republic CEO Sam Lawrence said. OnlineDatingPost.com editor Dave Evans said "You're always going to have these dominant players, but the interesting stuff is with the edge cases. These guys have created a sexier proposition." FULL ARTICLE @ SF CHRONICLE
See all posts on Gelato See all posts on Zoosk
See all posts on Thread.com See all posts on Blackbox Republic
CANADA.COM – Oct 2 - Freshly launched Gelatodating.com breaks from simply matching personal profiles to weaving Twitter comments, Facebook updates and other social networking activities together to capture the online persona. Gelatodating founder Steve Odom built on the concept, designing Gelato profiles that are automatically freshened with what people are sharing online. "It's really hard to fake a profile on Gelato," Odom said. "You are pulling in information from a lot of accounts."
The full article was originally published at Canada.com, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: The lines between social networking and internet dating are blurring. The key differentiator between SNS and idating services is/was that members of idating sites don't disclose their identities until they are good and ready.