UPTOWN1RADIO – Feb 26 – Mark Brooks, an online dating consultant, says niche dating sites create a romantic community around identity. "Where people have made a call on what they want, they don't really want to meet anyone who's outside the particular thing that they're looking for." But Brooks says the idea is one thing and the business is another. It's really not a big money maker at all. VeggieDate may help vegetarians find love over veggie patties, but it isn't making much money. The site's been alive for several years and membership is steady at 10K users. But according to Brooks, that isn't very many for a niche site.
Category: VeggieDate
Broad And Popular Niches Are Taking Off
VOX.COM – May 17 – Jerry Miller created Farmers Only, which now boasts 1.5M members. 70-80% are in the agriculture industry now. Farmers Only is one of the more successful niche dating sites. Other niche sites are VeggieDate, a site that connects vegetarians and vegans; The Atlasphere that connects fans of Ayn Rand; Trek Passions, OkComrade, and GlutenFreeSingles. Scruff, a gay location-based dating app which was inspired by gay men with facial hair, has a user base of 6M worldwide.
by Alex Abad-Santos
See full article at Vox.com
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Mobile Apps Tap The Changing Face Of Online Dating
USA TODAY – Feb 13 – The mobile dating revenue is projected to double over the next five years ($415M). There is a site for everybody, many with their own apps as well. The niches range from ethnic, religious or age-based to sites for occupations (FarmersOnly.com) or eating preferences (VeggieDate.org). For gay men, there's Grindr.com and Stagg, DateMyPet for pet lovers. With the dating industry moving so rapidly, the phrase "online dating" will soon disappear from the lexicon, says Sam Yagan, CEO of Match. "The idea of differentiating online and offline in five years will be anachronistic," he says. Nielsen reports that the number of Americans using apps or a mobile version of a dating site was 13.7M in November 2012, more than double the previous year's 5.8M. Mark Brooks, a consultant who has studied the industry from its infancy, says the online and mobile dating industry is more than just a business: "Going from where it is now and where it's going to be in the next 20 or 30 years time, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a business — outside of the medical industry — that will have more impact on society."
by Sharon Jayson
See full article at USA Today
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VeggieDate CEO To Speak At iDate Las Vegas
WEBWIRE – Dec 10 – Dave Rubin, CEO of Open Heart Dating, the company that owns VeggieDate will speak during iDate’s "CEO Therapy" session for dating startups. The 10th Annual Internet dating conference will be held on January 16-18, 2013 in Las Vegas.
Niche Dating Sites Changing The Dating Game
LA TIMES – Oct 28 – Hyper-specific niche matchmaking sites are changing the online dating game. Site like Atlasphere, VeggieDate and DisabledCupid allow users to find potential matches from people who share very important common traits. Dr. Robert Epstein, a San Diego County research psychologist, believes this can be the basis for a successful relationship.
The World of Niche Online Dating
VANCOUVER SUN – Sep 30 – Specialized dating sites such as JDate.com, SeniorPeopleMeet.com, VeggieDate.org and even PiratesPassions.com allow users to meet their match based on factors including ethnicity, age, religion and lifestyle. There’s even AshleyMadison.com, a site for cheaters. Niche dating may sound unromantic, but details matter when it comes to love, says relationship expert Dr. Terri Orbuch. Orbuch is a psychologist and relationship expert for PeopleMedia, which operates more than 20 niche dating sites, including BlackPeopleMeet.com, RepublicanPeopleMeet.com and SingleParentMeet.com. Over 105K Canadians used dating sites run by PeopleMedia last year. Not all niche dating is done online. FastLife organizes speed dating events in Vancouver such as East Asian Dating, Tall Men Dating and Executive Dating. Justin Parfitt, the company founder and CEO, says speed dating is more fun and efficient than its online equivalent. “You’re instantly evaluating people and figuring out if there’s chemistry. There’s no hiding behind a fake photograph or fake profile,” he said.
by Laura Kane
The full article was originally published at Vancouver Sun, but is no longer available.
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Quirksor Interests
PARAMUS POST — Apr 8 — Cacus, a 23-year-old college student, is a geek. She turned to gk2gk.com (geek to geek), a Web site that encourages members to list their favorite board games and rate how important "Star Trek" is in their lives. Niche dating sites; datealittle.com (for little people), datingforsmokers.com, starmatch.com (astrology), veggie-romance.com & veggieconnection.com & happycow.net & veggiedate.org, goodgenes.com & rightstuffdating.com (snobs), philanderers.com (cheating bastards), sportsfanmatch.com & athleticwomen.com, spiritsingles.com, maydecember.net (for those who prefer someone much older or younger). Jdate.com, with some 300,000 single Jewish members in the US, and Gay.com, with several million members, are among the largest niche sites. In the BBW (Big, Beautiful Women) category; greatbigdates.com, BBWdatefinder.com, plussizepersonals.com, BBWpersonalsplus.com, largeandlovely.com, overweightdate.com. FULL ARTICLE @ PARAMUS POST
Picky Suitors Narrow Search to Niche Sites
SAN FRANCISO CHRONICLE — Feb 14 — Would-be entrepreneurs are opening niche sites because it would be virtually impossible at this point for them to compete head-on with established sites like Match.com or Lavalife. A dating site for everyone. http://www.datingforsmokers.com, http://www.veggiedate.com, http://www.singleparentmeet.com, cfpersonals.com (Childfree Personals), http://www.datemypet.com, http://www.paganconnection.com, http://www.disability-dating.com, http://www.datealittle.com  FULL ARTICLE @ SFGATE