Category: OkCupid

The New Digital Singles Scene

Posted on September 1, 2011

Online dating 111 FAST COMPANY – Aug 19 - Online dating startups are using quirky concepts, and emerging technology–from facial recognition to geolocation. Online dating is a $1.5 billion per year industry in the U.S. Match.com generates ~$400M; eHarmony ~$150 million; and Adult Friend Finder earn ~$250M in annual revenue. On most sites, users take the time-honored route of writing up anecdotes about their lives. OK Cupid broke that model by combining traditional "about me" profiles with a personality test a la 20-questions. Dutch startup Soul2Match is using facial recognition software to pair people with similar bone structure. HowAboutWe requires users to suggest unique date ideas to one another. Spoondate asks its members to disclose what they want to eat and where, to match them based on cravings. Luv@FirstTweet tracks its users’ Twitter history to get a sense of their interests and personality.

by Sean Captain
See full article at Fast Company

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OkCupid Revenue Released

Posted on August 27, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni POF BLOG – Aug 26 – OKCupid has released its revenue

2010 Revenue: $4.7M
2007 Revenue: $380,912
Employees: 18

Acquisition price was 50M cash and 40M earn out. 

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

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Young Gays Are More Comfortable than Straights Finding Love Online

Posted on August 23, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni LA WEEKLY – Aug 22 – Despite an exaggerated stereotype that gay men are online looking only for sex, most are actually looking for something more serious. According to OkCupid's in-house analysis of ~3.2M users, 45% of gay people have slept with five or fewer people (vs. 44% for straights), and 98% have slept with fewer than twenty (vs. 99% for straights). Among gay men, the quality of guys available online is allegedly a lot higher, as far more people feel comfortable using the Internet as matchmaker.

by Amanda Lewis
The full article was originally published at LA Weekly, but is no longer available.

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Data Matches Daters

Posted on August 18, 2011

Data matches daters MARKETING WEEK – Aug 17 - As the internet dating market continues to grow, dating sites are employing increasingly sophisticated data analysis techniques to find the perfect partner for their users. OKCupid believes there's no such thing as one algorithm that works for everybody, putting its emphasis instead on a set of predictive questions. Plentyoffish claims it was the first dating site to introduce behavioral matchmaking. Markus Frind, CEO of Plentyoffish, explains: “We look at what you say when you complete your profile but, more importantly, we also look at what you do on the site.”Sometimes the elements that people are not looking for in a date turn out to be their partners’ most endearing features. This is why Mysinglefriend puts the onus on users to find matches on the site themselves. Lovestruck has two types of algorithm. When users first join the site, they will be matched with potential partners using Lovestruck’s in-house algorithm based on interests, what they are looking for, age, location and so on. But when they start to use the site, that data is overridden by an IntroAnalytics matching algorithm which learns from the user’s behaviour.

by Maeve Hosea
See full article at Marketing Week

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Bravo Partners with OkCupid

Posted on August 17, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni CABLE FAX – Aug 16 - To promote its new show "Most Eligible Dallas", which follows a group of singles as they navigate the Texas dating scene, Bravo teamed up with OkCupid to expand its marketing reach. Bravo is not the first network OKCupid has partnered with. The site ran a promotion in July for Investigation Discovery's "Who the Bleep Did I Marry" with custom content and first-date Q&As posed to users. But Bravo is the first to integrate characters into the search engine.

by Kaylee Hultgren
See full article at Cable Fax

Mark Brooks: Endemol and 51Minds are the companies to speak to if you'd like to sponsor a reality TV show.

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OKCupid Integrates Location Based Dating into iOS and Android Apps

Posted on August 12, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni TECH CRUNCH – Aug 12 – OkCupid is making a big move today in the mobile space—the service is adding location-based functionality to its Android and iOS mobile apps. For background, OkCupid singles tend to be younger, which is one of the reasons why IAC’s Match.com decided to buy the dating startup for $50M earlier this year. You can now broadcast if you are free, want others to join in plans and more. The bonus of OkCupid is that you can set up the feature to only send these broadcasts to people who are personality and interets matches for you in your location.

by Leena Rao
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Twitter Dating: Even in 140 Characters, Love Can Bloom

Posted on August 12, 2011

Luv@firsttweet logo BALTIMORE SUN – Aug 9 - Yes, Twitter love. It’s happening. Love shows up in unexpected places online.  Several dating services and relationship coaches are geared to the social media platform. “Social media has a big role to play in dating because social media is all about connections and communication, and dating is the same thing,” said Ben Parr, editor at large at Mashable. “Twitter will always have a role just as Facebook has a role in dating … and the entire relationship cycle.” Some Twitter-based services, like Luv@FirstTweet, which launched this year, cater to those used to traditional online dating services like Match.com. ~1,200 people are currently signed up for Luv@FirstTweet, a free service that co-founder Jon Lehr bills as “building an online dating profile on the go.” Some would argue the Twitter dating pool may be a bit shallower than general. A recent poll by OkCupid found that people who use Twitter tend to have shorter relationships.

by Raven Hill
Full article at Baltimore Sun

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OKCupid Mobile Dating

Posted on August 3, 2011

Okcupid mobile DIVINE CAROLINE – Aug 3 - Last month, OKCupid began beta testing GPS-based features on its mobile app that will allow members to broadcast when they’re in the mood to mingle, to suggest activities, and to notify nearby matches that they’d like to meet up. The idea has already taken hold in the gay community thanks to Grindr, a mobile app that specifically targets gay and alerts users when other Grindrers are nearby. Many, including Grindr founder Joel Simkhai, were skeptical that such a product would translate well with women. Women obviously want to see someone that they might find attractive, but they need to know more than that. OKCupid narrows the pool of potentially strange strangers by sending out notifications and broadcasts to best matches based on the lengthy personality survey each member fills out upon joining the site.

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

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How OKCupid Helps Users Find Their Perfect Match

Posted on July 27, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni READ WRITE WEB – July 25 - OKCupid is well known for its data analysis. On average, says OKCupid's CTO Tom Quisel, active users have answered ~3K questions; they've hidden the profiles of several thousand users they aren't interested in; they've voted for ~4K profiles. All that data is in addition to users' personal demographic data and preferences, as well as their site usage information (how often they log in, how often they respond to messages and so on). All that data makes a simple search for a list of potential matches quite complex. In fact, says Quisel, it can take 13 billion seeks in order to load one page of results.

by Audrey Watters
The full article was originally published at ReadWriteWeb, but is no longer available.

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OKCupid Adds Location to Mobile App

Posted on July 12, 2011

Okcupid logo aktualni MASHABLE – July 12 - OKCupid has added a handful of location-based features.
1. Broadcasts – This allows you to let your best matches know that you’re free now and suggest activities. 
2. Locals – This shows you matches nearby. 
3. Notifications – OKCupid will let you know when a good match is nearby.

by Brenna Ehrlich
See full article at Mashable

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