WASHINGTON POST — Sep 19 — In India, divorce is slowly becoming a
girl’s best friend. In a country where marriage is a cornerstone of
family life, there
has long been a deep social stigma associated with divorce. Arranged
marriages are still common. India is a young nation, with 75% of the
population under age
35. A new matchmaking Indian Web site called SecondShaadi.com — shaadi
meaning marriage — is targeting divorcees and widows. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST
Category: Outlets – Washington Post
A Dating Site for People with Special Conditions
THE WASHINGTON POST — Aug 7 — Prescription4Love, launched in 2006, is a dating site for people with various illnesses. The niche site (1,000 members) allows users to search according to different conditions, such as AIDS, infertility, and obesity. The site is free for now, but in the future will have a small membership fee, a percentage of which will be donated to charities. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHNIGTON POST
Chemistry.com in Spat With eHarmony.com
THE WASHINGTON POST — May 16 — A name-calling catfight, complete with accusations and counter-accusations, has broken out between eHarmony.com (13 million registrants since 2000) and an offshoot of Match.com over a subject familiar to any luckless dater. Rejection. Chemistry's (2 million registrants since 2006) TV commercials and magazine ads feature young men and women wondering why their applications to join eHarmony were turned down. No fair, says eHarmony, concerned that its rival's ads suggest that eHarmony is being arbitrary or discriminatory in turning people away. It wants Chemistry.com's ads changed or dropped. eHarmony’s legal counsel, Lanny Davis (who spun the media for President Bill Clinton during his “relationship problems” with Monica Lewinsky), last week asked NBC and People magazine to stop running Chemistry.com's current ads, or at least insist on some fine-print qualifiers about what “1 million rejected” really means. (As of Friday, NBC hadn't responded to Davis; People magazine said that it wasn't taking sides in the feud and that it would continue running the ads.) eHarmony turns people away for controversial reasons. One is being gay. CEO, Greg Waldorf says eHarmony's matching system is based on psychological research about heterosexual relationships. Because it doesn't have similar data on gay people, he says, the company isn't confident that it can offer successful matches to same-sex couples. “I'm not saying anything precludes us from going into the same-sex market in the future,” he says, “but it's not a service we offer now.” Firing back, eHarmony accuses Chemistry's parent company of hypocrisy. It notes that IAC made formal overtures to buy eHarmony in 2004, but a deal never came off.
Mark Brooks: These days the best kind of advertising spawns press, word-of-mouth, and riles up the competition. Match.com has kicked off on every level with their campaign. This year we should surely see a free version of eharmony startup. Perhaps the fresh faced (new) Mary.com or LTR.com, or the current dominant free dating market leader PlentyofFish.com. Beyond that, MyPartnerPerfect.com is due to launch shortly as the quality, long term focused, personality profiling, all gay matchmaking site, headed by the young Patrick H.Perrine.
Check Date’s Background Online
WASHINGTON POST — Mar 25 — Kimberly Hall was twice betrayed by men she met dating online. Both turned out to be married. So she started doing background checks on her dates using Intelius.com. Singles now draw on a growing arsenal of security and research tools – from services that verify identity and background to companies that provide temporary phone numbers as a barrier to stalkers. Few dating sites conduct their own background checks on members and only one seeks to verify marital status. 31% of American adults say they know someone who has used a dating Web site, and nearly 60% of Internet users said they think a lot of online daters lie about their marital status, (Pew Internet & American Life Project study, 2006). At True.com 2% of applicants are rejected because they are convicted felons. 3% flunk because they are married. Trufina verifies age, identity and address. Jangl offers free temporary phone numbers for eBay customers and dating singles. Tossable Digits offers a similar service. Intelius provides name, address, age, marital record and criminal background check.
The full article was originally published at Canton Rep, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: HonestyOnline.com also offers background checks, tailored to the needs of online dating sites. Jangl and Vumber.com provide two way anonymous calling services.
Check Date’s Background Online
WASHINGTON POST — Mar 25 — Kimberly Hall was twice betrayed by men she met dating online. Both turned out to be married. So she started doing background checks on her dates using Intelius.com. Singles now draw on a growing arsenal of security and research tools – from services that verify identity and background to companies that provide temporary phone numbers as a barrier to stalkers. Few dating sites conduct their own background checks on members and only one seeks to verify marital status. 31% of American adults say they know someone who has used a dating Web site, and nearly 60% of Internet users said they think a lot of online daters lie about their marital status, (Pew Internet & American Life Project study, 2006). At True.com 2% of applicants are rejected because they are convicted felons. 3% flunk because they are married. Trufina verifies age, identity and address. Jangl offers free temporary phone numbers for eBay customers and dating singles. Tossable Digits offers a similar service. Intelius provides name, address, age, marital record and criminal background check.
The full article was originally published at Canton Rep, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: HonestyOnline.com also offers background checks, tailored to the needs of online dating sites. Jangl and Vumber.com provide two way anonymous calling services.
Looking For Love With a Background Check
WASHINGTON POST — Jan 30 — Dating sites have been slow to adopt safety-filtering measures; few dating sites conduct their own background checks on members and only onJe seeks to verify marital status. Nearly 60% of Internet users said they think a lot of online daters lie about their marital status, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project study last year. verifies age, identity and address for free, figuring that will draw customers willing to pay an additional $9.95 for criminal checks. Several other background-check firms, like Intelius, which built their businesses doing criminal checks for employers, are increasingly finding customers interested in researching their dates. Jangl offers free temporary phone numbers for dating singles to keep their real phone numbers to themselves.
The full article was originally published at Fay Observer, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: Social telephone number services are on the rise. Jangl essentially provisions conference calls and assigns a unique Jangl id and number to each relationship. Vumber works differently. A Vumber is a virtual number with a voicemail, so users can record a message which doesn't mention their name or number. (Vumber is my client, fyi).
Looking For Love With a Background Check
WASHINGTON POST — Jan 30 — Dating sites have been slow to adopt safety-filtering measures; few dating sites conduct their own background checks on members and only onJe seeks to verify marital status. Nearly 60% of Internet users said they think a lot of online daters lie about their marital status, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project study last year. verifies age, identity and address for free, figuring that will draw customers willing to pay an additional $9.95 for criminal checks. Several other background-check firms, like Intelius, which built their businesses doing criminal checks for employers, are increasingly finding customers interested in researching their dates. Jangl offers free temporary phone numbers for dating singles to keep their real phone numbers to themselves.
The full article was originally published at Fay Observer, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: Social telephone number services are on the rise. Jangl essentially provisions conference calls and assigns a unique Jangl id and number to each relationship. Vumber works differently. A Vumber is a virtual number with a voicemail, so users can record a message which doesn't mention their name or number. (Vumber is my client, fyi).
The Disastrous Effects of Match.com
WASHINGTON POST — Jan 28 — (Written by a woman interviewed by The Washington Post whose mother helps her find dates on Match.com.) We do everything possible to please our man. You prefer French cooking? Mais oui, mon cher! You want my hair long? No problem. What the hell has happened? Match.com and other online dating services have given men access to a smorgasbord of women. We are bolting sooner and sooner if there is a lull in the conversation or the slightest hint of incompatibility, knowing that the next one will appear within a few mouse clicks. Be honest about your age and size. You may think you will charm him with your dazzling personality but you're simply wasting his time and yours if you lie. Don't respond to winks or messages from men with no photos, they're married or involved. If he doesn't ask to meet you within a week of phone calls and e-mails, he is either busy serial dating or too busy working to date you. Keep the date short and do not even think of sleeping with him until he is clearly nuts about you. The way he treats your family is very important. If he is cold, indifferent, or not eager to spend time with them, run! FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST
Mark Brooks: Thanks to Kathryn Lord for the heads up on this article. Is internet dating really responsible for the demise of the long term relationship? Let's discuss this further, your comments please…
The Disastrous Effects of Match.com
WASHINGTON POST — Jan 28 — (Written by a woman interviewed by The Washington Post whose mother helps her find dates on Match.com.) We do everything possible to please our man. You prefer French cooking? Mais oui, mon cher! You want my hair long? No problem. What the hell has happened? Match.com and other online dating services have given men access to a smorgasbord of women. We are bolting sooner and sooner if there is a lull in the conversation or the slightest hint of incompatibility, knowing that the next one will appear within a few mouse clicks. Be honest about your age and size. You may think you will charm him with your dazzling personality but you're simply wasting his time and yours if you lie. Don't respond to winks or messages from men with no photos, they're married or involved. If he doesn't ask to meet you within a week of phone calls and e-mails, he is either busy serial dating or too busy working to date you. Keep the date short and do not even think of sleeping with him until he is clearly nuts about you. The way he treats your family is very important. If he is cold, indifferent, or not eager to spend time with them, run! FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST
Mark Brooks: Thanks to Kathryn Lord for the heads up on this article. Is internet dating really responsible for the demise of the long term relationship? Let's discuss this further, your comments please…
AOL Buys Userplane
WASHINGTON POST — Aug 17 — Shortly after AOL announced a dramatically new business plan that included laying off a quarter of its workforce, the company went on a small buying spree, purchasing GameDaily.com, which provides information about video games, and instant messaging firm Userplane. AOL is trying to find ways to keep customers coming back to its Internet community while parent company Time Warner seeks ways to expand its Internet empire. AOL is trying to cut costs as it transitions from an Internet service provider to a Web portal that provides free services and draws revenue from online advertising. It will cut 5,000 positions over the next six months. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST
Mark Brooks: Userplane has a vast reach and has built great good will with myriad internet dating, social networking and online communities. That good will could translate into more deals and distribution opportunities for the new AOL.com.