Dallas Business Journall, Sep 13th — Ninety employees of True.com, an Irving-based online dating service, over 60% of its workforce, got pink slips on Friday as the company launched a plan to streamline operations. Last week True’s competitor Match.com made a decision to replace Tim Sullivan, its chief executive officer, and eliminate about 30 jobs in its events and new product divisions. DALLAS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Category: TRUE.com
Online Dating’s Creep Factor
Tues August 24, Motley Fool — MatchNet’s recent IPO filing hinted at what I have suspected for some time: Online dating, once viewed as the realm for losers and geeks, has become a regular part of Internet social life…Increased transience and demanding schedules make it hard for singles, and the bar scene gets old. Moderns get married later, leaving lots of time for dating around. Last, our woefully high U.S. divorce rate leaves many re-released into the field…Two out of five singles have tried it…MatchNet would have been the first publicly traded online dating pure play in the U.S…Since 1999, MatchNet’s sales have grown 460% to $36.9 million…InterActive is planning its own foray into social networking…There seems to be demand for complex psychological profiles — enter eHarmony and True.com…It’s likely perceived that people will pay more for real "matching," which eHarmony and True both claim to provide. Hold your criticism: many users probably feel the higher prices insinuate users who are more serious about "real relationships." So, if MatchNet decides to revive its scuttled IPO filing later — or if the other privately held contenders decide to go public themselves — my advice would be: Look out, investors; when it comes to this industry, you may have to kiss a lot of toads.
Florida Becomes Fourth State to Support TRUE’s Safety Campaign
DALLAS, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Gaining further support for its national legislation campaign that seeks to protect online daters from interacting with sexual predators and criminals, today TRUE announced it has secured legislative support in a fourth key state — Florida…State Rep. Kevin Ambler is the sixth lawmaker to embrace…TRUE’s proposed safety legislation requiring all online dating services to conduct felony and sexual offense background searches on their members.
True Teams Up With Clear Channel
DALLAS, July 27 /PRNewswire/ — …True has formed a relationship with Clear Channel Entertainment. Throughout the summer the companies will bring millions of music fans across the country closer to their favorite artists and each other…Concert-goers in 16 major US cities will have the opportunity to learn the keys to creating long-lasting relationships at concerts produced by Clear Channel Entertainment…through amusing and entertaining give-aways and collateral as well as "True Hook-ups" — live dating games that will take place in between acts at various venues…Specific concerts will be announced via radio in each city as well as via ongoing Web promotions at http://www.true.com/EventsCalendar.htm…True members will enjoy special VIP access to more than 200 live performances at more than 20 venues and live club events. In addition members can access real-time information regarding Clear Channel Entertainment concerts at True.com and True’s Web site will receive prominent placement on the Clear Channel Web site (http://www.cc.com).
True Filters Two-Timers
SAN JOSE, Calif. — AP — True helps its love seekers avoid the sleazily married by filtering philanderers…Of course, people seeking extramarital bliss have other options: Yahoo and MSN even have online chat groups dedicated to the "married and flirting." …True’s screening system, which crosschecks "hundreds of millions" of public and proprietary records, isn’t foolproof, Vest acknowledged. Then again, neither is love.
TRUE Sets the Standard in Online Dating, Becoming the First Service to Provide Verification of Members’ Single Status
DALLAS, July 22 /PRNewswire/ — In a recent survey of single females ages 18-34 conducted by Russell Research, results showed that 85% of those polled would be more likely to use an online dating site that prescreens members against public records to ensure members are not married, when compared to other online dating sites…TRUE today announced it is expanding its relationship with Rapsheets, America’s largest source of criminal records on the Internet, to execute Single Verification(TM) on http://www.True.com…TRUE becomes the first online relationship service to provide this critical screening for its members.
Virginia Joins Texas and Ohio as the Third State to Support TRUE’s Nationwide Safety Campaign
DALLAS, July 20 /PRNewswire/ — Less than two weeks after launching its national legislation campaign seeking to protect online daters from interacting with sexual predators and criminals, today TRUE announced that it has secured legislative support in a third key state, Virginia, joining Texas and Ohio. Said Herb Vest, CEO and founder of TRUE. "As an industry, we have an obligation to increase the safety of our customers to the greatest extent possible…"
True; Millions of Singles Could Be Using Flawed Compatibility Tests
DALLAS, PRNewswire — …The research, which will be presented this week at the iDate 2004 inaugural conference in Nice, France, set out to explore and analyze the psychometric reliability and validity of the testing methods used by such services as eHarmony, Match.com, PerfectMatch.com and Tickle.com, among others. With the sole exception of True, no online dating service makes available any independent verification for the scientific basis of its testing methodology, evidence of the success of its tests, or any other information which may be used to measure or evaluate the validity of the methods employed to determine compatibility among singles. In light of these findings, True believes that industry standards must be developed and implemented to ensure reliability and validity of online psychological tests, thereby protecting online dating services from challenges to the quality and accuracy of their assessments.
True Launches Campaign Proposing Legislation Requiring Online Dating Services to Conduct Criminal Background Checks or Disclose Absence
DALLAS, July 6 /PRNewswire/ — In an effort to make online dating a safer, True today announced that it is launching a state-by-state campaign in support of legislation requiring online dating services to conduct criminal background checks or to prominently disclose to its members if it chooses not to provide this safety enhancing service. Already garnering strong support in the company’s home State of Texas, Senator John Carona and State Representative Will Hartnett have joined True’s safety movement as sponsors of the legislation.
True Responds to Subpoena From Rival Match
DALLAS, June 15 /PRNewswire/ — …True (formerly TrueBegininngs) responded to subpoenas served to six of its employees by former employer Match by taking out full-page ads in the WSJ and Dallas Morning News. The ads feature a letter written by Herb Vest, founder and CEO of the company, to Barry Diller, Chairman and CEO of IAC, parent company of Match. …Vest vows to defend his employees. …"True reviewed the employees' agreements, and we firmly believe that we have we have not broken any rules by hiring them." …claims by Match involve possible "breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of duty of loyalty, unfair competition, misappropriation, disclosure of trade secrets, and torturous interference with contact or prospective business relations."