BUSINESS INSIDER – Sep 10 – Raja Bhatia, former AM CTO, is threatening to sue tech blogger Brian Krebs who published a story titled "Leaked AshleyMadison Emails Suggest Execs Hacked Competitors." Bhatia, who left Avid Life Media in 2009, denies the claims. Krebs reported that in Nov 2012, Bhatia told Biderman that he had discovered a "huge security hole" in Nerve.com. He said that he had "access to all their user records including emails, encrypted password, if they purchased or not, who they talked to, what their search preferences are, last login, fraud risk profile, who they blocked or are blocked from, photo uploads, etc."
Category: Nerve Dating
Ashley Madison Ex-CTO Hacked Competing Site
WIRED – Aug 24 – According to an email exchange in November 2012, Ashley Madison's one-time CTO told colleagues, including the CEO of parent company Avid Life Media, that he had found a security hole in the web site of Nerve.com and used it to exfiltrate the competitor's entire database. He also indicated that he had the ability to alter records in the database. If Bhatia did in fact hack Nerve.com, he could be criminally charged with unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
by Kim Zetter
See full article at Wired
Why Buy Nerve.com? Interview With Brian Schechter, CEO Of HowAboutWe
OPW INTERVIEW – Jan 31 –
Why did you buy Nerve?
For nearly two decades, Nerve has produced bold, smart content on American sexuality and culture, giving readers a safe, inclusive place to comfortably discuss sex in a way they hadn’t been able to before. We feel the consumer desire for media covering sex and culture in a human, raw and surprising way is stronger now than ever, which explains why acquiring Nerve made complete sense for us, especially since it serves as the perfect complement to our other HowAboutWe Media properties — TheDateReport.com, Swimmingly.com and Famously.com — which are dedicated to producing resonant, high-quality content about all things love.
Roughly how much did you buy it for?
We’re not disclosing financial information tied to the acquisition.
Nerve is quite sexy and risque, will you keep it that way?
We’ve long admired and respected Nerve for providing smart, fearless content devoted to sex and culture, and we’re more than happy continue to drive their original mission, while carrying the torch for the next generation navigating a romantic landscape filled with social media flirtations, dating apps and sexting.
Under our ownership, Nerve will continue to provide a refreshing alternative to the mainstream with brave, inclusive, sex-positive stories.
Will it be integrated closer to How About We or will it remain as standalone?
Nerve and all of our media properties will operate independently from our two subscription-based services, HowAboutWe Dating and HowAboutWe for Couples.
Given your extension into couples products, it seems Nerve could straddle your single and couples products and offer up intriguing and sexy content. Is that where you’re going with it?
Actually, we’re going in the opposite direction — HowAboutWe Media, including Nerve, will not produce branded content, but rather each site will operate completely independently from our subscription-based services, producing quality, unbiased journalism.
Whether it’s a review of the latest online dating app, a deeply-reported analysis of marriage equality laws, or a first-person account of what it’s like to “manscape,” the HowAboutWe Media network will provide an entirely unfettered, honest look at the world of modern love and culture.
How’s your couples products doing now? Is it having a good effect on your core product return rates?
We just celebrated our 1-year anniversary since we first launched HowAboutWe for Couples, debuting in Los Angeles, our fifth major US city, this month.
The consumer reaction has been incredibly positive, with more than 90% of users continuing to renew the service each month. As a result, it now already accounts for about 30% of our total revenue, which we project will greatly increase as we continue to expand to new cities.
Meet In A Bar: The New Dating Technology
NY TIMES – Aug 21 – Both Match.com and OkCupid, which was bought by Match last year but operates independently, are getting behind the offline idea. Match bought commercial time during the Olympics to promote “The Stir,” as it calls its gatherings. Match.com has held a few hundred events each month since May in more than 50 cities. OkCupid has organized ~100 events in New York since early July and plans to bring the idea to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and a few other cities in October. Smaller services are also offering gatherings. MeetMoi has been hosting get-togethers to bring more of its users to the same space at the same time. And Nerve, a sex and dating site based in New York, says it is working on a mobile app that will emphasize nearby events. The move toward real-world meetings follows some well-publicized studies that cast doubt on whether personality tests and data can accurately predict whether two people will be compatible. “We still use our matching algorithms,” said Mandy Ginsberg, president of Match.com. “But maybe it is slightly easier to walk into a room full of people meeting and talking.”
by Jenna Wortham
See full article at NY Times
See all posts on OkCupid See all posts on MeetMoi
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Nerve Dating Re-Launches
TECH CRUNCH – Jan 31 – In 1997, Rufus Griscom and Genevieve Field launched a website and eMag dedicated to sex, relationships, and culture called Nerve. Because Nerve already had a loyal readership and fanbase (about 2 million monthly uniques), there was a readymade audience for Nerve Dating, making it easier to reach critical mass. Today, the team is launching Nerve Dating in San Francisco, with plans to continue rolling out across the U.S. The main thrust of Nerve’s bi-costal dating service is to create a platform that “celebrates individual voices,” without the taxonomy inherent to dating websites that tends to lump people into categories so that matching technology can do the heavy lifting. Nerve is trying to make dating more like an enjoyable cocktail party, something that’s more natural and casual than an awkward blind date. Thus, on Nerve, users can actively share their thoughts and opinions about restaurants, bars, movies, music, and books, and are instantly introduced to other people who enjoy the same things.
Nerve.com Introduces A Hip Dating Site
NY TIMES – Dec 14 - Before there were hip dating sites like OkCupid, Grindr and Grouper, there was Nerve Personals, the racy dating section of the online magazine Nerve.com. They slowly faded into obscurity as younger, sleeker rivals arose. Nerve then teamed up with a site called FastCupid to handle the day-to-day operation of the personals. When that partnership expired earlier this year, the company decided to throw its hat back in the ring with a revamped site and concept, called Nerve Dating, which is available to the public beginning Wednesday. To design the new site, the company looked to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Interactions are based around status updates and mini-reports about meals eaten, concerts watched and places visited.