SF CHRONICLE — Feb 14 — After eHarmony said its psychological research is based exclusively on heterosexual relationships, a growing number of rival online matchmakers are using their algorithms to find same-sex love as well. "There are just not enough services for creating healthy relationships, and it is a major gap in the gay community," said matchmaker Patrick Perrine, founder MyPartner.com, which caters to "sophisticated, cultured and relationship-oriented gay men. "There has been a long-held stereotype that gay people are only looking to hook up." Matchmakers like Chemistry.com, which estimates that about 10% of its 3.7 million clients are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, say all love is equal, straight or gay. The matchmakers claim "you can actually find people who are compatible, and this is a major advance that is going to keep the industry alive for the upcoming 50 years," said Mark Brooks, an Internet dating and social networking consultant. FULL ARTICLE @ SF CHRONICLE
Category: MyPartner
Starting Up: The Business Of Love
SM SMALL BIZ — Feb 13 — Making a bundle in the dating industry, isn't easy for a small player competing against Yahoo! Personals, Match.com and eHarmony. At PlentyofFish, which now ranks among the top 10 dating sites in the U.S. for unique visitors, Frind's strategy was simple. "I undercut them on price," he says. When it comes to the business of love, newbie entrepreneurs need to figure out a way to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Here's how:
– Find a Niche
– Undercut the Competition
– Add Value
– Innovate
More narrowly focused niches have begun to surface. i.e. golfmates.com and vegetariandating.com. The best niche businesses are usually started by entrepreneurs who have a deep understanding of the community they want to serve. i.e. Patrick H. Perrine, a psychologist who spent years studying human sexuality and dating preferences, launched a gay male matchmaking service in San Francisco in 2004, and then expanded the service online – myPartner.com — to a national audience last year. "We discovered there was no space for gay men looking for a serious relationship on the web", he says. To compete with the big guys, Sam Yagan, co-founder of free dating site, OKCupid.com, offers users the ability to craft their own personality quizzes, or choose from 30,000 others. The idea behind the quizzes is that users will share them with their friends who, in turn, may sign up for the service.
The full article was originally published at SmallBiz, but is no longer available.
How Do I Catch A Valentine?
Panel – Matchmaking and Internet Dating
Panel Discussion with – Julie Ferman (Founder / Personal Matchmaker),
Paul Falzone (CEO) Together Dating,
Dr. Patrick Perrine (Founder) myPartner.com,
Bill Broadbent (CEO) Instinct Marketing
Gay Dating Services Industry
Presentation by Patrick Perrine, Founder MyPartner.com
Countdown To Valentine’s Day: A New Take On Dating
PR NEWSWIRE — Jan 27 — Three weeks until Valentine's Day, gay male relationship expert and founder of myPartner.com, Patrick Perrine, gives sure fire tips for meeting new people:
Attend Events
– Don't Move Too Fast – True love is first a meeting of minds; the bodies connect later.
– Dress For Success
– Pretend you're famous.
– Say Hello and Shut Up – "A bore is someone who keeps talking after I have something to say."
– Be a Good Listener
"Follow these steps," says Perrine, "and you're on your way to a year- round Valentine's Day."
The full article was originally published at SF Business Times, but is no longer available.
Gay Love Online, And This Time They Mean Business
GFN — Jan 22 — E-Harmony's discrimination towards gay clients, has led entrepreneurs to rethink services specifically for gay singles. Patrick H. Perrine MA, PhD is the founder and matchmaker behind myPartner.com. GFN spoke to Dr. Perrine about how he went from relationship counselor to online cupid.
GFN: Why enter into the competitive Internet dating world?
Patrick Perrine: I realized there was a major underserved market of gay and lesbians singles. Nobody was providing a place with the right tools and resources to create positive relationships.
GFN: What did you learn from sites like Gay.com to make myPartner different?
PP: We did a tough competitive analysis, and we took our initial user feedback very seriously. Match.com is incredibly successful because they are constantly changing. That was a big model for us.
GFN: Where did you get the financing to develop the site?
PP: I used my personal resources to develop the company. Recently, I did take on some angel investors.
GFN: What is your advertising/marketing plan?
PP: We get a lot of traffic from organic search. October 1st was the start of our major online advertising campaign.
GFN: Do you eventually want to address lesbians?
PP: It may be something we tackle in the future.
The full article was originally published at GFN, but is no longer available.
Same-Sex Dating
PRESS RELEASE — Jan 8 — oneGoodLove was created for the LGBT community, with a focus on singles who are ready to move past the point of casual dating and are ready to find "the one." The oGL Personality Test and Service uses a specifically-tailored matching algorithm for same-sex couples. Without visible profiles like most other dating sites, which are normally searchable by the general public, the oGL service allows singles to remain discreet while using the oGL service to find them a potential match. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB
Mark Brooks: myPartner.com and PartnerForLife.com also compete with oGL. (Full Disclosure: myPartner.com is a client of Courtland Brooks)
Internet Dating Conference Top Picks
OPW — Jan 8 — Here's some must-see sessions at the Internet Dating Conference:
Thursday 31st January
8:30 AM State of the Internet Dating Industry
Mark Brooks, (Editor), Online Personals Watch
11:30 AM – How to Make Money with Online Dating by Making Your Customers Happy
Evan Marc Katz, (CEO), E-Cyrano
3:30 PM – Dating Software: Trends and Industry Direction
Gary Taylor, (Partner Manager), White Label Dating
Robert Fathers, (CEO), World Dating Partners
Elena Kolyasnikova, (Director of Sales), Pilot Group
Friday 1st February
9:00 AM – Media Metrix and Market Analysis for Internet Dating
Sarah Stevens, (VP Marketing Solutions), ComScore
10:30 PM – Panel Session: Matchmaking and Internet Dating
Paul Falzone, (CEO), Together Dating
Dr. Patrick Perrine, (Founder), myPartner.com
Bill Broadbent, (CEO), Instinct Marketing
Moderated By: Julie Ferman, (Founder / Personal Matchmaker), Cupid's Coach
1:30 AM – Compatibility Matching Online: The Scientific Method
Pat Dines, (CEO), Mary.com
(Full Disclosure: Together Dating and myPartner.com are clients of Courtland Brooks) – Mark Brooks
Manhunt Parties On
SNW — Nov 27 — In case you hadn't noticed, Manhunt is just chewing up the gay dating/social networking market. Jonathan Crutchley is co-Founder and Chairman. He's a regular attendee of the Internet Dating Conference /Social Networking Conference and likes to throw parties at his houses in Boston and Palm Springs. He's in the picture with Chi Chi La Rue who was DJ at his recent pool party in Palm Springs for Manhunt.net in honor of Palm Springs Gay Pride.
What is Manhunt doing right? In short, they know the gay dating space, intimately. Their customer service is among the best in the industry and they charge just $12 a month. Also, have you noticed how the sites with the most 'playful' names are doing especially well on minimal ad spends. OnlineBootyCall, Manhunt, Plentyoffish. All are playful, tongue in cheek names that travel well by word-of-mouth. Manhunt is full-on and adult and has it's antithesis in myPartner.com which is, essentially, eHarmony for gay men. (Disclosure: Manhunt, myPartner and Plentyoffish are clients of Courtland Brooks) – Mark Brooks