BUSINESS INSIDER – Feb 1 – Secret sharing app Whisper isn't meant for meeting people, but that's not stopping people from forming offline relationships using the app. The app lets people share photos and text completely anonymously. It only added the private messaging feature six months later after it realized some of its users were trying to stay in touch via email. Whisper launched in May 2012 and has raised $24M to date.
Category: Outlets – Business Insider
Facebook Is Blocking Dating Ads Until Valentine’s Day
BUSINESS INSIDER – Jan 19 – Facebook has temporarily blocked some dating sites from advertising if they are new to Facebook. Dating sites won't be able to advertise on FB until after Valentine's Day. Kyle McGinnis, the CEO of HiDine, says his ads ran for months on FB and were only recently bumped from the site. He believes Facebook is biased in favor of bigger dating sites with larger ad budgets.
by Jim Edwards
See full article at Business Insider
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.
Android Phones Are Used As Dumbphones
BUSINESS INSIDER – Jan 3 – Google's mobile users outnumber Apple's all over the place (80% of all smartphone users are Android owners), but Apple users are the ones spending all the money. iOS users spent $93.94 per order, twice that of Android users, who spent ~$48.10. It looks like Android people use their phones for calling, texting and playing Bejeweled. They ain't shopping.
by Jim Edwards
See full article at Business Insider
Mark Brooks: Android or iPhone? Where are you seeing best results for your dating app? Please comment.
Hinge Users Have Been Very Engaged
BUSINESS INSIDER – Dec 11 – Dating app Hinge selects daily matches for its users based on their network of friends on Facebook. In November, Hinge raised $4M from the likes of Red Swan and 500 Startups. It has launched in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City, with San Francisco or Chicago up next. ~100K people have signed up. An average person logs in 40 times per month.
Playdope: Tinder Meets QuizUp
BUSINESS INSIDER – Dec 10 – Matt Newberg agrees we use phones as a wall we can hide behind when we're alone in a public place. So he created "Playdope", an app that helps people make connections by playing picture trivia games and chat for 24 hours afterward the game is completed. Right now, the app is available on college campuses.
Virtual Girlfriend: A Game For Lonely People
BUSINESS INSIDER – Dec 5 – Love Plus is a very popular "virtual girfriend" Nintendo game in Japan. Some Japanese men who would rather date virtual ladies than real ones. My Virtual Girlfriend is a similar app available in USA. The main objective of the game is to make your girlfriend happy and fall in love with you. The girls play hardcore into whatever personality stereotype they've been designated. The free version of the app sees ~1K-3K downloads a day.
‘Invisible Girlfriend’ Provides Fake Girlfriend For A Price
BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 23 – Invisible Girlfriend is a new startup that provides users with fake girlfriends so they have a better story to tell to their friends and family. The company has three monthly subscription options: "Just Talking," which offers text messages, automated calls, and gifts for $9.99, "Getting Serious," with the previous options plus Facebook relationship change, and real voicemails and gifts for $29.99, and "Almost Engaged," which offers "custom girlfriend characterization" and live phone calls at $49.99.
Fake Profiles May Be Legal For Ashley Madison
BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 15 – Are bogus profiles on a dating website illegal? It turns out they may be in a legal gray area. Ashley Madison discloses in its terms of agreement that some of its profiles may be "fictitious." " Ashley’s Angels provide entertainment, attempt to simulate communications with members to encourage more conversation and interaction with users." However, Ashley Madison may get into trouble if somebody can prove its marketing pitches let on that users are getting more than a fantasy.
by Erin Fuchs
See full article at Business Insider
Mark Brooks: I call this branch of iDating, High Emotion Entertainment. Mate1 had their ambassadors. TRUE sent winks on behalf of members to compatible matches. Sites grapple with the nuances of the integrity of this practice. It's not good practice, but it makes a ton of money. Incentives drive behavior. But standards really need to be established, and the companies that don't resort to this practice need to be highlighted and clear to users.
A Dating Site’s Facebook Ad Used Photo Of Dead Girl
BUSINESS INSIDER – Sep 18 – Facebook banned ionechat.com
from advertising on its site after it posted an ad featuring a photo of
Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old Canadian who hanged herself after photos
of her alleged rape were posted online. The controversy is sure to
reignite ongoing debate between Facebook and privacy advocates over how
advertisers should be allowed to display user data alongside Facebook
ads. The offending website, ionechat.com, is currently down.
by Aaron Taube
See full article at Business Insider
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.
Pure Dating App Works Like Uber
BUSINESS INSIDER – Aug 24 – Pure is a new app that connects people who are ready to get laid right now. Pure will be a paid app. The app's business model incorporates an in-app purchase system that charges users $9.99 for a 24-hour pass. The pass will allow members to submit unlimited sex requests in that one-day period. Pure is planning to launch very soon, but it needs Apple's approval first.