LA TIMES – Nov 9 – Hybrid social networks are connecting strangers with similar interests online, then directing them to meet in person. The sites are doing especially well among 20s – 30s. Grubwithus is a Venice start-up that enables users to attend group meals. Grubwithus has tripled its user base since the beginning of the year, with meal reservations growing 15% month over month; the company claims 80K subscribers. It launched out of start-up accelerator program Y Combinator and has raised $7.6M in financing from investors including Ashton Kutcher and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Still, some of the start-ups have been slow to get off the ground. After receiving $5M in funding in the spring, Lifecrowd, an experience marketplace for in-person group activities such as kickball and kayaking, went offline a few weeks ago. On its website, the company promises to "be back soon with an even better Lifecrowd." Another rising tech start-up is Grouper, which connects two groups of friends for face-to-face hangouts after pairing them online. Users apply for membership and are matched with someone else on the site. Each person then invites two other friends to join in for drinks; after prepaying online for the first round of drinks, the group of six meets at a bar chosen by Grouper. The setup takes away some of the awkwardness of meeting someone new alone, said Michael Waxman, Grouper's co-founder and chief executive.
Category: Outlets – LA Times
Niche Dating Sites Changing The Dating Game
LA TIMES – Oct 28 – Hyper-specific niche matchmaking sites are changing the online dating game. Site like Atlasphere, VeggieDate and DisabledCupid allow users to find potential matches from people who share very important common traits. Dr. Robert Epstein, a San Diego County research psychologist, believes this can be the basis for a successful relationship.
eHarmony CEO Job Is A Good Match For Jeremy Verba
Skout App May Shut Teen Forum Permanently
LA TIMES – June 21 – Skout shut down its forum for 13- to-17-year-olds last week and assigned a team of security specialists to determine whether it can make the app safe for teens. If not, the company plans to close that forum for good. The alleged assaults on two girls, ages 12 and 15, and on a 13-year-old boy underscore how tough it can be to keep kids safe on a new generation of mobile apps. Skout was originally created as a flirting app for adults, and users had to be 18 or older to sign up. It morphed into more of a social networking app that finds people nearby with whom a user can swap messages, photos and virtual gifts and make plans to meet up. But so many of the app’s users were kids (~15%) that last year Skout opened a separate forum for teens.
by Jessica Guynn & Michelle Maltais
The full article was originally published at The Republic, but is no longer available.
eHarmony Helps Couples Share Their Love Story On Facebook
LA TIMES – June 14 – While some couples have tried creating a single Facebook account to share between the two of them, which can get a little messy, an upcoming eHarmony app will let couples share their blended life. It's not limited to users of eHarmony. eHarmony's Facebook app capitalizes on Facebook's Timeline by culling from users seperate accounts, shared check-ins, posts between the two of them and photos they're both tagged in. From that information, it puts together a timeline of their romance from their first meeting.
by Michelle Maltais
The full article was originally published at LA Times, but is no longer available.
Skout Suspends Service For Teens Amid Rape Allegations
LA TIMES – June 12 – Skout has temporarily shut down its services for teens amid a series of rape allegations involving its underage users. "Until we can design better protections, we are temporarily shutting down the under-18 community," founder Christian Wiklund wrote. In the last couple of weeks, three men ranging in age from 21 to 37 have been accused of posing as teenagers on the app's teen forum and allegedly luring boys and girls ages 12 to 15 to sexually assault them, according to a New York Times report. The men, all currently facing criminal charges, allegedly used Skout to contact minors.
Hacker Group LulzSec Exposes 171K Military Accounts
LA TIMES – Mar 28 – The hacker group known as LulzSec appears to be back, claiming to have exposed the accounts of ~171K members on MilitarySingles.com. The programmers of the website are investigating the attack claimed by LulzSec and are taking measures to increase the site's security. "We have enacted a series of security procedures in response," said Robert Goebel, CEO of ESingles Inc., which owns the site. "Regardless of whether it was a true claim or false claim, we’re treating it as though it’s true just to be safe." But Goebel said he does not think the dating site was actually hacked. He said the website was down for some time over the weekend, but that was due to a scheduled maintenance. He also said he's not sure how the hackers could have dumped so many accounts when the site only has about 140K members.
by Salvador Rodriguez
See full article at LA Times
Online Dating’s Promise And Pitfalls
LA TIMES – Feb 14 – Many dating sites, like Match.com or eHarmony, purport to have an advantage over random real-life encounters in that they employ special “algorithms” that can help people find their “match” — weeding through all the people who wouldn’t be compatible in the first place. But this practice might be grossly misleading and even counterproductive — especially since none of these formulas has undergone rigorous scientific review, according to a study led by Eli Finkel of Northwestern University. But the fact that these sites provide singles with unprecedented access to others who also want to date means that singles have far more opportunities to meet and form a lasting bond than they would otherwise, the authors point out.
by Amina Khan
The full article was originally published at Miami Herald, but is no longer available.
Read also: The Dubious Science of Online Dating
Location Is Key In Smartphone Dating Apps
LA TIMES – May 18 – Online dating through smartphone apps is driven mainly by photos and proximity. There are about a dozen smartphone apps which use location-based GPS technology to allow people to connect at public venues. The apps facilitate real life meetings in places of common interest. While most apps are free to download and use, many offer subscriptions for premium features at around a few dollars per month. Mark Brooks, a consultant to online dating services, said premium levels could eventually be a significant source of income for the apps but only after they reach a critical mass of users.
Finding A Valentine With The Help Of A Professional
LA TIMES – Jan 31 – Professional matchmakers use their intuition and extensive social databases to find potential romantic matches for their clients, said professional matchmaker Julie Ferman, founder of Cupid’s Coach in L.A. She claims to have orchestrated more than 1,100 marriages and long-term committed relationships since she started professionally matching couples 20 years ago. Her clients tend to be successful and attractive people who simply don’t have time to look for dates, Ferman said. The cost for her services ranges between $3,000 and $15,000 depending on the level of service a client wants. More individual coaching increases the cost, she said. LA-based matchmaker April Beyer works with only 10 to 15 bachelors each year, each of whom pays her $40K. She does not have female clients, but the single women who register on her website, aprilbeyer.com, can submit photos and their information.
The full article was originally published at LA Times, but is no longer available.