Category: Outlets – Reuters

Ashley Madison Facing FTC Probe, CEO Apologizes

Posted on July 6, 2016

Ashleymadison logo new apr 2010REUTERS – July 5 – The company faces a mountain of problems, including U.S. and Canadian class action lawsuits filed on behalf of customers whose personal information was posted online, and allegations that it used fake profiles to manipulate some customers. Avid said it does not know the focus of its own FTC investigation. Asked about the fembot messages sent to U.S. customers, Segal said: "that's a part of the ongoing process that we're going through … it's with the FTC right now."

by Alastair Sharp & Allison Martell
See full article at Reuters

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eHarmony Sees Revenue From Elevated Careers Late This Year

Posted on April 1, 2016

Eharmony elevated careers screenshotREUTERS – Apr 1 – eHarmony has signed on at least 2 big partners for 6-month trials – AT&T Inc and American Airlines, Dan Erickson said, adding that organizations with a workforce of around 1,000 would hypothetically pay $10K annually once the service is priced. "Our goal is to have 10 to 20 of those foundational partners on board to help us continue to refine the technology and pricing," he said. The company expects its recruitment business to account for about 60% of its total revenue within 3 years. eHarmony had expected 2015 revenue to grow to between $275 million and $350 million.

by Sai Sachin Ravikumar
See full article at Reuters

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Smell Dating Uses Dirty T-Shirts For Matchmaking

Posted on March 24, 2016

Smelldating logoREUTERS – Mar 24 – Smell Dating is a New York matchmaking service that promises to help single people sniff out their perfect match by breathing in the odors from dirty T-shirts. The idea is based on the science of pheromones. The founders describe it as an art project. Each of its first 100 clients received a T-shirt to wear for three days straight without bathing. The clients then mailed the T-shirts back to be cut into swatches. Smell Dating then sent batches of 10 mixed swatches back to the clients to sniff.

by Barbara Goldberg & Angela Moore
See full article at Reuters

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Match Group Short Sellers Not Looking For Long-term Commitment

Posted on January 6, 2016

Match group jan 16REUTERS – Jan 6 – Short sellers have been having trouble committing to Match Group. Match's stock has fallen 8% from the close of its first day of trading on Nov. 19, but following over a month of volatile trading, it is still up 13% from the $12 per share price set by underwriters in its IPO. Traders are betting Match would fall further and join other freshly listed stocks struggling to keep stock prices above their IPO levels. Short sellers borrow shares and then sell them, hoping to repurchase them at a lower price and then return them to their owner. In the meantime, they must also pay interest to the owner.

by Noel Randewich
See full article at Reuters

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Matchmaking Seen As Game Changer In Online Job Search Market

Posted on November 20, 2015

Eharmony elevated careersREUTERS – Nov 20 – In March 2016, eHarmony plans to launch Elevated Careers, an online employment service using the compatibility matching techniques it has used in pairing couples. "It could be a game changer," said Michael Haberman, an HR consultant. Elevated Careers will use predictive algorithms and dozens of variables based on features within CVs and profiles and the firm's job listings to find a professional match.

by Patricia Reaney
See full article at The Fiscal Times

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eHarmony’s Elevated Careers Would Contribute 60% Of The Revenue

Posted on September 1, 2015

Eharmony elevated careersREUTERS – Aug 31 – With surveys showing 70% of Americans are unhappy with their jobs, Neil Clark Warren thinks that matching personalities can work in the recruitment industry. "Nobody has really matched personalities in terms of the applicant and the supervisor. That's not something that LinkedIn or Monster do," Warren said, explaining eHarmony's plans to get into the employment industry. eHarmony plans to launch its recruitment service – Elevated Careers – in 2016, and expects the business to contribute ~60% of the company's revenue within three years. eHarmony expects revenue to be between $275M and $350M this year.

by Sai Sachin Ravikumar & Lehar Maan
See full article at Reuters

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Ashley Madison Courted Several Buyers Before Hack

Posted on August 31, 2015

Ashleymadison mobile screenshotREUTERS – Aug 28 - Ashley Madison has been struggling to sell itself or raise funds for at least three years before the hack, according to internal documents and emails also released by hackers. CEO Noel Biderman was trying to secure a meeting with IAC. "They would be crazy not to speak with us," wrote Biderman in February this year. But one IAC director replied: "They don't want it." The emails also show that Avid Life came close to selling itself at least three times in 2012.

See full article at Newsweek

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More Ashley Madison Data Leaked Online

Posted on August 21, 2015

Ashleymadison securityREUTERS – Aug 20 – Ashley Madison's hackers released more data that also include email messages linked to Noel Biderman, the site's founder & CEO. The additional release will likely ratchet up the pressure on the company, which has been quiet about exactly how much and what sort of data was stolen in a breach in July. The recent 20-gigabyte data dump is roughly double the size of the earlier one. Despite the negative publicity surrounding the cyber attack, demand for Ashley Madison's services has been steady since the data breach first announced in July, said Mark Brooks, CEO of Internet dating consultancy Courtland Brooks. "I would have thought this would be a death knell for that company because their entire business basis is privacy," Brooks said. "It just goes to say that all press is good press…The awareness of the brand is through the roof."

by Alastair Sharp & Josephine Mason
See full article at Reuters

Also read at Newsweek, CNBC and Die Welt.

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China To Go After Fraud On Dating Sites

Posted on February 13, 2015

Online dating profile chinaREUTERS – Feb 12 – China's Internet regulator will target fraud on dating sites. Dating websites must enforce online real-name registration and accounts failing to register with real names must be closed.

by Ben Blanchard
See full article at Reuters

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Double Sends Users On A Double Date With Facebook Friends

Posted on February 10, 2015

Double logoREUTERS – Feb 10 – UK dating site Double pairs up two Facebook friends to go on a joint date with two other friends they meet through the website's local network. Starting in London, Double plans to expand in cities across Britain, before looking to the US and worldwide.

See full article at DailyMail.co.uk

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