Category: Uncategorized

CLIKZ NETWORK — Feb 8 — "Online Dating in 2006: Pricing Strategies to Drive Subscriber Growth" from JupiterResearch finds revenue growth is driven by higher monthly fees instead of new membership. 5% of Internet users pay for online dating subscriptions, down from 6% last year. More Internet users visit dating sites than join, and 1/3 of those who go to dating sites sign up for membership. "Sites are working hard to broaden their total audience," said Elliott. "If they get offline figures like Dr. Phil involved, more visitors will come to their sites [and convert]."  Social networking communities potentially pose a safe alternative to dating sites, but the report doesn't see a significant threat. 14% of non-subscribing online daters use social networking sites for online dating. 

The full article was originally published at ClickZ Network, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: OK folks here's the conversions of top dating sites.  10% of users who register profiles convert to paid members.  This can range from just a couple of percent for a site that is below critical mass, to as high as 25% for a targeted site well beyond critical mass.  eHarmony, Match, Jdate, TRUE etc are higher.  A typical member sticks around for three months.  Spark.net lists churn numbers which reflect this number.  Retention is down…because hey, the industry is more effective at hooking people up these days ;-) 

GAY.COM — Feb 8 — Beardar caters to Bears and Cubs (hairy and husky homosexuals) and will launch its Website at IBR (International Bear Rendezvous, bosf.org). Beardar is doing a model search for its entry web page. Vito "BigVbear" Grandolfo, Beardar.com founder says, "We are taking pictures at the booth. We are looking for couples to take off their shirts, hug face-to-face, smile for the camera and be proud! We want to show prospective members they can find a partner or husband by using the site." 

The full article was originally published at Gay.com, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: How sweet.  Any takers?  Yet another niche dating site.  Truly, there's something for everyone these days.

Feb 10 – Pictures are out for the 2006 internet dating convention.  All Pics  Highlights: Dr John Gray, Keynote: Online Personals Watch Editor: Mark Brooks, Packed Exhibit Hall, Final Panel & The Beer, Great Expectations CEO: Rob Fisher. Relationship Exchange CEO: Brad Hogg.  300 attendees, more exhibitors, more presentations, two full days of networking and a good time was had by all.  Let’s do it again.  Beijing anyone?  Amsterdam? 

RED HERRING – Feb 7 — Social networking site TagWorld, which debuted just three months ago, announced its first round of outside funding from Draper Fisher Jurvetson. TagWorld has been called a MySpace killer for its clean design and functionality.  The under-21 category is the largest segment of 700,000 users.  Other recent social networking investments from other firms included deals for Tagged and WisdomArk, both said to be about $7 million.

SOUTHERN DIGEST — Feb 7 — HIVdate helps find matches for infected partners.  Pozitiveliving connects HIV-positive people. It’s more of a search site than actual dating service and has 19,000 members. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Feb 6 — Two of the world’s biggest e-mail account providers, Yahoo Inc. and America Online, plan to introduce a service that would charge senders a fee to route their e-mail directly to a user’s mailbox without first passing through junk mail filters, representatives of both companies said Sunday.  The fees would range from 1/4 cent to 1 cent per e-mail; the latest attempts by the companies to weed out spam. In exchange for paying, e-mail senders will be guaranteed their messages won’t be filtered and will bear a seal alerting recipients they’re legitimate.  FULL ARTICLE @ MSNBC.COM

PR NEWSWIRE — Feb 6 — An estimated 40 million U.S. singles have tried online dating.  Paltalk, the Internet’s largest real time voice and video chat community, offers helpful hints to enhance the online dating experience: *Spend time on your profile, *  Invite a friend to start online dating at the same time. You can critique each other’s profiles, *  Consider a virtual date before an in person one. The Paltalk Messenger has been downloaded over 37 million times and accounts for over 8 billion voice minutes per year.

Mark Brooks: Webdate also offer video dating.  Hence the name, ‘webdate.’ 

INQ7.NET — Feb 04 –  "Unlike the social networking service by Friendster, our goal is to allow people to find love," said Mary Ann Go, marketing head of Philippine-based matchmaking website Itzamatch.com, said. Additional investments amounting to 450,000 dollars are being poured into Itzamatch.com this year.  The company aims to hit 250,000 members in February 2007.  Friendster Philippines, through Philippine partner Pusit.com, has also recently disclosed plans to start selling "Friendster Flowers" to Filipino users, according to Terence Pua, founder of Pusit.com.  To date, there are five million Filipinos on Friendster.

CBS NEWS — Feb 3 — Police are investigating whether as many as seven teenage girls have been sexually assaulted by men they met through MySpace.com. "It is a predator’s dream come true" said Middletown Police Sgt. Bill McKenna. "Not only can you see them, but you can see their friends. You can find out where they go to middle school and high school."  MySpace monitors reviews every image hosted by the site and is working with law enforcement agencies.  FULL ARTICLE @ CBS NEWS

TMC NET ONLINE CHANNELS — Feb 2 — CuteOnly is connecting Russian women with men from various parts of the world with the launch of an automated online translation feature as part of the Internet dating experience.  FULL ARTICLE @ TMC NET ONLINE