NEWBURY PORT NEWS – Dec 2 – Close to 29% of adults ages 50 to 65 are now single. Dating can be challenging at any age. But for boomers, this is even more true when you consider that social skills may be a bit rusty. While some boomers may be skeptical or embarrassed to try online dating, people over age 50 make up Match.com's fastest-growing segment of users, with a 300% increase since 2000. When it comes to relationships, 84% of boomers rank physical intimacy as being "important" or "very important."
Category: Match.com
Match.com Expands In China
BEST OF RENCONTRE – Nov 30 - Match.com and Zhenai.com are collaborating in order to expand in a country, where a site like Jiayuan.com, founded in 2003, totals more than 50 millions members. Match.com now owns 20% of Zhenai's shares, website that amounts to 30 millions users. It will however be necessary to adapt advertising campaigns, fees and functionalities in order to accommodate their future members.
by Rébecca Lazzerini
See the full article at Best of Rencontre (in French)
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A Young Woman Scored $1,200/Month In Dinners Using Match.com
BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 30 - McGonagall started eating out five nights a week using a rotation of different guys she met through Match.com. McGonagall went from easily spending $500 a month on dinners alone to having someone else dole out an average of $60-plus per night.
By Madeleine Scinto
See full article at Business Insider
Police Target Lonely Hearts Fraudsters
SUNDAY TIMES – Nov 28 – Romance scammers are to be targeted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). According to Soca ~200K people have already been tricked by overseas conmen. Online dating scams have become one of the most lucrative methods. This is because online dating has itself become so successful, with 1,400 dating sites operating in Britain, including Plentyoffish, eHarmony and match.com. Mark Brooks, who runs Courtland Brooks, a consultancy specialising in the online dating industry, said: “Every site has significant problems in dealing with scammers. It is the bane of the industry.” Karl Gregory, head of match.com’s UK division, said cases of fraud were still rare. “Our advice”, he said, “is to stay within the site to build up relationships over time rather than giving out personal details, and never to give money to anyone for any reason.”
by Jonathan Leake
See full article at Sunday Times
Mark Brooks: Actually, this is far more a problem in the USA than the UK. Most sites are fighting and winning the battle against scammers, I think. But the isolated cases of date scamming are still very newsworthy and bad for the dating industry.
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Match.com Reports Q3 Results
PR NEWSWIRE – Nov 4 - Core revenue increased 15% to $102.5M driven by increases in subscribers. Developing revenue increased 8% to $18.7M primarily due to revenue from OkCupid. Core and Developing revenue collectively increased by 14% to $121.2M. Meetic had revenue of $11.1M which was negatively impacted by the write-off of $9.6M of deferred revenue in connection with its acquisition.
Match Core consists of Match.com in the US, Chemistry.com and People Media. Match Developing consists of OkCupid, Singlesnet, mobile-only products and non-Meetic international operations.
The full article was originally published at MarketWatch, but is no longer available.
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Match.com Launches Free Facebook Dating App
MARKETING WEEK – Oct 31 - The app, dubbed Matchlist, allows Facebook members to register with the site for free and find potential partners in their area. Users can also make a shortlist of potential dates and ask selected Facebook friends for feedback via a private message.
by Lara O'Reilly
See full article at Marketing Week
Match.com Facing Another Lawsuit
PAID CONTENT – Oct 7 - Anne Read Lattimore says she is not gay and has never been a member of the dating site Match.com. Yet, she has become a sort of public face for both. How that happened is the subject of a new lawsuit. It turns out that her photograph was uploaded to a gallery of stock photos owned by Getty, a company that supplies images for third parties. Lattimore is suing Kirby, the photographer who took the picture, Match.com and HealthCentral for defamation and for misappropriation of likeness.
Mobile Online Dating Apps Get Local
BOSTON.COM – Oct 2 - According Match.com's research conducted, one in five new relationships begins with an online connection. Thanks to mobile apps like Blendr, StreetSpark, Loopt Mix, How About We, OkCupid’s new “Locals” feature, keeping up with online dating is as simple as updating a Facebook status. As always, users should approach online dating like real-life dating. Some apps also have safety features built in. Blendr lets users adjust settings to hold back information and offers a “location toggle” to fudge the accuracy of location mapping. StreetSpark won’t reveal user's exact location unless both parties agree to “ignite.”
See full article at Boston.com
Mark Brooks: Guys are less concerned, women more concerned about LBS. But the sheer utility and fun and real worldliness of the whole experience will help drive LBS idating into ubiquity.
Mobile Dating Apps Show Who’s Single Without the Mingle
THE JAKARTA GLOBE – Sep 29 - The phone apps, from Match.com or newcomers such as howaboutwe.com, pack in the features, from IM and video profiles to "check-ins" at hot nightlife spots. "It's all about getting people off-line", says Aaron Schildkrout, touting howaboutwe.com, the app he co-created. Users post specific date ideas such as attending a baseball game or having drinks on a rooftop bar. In the service's first month live, there were ~60K downloads; the user base was 60% female, ages 22 to 40. Andrea Martinez, 24 found her new boyfriend on plentyoffish.com's mobile app version. She preferred the app over the computer version because uploading photos from her phone was easier. Grindr founder and CEO Joel Simkhai says company surveys show that 85% of members used the app for making new friends, especially when they were new to town. That's why Simkhai believes the next evolution of apps won't be about dating but will focus on friendships.
by Sheba R. Wheeler
The full article was originally published at Jakarta Globe, but is no longer available.
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Karl Gregory, U.K. MD, Match.com
NEW MEDIA AGE – Sep 28 - Following a relaunch earlier this month, Match.com UK MD Karl Gregory spoke to new media age about the new site and what digital media can learn from a successful online subscription-based business.
Q: What are the major changes for the user following the relaunch?
A: The new Match.com site has been developed based on customer feedback. Features include new cultural data to give more insight into a member’s personality, more security controls, updates to search functionality and a new Daily 6 feature.
Q: How did the relaunch impact your ad offering?
A: Our ad technology now works to determine the most relevant audience for the ads that appear on the site, based on gender, age, location and interests.
Q: How important is customer and behavioural data and how do you use it?
A: Data is at the heart of our business. Our technology learns from people’s search behaviours.
Q: As a paid-for site service, how do you make sure advertising fits your business model?
A: We are able to be selective when it comes to our advertising partners.
Q: What for you are the most important innovations and trends this year?
A: New technologies, such as mobile apps.
by Charlotte McEleny
The full article was originally published at New Media Age, but is no longer available.