Category: Uncategorized

NEWS SENTINEL — Feb 7 — In this increasingly specialized world of ours, there is literally something for everybody.  But you may ask: "Eric, those sites are for the uptown crowd; I’m a little more down-to-earth. Where can I go to find true love?"  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I give you redneckandsingle.com.  Turns out rednecks are pretty much like the rest of us until it comes time to list their hobbies and tastes, which run the gamut from raisin’ critters to raisin’ crops to fixin’ stuff.  The site was founded by Kevin McIntosh of Winston-Salem, N.C., who saw this venture as a way to connect rednecks who find themselves living in an increasingly un-redneck age. 

NEWS SENTINEL — Feb 7 — In this increasingly specialized world of ours, there is literally something for everybody.  But you may ask: "Eric, those sites are for the uptown crowd; I’m a little more down-to-earth. Where can I go to find true love?"  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I give you redneckandsingle.com.  Turns out rednecks are pretty much like the rest of us until it comes time to list their hobbies and tastes, which run the gamut from raisin’ critters to raisin’ crops to fixin’ stuff.  The site was founded by Kevin McIntosh of Winston-Salem, N.C., who saw this venture as a way to connect rednecks who find themselves living in an increasingly un-redneck age. 

RED NOVA — Feb 7 — Sprint is offering its customers access to mobile dating services. Two mobile dating services are available today to Sprint customers with select Sprint PCS Vision(SM) handsets: SMS.ac and Match.com Mobile. Three services are offered with SMS.ac: Flirt – search profiles for 25c per text. Clubs – join mobile communities to chat on any topic, 25c per message received. Channels – receive the news, horoscopes and more for $.25 per text message. With Match.com Mobile, powered by Enpocket’s Eden dating engine, users can sign up, explore and find matches for free. When users decide to communicate with their matches, they will be asked to subscribe for only $4.99 a month. Coming soon, Sprint will offer access to dating services from Lavalife.

Mark Brooks: Check out the upcoming mobile/wireless dating conference in San Francisco July 19-20.

TWIN CITIES PIONEER PRESS — Feb 6 — "I could tell (Ted) was a nice guy by the way he handled his dog and how Mai Mai responded to him," Taylor said.  Deborah Wood, author of "The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating: Using Cold Noses to Find Warm Hearts," says "people can see your gentle, warmer side when you're with your dog, which they don't necessarily see in other social situations."  62% of all U.S. households have pets, there are nearly 40 million single pet owners in the US, and during the first half of 2004, 16% of all unique visitors to Web sites visited Personals sites.  One gem: Don't date anyone who names his dog after a weapon. "Run, don't walk to the nearest self-help book section if you find yourself attracted to a guy with Dobermans named Smith and Wesson," Wood writes. 

The full article was originally published at Twin Cities Pioneer Press, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: Stats like this should make the industry sit up…and beg.  Perhaps DateMyPet and AnimalAttraction are onto something!  My advice to the perennial singles out there; borrow a big fluffy dog, go sit outside a Starbucks, see what happens. 

CHICAGO MAROON — Feb 4 — Friendster has either changed our mentality about social relationships or simply brought that mentality further out into the open. Hey, sure…maybe you like someone. But let’s get to the point: You want to meet people. And this person—friend, passing acquaintance, whatever—is a stepping-stone to that. And look: I have 362 friends on my page! All these little pictures I’ve accumulated give me self-worth—and help me network! Of course, Friendster doesn’t merit all the responsibility for cheapening the connotation of the word “friend.”

Mark Brooks: Friendster has mechanised human networking so some abuse is natural. The integrity/quality of a persons Friendster network can be judged by the testimonials and is inversely proportional to how many people over 100 friends they have. Just how many ‘ really good’ friends can one have. Probably a dozen, max.

HONOLULU ADVERTISER — Feb 3 — There are 86 million unmarried adults in the United States, a fast-growing group of people who often find themselves singled out in a society designed for two. Despite holding more than 40% of the nation’s jobs, singles often feel they have a lot stacked against them — higher taxes, higher insurance premiums, working more holidays and fewer benefits for their partners. "What’s going on with all these TV shows is the glorification of couplehood," DePaulo says. "And it’s reached a fever pitch at exactly the time when marriage is less and less necessary in many people’s lives." One of the reasons for the rising number of singles is more couples are living together before marriage — 50%, University of Michigan researcher Pamela Smock says. These days, half of all births occur in homes where the parents are not married. 90% of American adults will be married at some point in their lives. But many will end in divorce. The average American adult who lives to age 70 will spend more of his or her adult life single than married. FULL ARTICLE @ HONOLULU ADVERTISER

THE EXPONENT — Jan 31 — Online dating puts one in contact with people one wouldn't normally meet in the routine of everyday life. If one is dreaming of an Australian mate or a beautiful Brazilian, online dating may help find the exact match. The drawback, of course, is that the Australian bloke may actually be a Hoosier from Muncie that is married with kids. So before buying the plane ticket to Sydney, make sure online image matches offline reality. 

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

Mark Brooks: Hook up the webcams to see people in real time. A photograph isn't quite enough if one is considering treking half way around the world.

THIRD AGE — Jan 27 — Dr John Gray — Studies have shown that, overall, married men are mentally and physically healthier than single men. The reverse, however, is true for married women in unhappy marriages.  Women attempt to stay engaged in a discussion while their husbands begin to withdraw or "stonewall" — leading wives to feel frustrated and even more stressed. In difficult marriages, that continual heightened stress produces physiological responses in women than can lead to poorer health.  Venusians need to recognize that their mates need time and space to cope with and resolve conflict. 

The full article was originally published at Third Age, but is no longer available.

CBSNEWS — Jan 27 — As they face cutthroat competition several top sites have overhauled their online dating experience, and up-and-coming companies are wooing people like the marriage-minded, the security-conscious, and the religious. All in all, the changes may be turning online dating into a friendlier world. Video and audio links offer singles the opportunity to see and hear one another before the traditional coffee date. Compatibility surveys aim to match people who have similar outlooks on life and love.  From the beginning of 2001 to the end of 2003, customer spending on the sites rocketed from $8 million to $117 million.  But in Q2 2004 spending was stagnant at $114 million. 

Mark Brooks: A typical date costs $50-$100.  Most online dating companies charge $20 a month.  Money is being left on the table.  Expect to see more innovation, premium service offerings and overall improvements in the online dating user experience.  The focus needs to be on saving time and improving the quality of matches.

PRWEB — Jan 26 — A new breed of dating sites has emerged on the online dating scene. The Military Dating Network is part of a growing trend of online dating sites focused on specific niches rather than one size fits all. One site that features many other military dating sites is single-in-the-military.com. Here you’ll find other sites focused specifically on military singles and their admirers.  FULL RELEASE @ PRWEB