Category: TRUE.com

Lawmakers Propose Safety Net for State’s Lonely Hearts

Posted on March 20, 2006

True_7DAYTONA BEACH NEWS JOURNAL ONLINE — Mar 18 — Lawmakers plan to sit down soon for a heart-to-heart about whether to regulate Internet dating companies by forcing them to provide safety tips and disclose whether they do criminal background checks.  The proposal has already been held up in one House committee, and a coalition of major online companies (netcoalition) says the proposal is overreaching and misleading. Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, has introduced the so-called "Florida Internet Dating Safety Awareness Act" in the Senate.  "What we're trying to do is say if you don't do the background checks, then just say that and just (give) some other tips for online dating," she said.  Internet dating has become a mainstream phenomenon, with 63 million Americans saying they know someone who has used a dating Web site, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. But 66% of Internet users also say online dating is dangerous because it puts personal information on the Web. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's computer crime center had no figures to indicate the prevalence of crimes related to Internet dating sites. In Volusia County, Sheriff's Office spokesman Gary Davidson said he was aware of no such reports. In 2005, TRUE intercepted 1,583 convicted felons trying to sign up for its dating service, spokesperson Terra Gray said. "I don't know how we hold certain people accountable for bringing us together," Rep. Sheri McInvale, R-Orlando, said in a recent House committee meeting where a vote on the bill was delayed to avoid a possible down-vote. "I think we have to accept responsibility for our own safety." 

Mark Brooks: The saga continues. Your comments please…

Online Dating Ad Has Undesirable Match: Rape, Murder

Posted on March 8, 2006

Truecom_3ONLINE MEDIA DAILY — Mar 8 — Tuesday morning, the New York Post ran a front-page article detailing the ongoing investigation into the sexual assault and murder of a graduate student. Online, the Post’s lead story was accompanied by an ad for True.com.  True.com bills itself as an especially safe dating service because it screens all members for a criminal history and said it would not have approved of the ad placement.  FULL ARTICLE @ ONLINE MEDIA DAILY

E-vil Stalks Dating Sites

Posted on February 16, 2006

Truecom_2NEW YORK POST — Feb 12 — Abstract (Document Summary) Evin Nieradka, a 31-year-old West Point graduate convicted in 2001 of simultaneously assaulting two girls ages 12 and 16, was on Match.com under the name "evin363."  He's on the New Jersey Corrections Department sex-offender search.  A user reported the finding to Match.com and Nieradka was removed from the site.  His bio included a shirtless photo of himself – a photo that caught the eye of an acquaintance from his New Jersey town. Dr. Robert Wells of California, a convicted sex offender, 66, was convicted of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old was thrown off True.com, the only online dating site that does background checks, in November for lying about his status as a convicted felon when he signed up.  True.com also took the doctor to court for the lie.  True CEO Herb Vest said Wells got through the background check because the county in which he was arrested refuses to give criminal records to commercial businesses.  "I am very, very concerned that Internet dating sites in general do not take this criminal situation seriously," said Vest, who is advocating legislationrequiring dating sites to disclose on their home pages whether they do background checks. "It's imperative to our industry that we keep criminals off our sites."

Must Love Wing Tips

Posted on February 15, 2006

Truecom_1BUSINESS WEEK — Feb 20 — A third of all online daters are over 45, and 19% make more than $100,000 a year, says Web tracking firm Hitwise. Match reports 7% of its 8 million members call themselves executives (the government classifies 4% of the workforce as managers).  They’re more likely to be divorced (36%), have dogs (30%), and enjoy wine tastings (20%) than other singles. In Washington D.C., the women have high financial expectations: 44% of female execs want a match who makes more than $150,000. In Raleigh N.C., 37% of the male execs want a woman who rakes in that much.  Execs are sexually adventurous. TRUE offers a sexual compatibility quiz that puts people into one of eight categories, from “traditionalists” to “mavericks.” 16% of executive members are mavericks, vs. 12% overall. “They’re willing to do just about anything,” says TRUE founder Herb Vest, “within the normal parameters.”  And yes, older men want younger women. Match says male execs in L.A. typically seek women 13 years younger. 25% of eHarmony’s men 55+ are interested in women 40 or younger.

The full article was originally published at Business Week, but is no longer available.

Dating Sites now Attracting Mainstream Singles

Posted on February 13, 2006

True_4THE TRIBUNE STAR — Feb 11 — Hooking up via cyberspace is especially attractive to the 35 to 55 crowd, said Sorin Matei, a Purdue University associate professor who specializes in online communication. Herb Vest, CEO of TRUE, said the sheer number of singles participating online is a draw. “It is a very, very efficient way and effective way to find your soul mate.” Although still coming in droves, for the first time, personal dating sites are losing more users than they are attracting, Jupiter’s data shows. Only about a quarter of users are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with online personals sites, according to Jupiter Research. “The biggest issue people have today with online dating is dishonesty,” said Falzone of Together Dating/The Right One, whose traditional dating service has experienced a boon from clients disappointed with online dating. “I could be the Lone Ranger on there and no one would know.” 

The full article was originally published at Tribune Star, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: There are two kinds of internet dating users.  1. Those that are happy and met someone special.  2. This that are not happy, and did not meet someone special.  …My concern is, people don't realise the amount of time and effort it takes to meet someone through online dating.  It's a far superior medium for discerning good potential matches, but it still takes considerable time and effort. 

TRUE Survey; Ways Men and Women Approach Valentines Holiday

Posted on February 6, 2006

TruecomPR NEWSWIRE — Jan 31 — Men put a greater importance on Valentines day: 25% made it their 2006 New Year’s resolution to have a date or  special someone to share the romantic holiday with this year. 85% of surveyed men said they hoped to receive a gift on Valentine’s Day.  25% of the men surveyed agreed that calling on an ex for a Valentine’s Day date is much better than being alone. 89% of women, on the other hand would prefer to be "smart and single," date-free at home, than contact an ex. The majority of women, 46%, preferred roses or any other type of flowers in honor of the day. This is the gift that men are most likely to give (55%).

Lawmaker Wants to Make Online Dating Safer

Posted on January 23, 2006

True_1DAILY HERALD — Jan 22 — "It would be a benefit to the industry. You would provide a safer, more secure level of participation and entice more people to join dating services," said state Rep. John Bradley, a Marion Democrat, who's sponsoring the plan. Bradley, who's married, said he simply wants to make online dating safer. The driving force behind background checks is TRUE.com, which checks for criminal and marriage histories and threatens to go after those who lie. TRUE said checks can cost as little as $1.50. ~5% of people looking to join the site are rejected because they either fail criminal background screenings or they fail a marriage check.

November 2005 Site Rankings

Posted on December 27, 2005

Dec 27 — The November rankings are live (see left bar).  Nielsen has tidied social networks Myspace, Facebook, hi5 and Friendster out of their online dating rankings, leaving Yahoo Personals (1), Match (2) and TRUE (3) with the November 2005 top spots.   

Not much change with the Alexa rankings.  Plentyoffish and Friendfinder bump Date.com down two spots to #6.  For the social networking rankings Facebook bumps Friendster out of the top 3.  Myspace now leads the social networking category, followed by Hi5 and Facebook.

TRUE trumps American Singles on the Hitwise top 15 rankings for November and takes the #5 spot.  Singlesnet moves up one spot to #7 and wrestles Plentyoffish and adult oriented Mate1 down one place.  MSN leans on it’s online dating and moves up five full places to take the #10 position.  Niche site Blackpeoplemeet impressively moves up a spot to #11 and Perfect Match gets squeezed out to #12.  Youngsters online dating site, Hotornot, moves up a spot to #13.  – Mark Brooks   

Background Checks Split Matchmaking Sites

Posted on December 14, 2005

True_1_1USA TODAY — Dec — True.com, a Dallas-based online dating service, began touting its criminal background checks in July 2004 and wrote proposed legislation that would force online dating sites to say whether they conduct such checks. The proposal has been considered in California, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Florida and Michigan.  In Illinois, state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, says he is having a similar bill drafted that he intends to introduce in January. "It seems like a common-sense thing," he says. "Internet dating isn't the same as going out to a social gathering. You can meet a large number of people very quickly. There aren't any types of precautions. … We have to do as much as we can to protect people from predators."  Match.com says background checks would add $10 to $15 to the cost of its three-month membership.  Herb Vest, CEO of True.com, says background checks can help the online dating industry's credibility.  In 2004, 4.7 million people subscribed to an online dating site, says Andrew Peach, research director for Jupiter Research. "It's going to be better for everyone if the online dating industry is seen as a safe place," Vest says.  True.com says it rejects 5% of its applicants because of criminal convictions. Vest acknowledges that True.com's system has holes, but says "I can't promise criminals that they can't get on" True.com. "But if I find them, they're going to wish they hadn't."  FULL ARTICLE @ USA TODAY

Dating Sites Crack Down on Convicts

Posted on November 30, 2005

True_1CONTRA COSTA TIMES — Nov 28 — Robert Wells advertised himself on an online dating service as a semiretired physician who enjoys wine tasting, "The Sopranos" and reading science fiction.  But a woman surfing the Web site recognized the Walnut Creek man from another dating site she'd used a year earlier. She told the current service, Dallas-based True.com, that Wells was lying.  Not only had the medical board revoked his license, according to a lawsuit, but he also was a convicted sex offender.  The company sued Wells earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Texas, alleging Wells committed fraud by misrepresenting himself.  "I make a promise to my members," said Herb Vest, TRUE's CEO. "If you are clever enough to get around our site securities, I'm going to prosecute."  TRUE is suing Wells for at least $200,000. "If anyone who's married or has a criminal conviction thinks they can get on our site, go ahead and try me," Vest said.