Newsfactor, Wed Sep 1 — Now sociologists have another culprit to blame for huge numbers of failed marriages: The Internet…New figures released by the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics show that divorce in England and Wales has risen for the third successive year in 2003, to more than 150,000. Critics have been quick to blame the internet…In another survey in June 2004 only 9% of internet users said they used the internet to meet people.
Mercedes-Benz USA and Match.com Pair Up for SpeedMatching Event
MONTVALE, N.J., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ – Mercedes-Benz USA and Match.com teamed up to host a "Wheels of Attraction" event, the first-ever SpeedMatching event on wheels in new Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Each participant at the event took several potential mates for a spin to help determine if they could find love behind the wheel…."Two of my dates opened the car door for me which made a great first impression. I’m hopeful I’ll get second dates. One guy was a little aggressive behind the wheel which made me nervous," noted Sheila Shteyrenberg, age 38 of Miami Beach.
eHarmony Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 30, 2004–eHarmony, the Internet’s premier relationship service, marks its fourth anniversary, having grown to more than 5 million users, with over 6,000 marriages and hundreds of thousands of relationships…"It’s interesting to observe how the industry is now seeing what I have known all along: that mate selection is a very complex process," said eHarmony’s founder, Dr Neil Clark Warren.
Official Apprentice Profiles on Friendster
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ — Friendster today unveiled the official profiles for all 18 candidates from this season's NBC hit reality show, 'The Apprentice'….an innovative way for entertainment programs to reach out to viewers over the internet and encourage fans. "Millions of Friendster users will have the chance to express their enthusiasm for their favorite candidates via Friendster and share their opinions with their friends. As a huge fan of 'The Apprentice', I will be one of them," said Jonathan Abrams, founder of Friendster.
$7 Million Funding to Fuel PerfectMatch
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 26, 2004– Series B round of funding for more than $7 million. Led by Ignition Partners with additional funding from Mellon Ventures. "The site combines decades of real, proven methods from a renowned relationship expert, resulting in DUET, a unique matching method that utilizes a Myers Briggs-type 'compatibility' indicator.
The full article was originally published at Hoovers, but is no longer available.
China; Relaxing a Taboo with Intimate Sex Survey
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is conducting its first nationwide female sex survey…organized by the Chinese Institute of Sexology and Chinese Medical Association via Sina.com…A smaller survey a decade ago concluded that 50% of Chinese women did not experience orgasm during sex…Attitudes toward sex relaxed after China began Western-style market reforms in 1978, unleashing a boom in adolescent dating, adultery, prostitution and other kinds of promiscuity.
SpotMeeting; Innovative Location-Based Singles Network
TORONTO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ – …After logging in with a valid e-mail address, subscribers have access to SpotMeeting’s Location-Based Singles Network (LBSN), enabling them to make contact with other singles in their immediate vicinity – securely and instantly. By giving access to other singles in proximity, SpotMeeting generates more face-to-face interactions, which ultimately result in more matches…SpotMeeting(TM) is the first and only provider of Mobile Proximity Dating…SpotMeeting will also address four key underachieving applications in the mobile industry: LBS, WAP/WAP-Push, Text-Messaging and WiFi hotspots.
Match.com Survey; Politics and Dating
DALLAS, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Single Americans are happy to mix love and politics, according to a Match.com survey. 63% are open to discussing politics on a first date…57% indicated they are open to marrying someone who holds political opinions significantly different from their own…At 80-million strong, America’s single voters may play a decisive role in this year’s Presidential election.
Friendster Hires Former AOL Exec to Lead Ad Sales
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Friendster, a privately held Web site that links friends for dating and activities, on Monday named Charles Barrett (AOL, Yahoo) as vice president of sales, overseeing all aspects of advertising sales. Friendster is eyeing advertising as a way to make money.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ — …Charlie will oversee all aspects of advertising sales. His first initiatives will include building a world-class national ad sales team and creating new revenue producing programs. In addition, he will also be responsible for ad operations.
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.