BBC NEWS — Hundreds have submitted a mobile video profile to win a place at the world’s first video mobile dating event. The top 100 meet their match on 30 November at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. The event, organised by the 3G network, 3, could catch on as the trend for unusual dating events, like speed dating, continues. BBC NEWS
Smile, Dial, Date
NBC5 — Nov 10th — Now, a new use has emerged for mobile phones. Dating services have enlisted the communications medium to bring together bands of lonely hearts. "If you’re in the bank in line, stuck in traffic, whatever it is, you can search for dates and flirt with people on your mobile phone," Kristin Kelly, of Match.com, said. DALLAS NBC5
Over 50’s are Ab Fab As Singles
UK DAILY RECORD — Nov 9 — While many younger women are desperate to find the man of their dreams to settle down with, the rising divorce rate means a growing army of older women are free, single and young at heart. According to the Lloyds TSB 50 survey of 9100 people – 18% of single women 50+ regularly went to bars and nightclubs looking for romance. This compares with 41% of 30-somethings. And 39% of single women in their 30s say they’re not looking for a relationship, compared with 49% in their 50s. While 22% of single women in their 30s have tried internet dating, only 12% of the over 50s have done so. UK DAILY RECORD
Spring Street Slashes Staff Amid Red Ink
NY BUSINESS, Nov 8th — Spring Street Networks has reduced its staff by almost half to 12 employees to stem losses. The board has also removed chief executive Louis Kanganis. Spring Street runs personals for The Village Voice. Mr. Griscom wouldn’t comment on speculation that the company is up for sale.
MatchNet Reports Third Quarter 2004 Results
YAHOO FINANCE — Revenue Up 74% From Prior Year. New Hires Include CFO, CTO, General Counsel and Product Director. Revenue in Q3 2004 was $17.1 million, an increase of 8% compared to $15.8 million for Q2 2004. Net loss of $3 million. Membership increased 3% to 10.1 million from 9.8 million Q2 2004 end. Compared to the same period last year active members increased 19%. Average revenue per subscriber was $75 and average subscriber acquisition cost was $41.
IAC 3rd-Quarter Profit Rises More Than Fourfold on Travel Sales
BLOOMBERG — Net income rose to $89.5 million from $18.7 million a year earlier. Revenue declined 6.5% to $1.51 billion from $1.61 billion. …IAC named Jim Safka, a former AT&T Wireless Services executive, as CEO of Match.com in September replacing Tim Sullivan.
The full article was originally published at Bloomberg, but is no longer available.
From Russia with love? No, it’s a Web scam
HERALD TRIBUNE — …Medvedeva is one of scores, perhaps hundreds, of fictional characters in a resurgent Internet hustle that has become a Russian boom industry this year. Using fake names, forged visas and snapshots of young Russian women, a new crop of online swindlers is luring Western victims into confidence games. Each is an escalating flirtation between an unsuspecting man and a Russian grifter masquerading as a young woman. It typically ends when the victim wires money to Russia to pay for visas and airfare for a consummation of the affair. Then the beloved disappears.
Match.com; Diller’s InterActiveCorp Struggles to Make Comeback
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – When Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp reported less-than-stellar quarterly earnings Aug. 3, the stock dropped almost 16%. It has continued to languish ever since, and some on Wall Street don’t have much hope of a recovery anytime soon as the company’s latest earnings release looms Wednesday. IAC’s assets include cable home shopping network HSN, the Entertainment Book of coupons and a hodgepodge of Internet holdings, including Citysearch, Evite and Match.com.
Businesses Not Ready for Web 2.0
PRWEB–…Why have communities like RYZE, Friendster, and popular Blogging sites have yet to come up with a solid revenue model…“most don’t understand the meaning of the word community. A community has to have either a shared knowledge or set of shared values”. Consumers have piled in sites like Friendster and RYZE but quickly quit using the them as the novelty wears off. He claims they will have to target a particular group within their community and begin servicing their needs specifically- changing dramatically from what they are today. PRWEB
Suicide Girls
METROACTIVE–SuicideGirls reads like a hybrid of punk pinup, Friendster and Vice magazine. “The members like to hook up with each other in person, whether it’s going to a show or to parties or just hanging out at a coffee shop. We have had quite a few couples meet on the site who are now dating very seriously.” …It has found press in the pages of Spin, Playboy and The New Yorker. Suicide Girls have shown up in music videos and appeared on MTV with Courtney Love. …Suicide Girls parties in Portland and New York have attracted frenzied crowds. SILICON VALLEY METRO