Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business

Cupid.com Acquires #1 Speed Dating Company

NEW YORK, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cupid.com, a leading online dating service, today announced its acquisition of PreDating, America's largest speed dating company. PreDating is the leading provider of speed dating events for single professionals in the U.S. and run local events in more than 70 cities around the country. "There's no turn downs and no pressure at these events. We searched for the perfect singles event and PreDating is it!," commented Mark Brooks, Cupid.com's VP Marketing & Business Development.

Mark Brooks: I joined Cupid to make this happen.  An industry first.  ;-)  No other online dating site has integrated singles events into their offerings like this.  Match dumped their events division recently.  It's far more efficient just to focus on one event format that plays into online dating.  Match actually used my club www.ace-club.com as part of their inspiration set.  Ooops.  ACE is very unwieldy.  Works fine as a little club.  It's a pig to scale.   

Phillipines Chosen as Launchpad of Friendster’s Cell Phone Service

INFOTECH -- 11/21 -- Friendster will soon launch its first mobile service in the Philippines to test the concept of merging the biggest online social networking service with mobile phone technology. The mobile service will soon be rolled out in other countries. Founded in August 2002 by Jonathan Abrams, Friendster has had an unprecedented growth in the number of its registered users. To date, it has 13 million users worldwide. INFOTECH

Mark Brooks: But how will Friendster make money? How about some additional services for US users? MySpace is stealing ground from you Friendster.

Lonely Expats Turn to Online Dating

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE -- Membership at the largest online dating site in Europe for expats, Expatica Date has doubled in the last year to about 5,000 posted profiles with 350 paid memberships. The number of singles has risen more than 8% in the last 10 years, according to the 2003-04 GMAC Global Relocation Trends survey. The number of Internet users worldwide is expected to top one billion by 2005.

Mark Brooks: Less marriages, more divorce, less kids, older first time marriages, more singles...the institution of marriage isn't looking so strong all of a sudden. No wonder online dating is doing so well?! Next step, expats, Europe, the world! Hey, Match just launched in Japan!

824,000 Join Online Network “thefacebook”

MAC WEEKLY -- Created by five Harvard undergrads and launched in early February 2004, thefacebook is an online directory and social networking site through which registered users can get in touch with high school friends and find fellow students. The web site was originally intended only for Harvard students, but in less than a year its membership has swelled to 824,505 users at colleges and universities. MAC WEEKLY

Mark Brooks: ConnectU is a sore competitor. ConnectU and thefacebook Face-off

Lawmakers Don't Belong in Online Dating Game

PETOSKEY NEWS -- The Detroit News reports that the Michigan House has adopted a bill requiring online dating services that don't conduct background checks to post disclaimers on their Web sites telling users that they don't do such checks on customers looking for love on their site. The assumption is that somehow Internet dating is more dangerous than other forms of dating. It's frustrating that lawmakers continue to waste the public's time and money trying to put their fingerprints on everything. But there's more to this bill that stinks than that. The person lobbying heavily for the bill, which is awaiting action in the state Senate, is not someone who had a bad Internet dating experience who wants to save others the same fate. Nope. It is the founder of True.com.

Mark Brooks: Will Herb Vest's brilliant lobbying (read, PR) backfire? You've got to love this idea. He's shooting for the soft underbelly of the industry and has actually gotten traction in Michigan and significant interest in five other states. Match.com, response?

Maryland Woman Wins Internet Dating Case

ASSOCIATED PRESS -- A federal jury awarded as much as $434,000 to a Ukrainian woman who sued the matchmaking service that set her up with the man who allegedly abused her after they wed. Nataliya Fox accused Encounters International of fraud and negligence, saying it should have screened its male clients and told her about a law that helps foreign nationals escape abusive relationships without fear of automatic deportation. Instead, Fox testified, agency owner Natasha Spivack told her to endure the alleged abuse or return to Ukraine.

Mark Brooks: AP, this is not an 'online dating' service. It's a matchmaking service. At $1,850 membership a higher level of service is expected along with a higher level of responsibility.  This can't compare with $25 a month 'online dating.' 

JDate Advertises in Times Square and NY Magazine

PRNEWSWIRE -- JDate, the largest and most successful online personals site for the Jewish community, today unveiled its first-ever traditional advertising campaign. The New York-focused campaign will feature a 30 second spot in Times Square and a print ad in New York magazine.  JDate has 600,000 members.  300 or so engagements and weddings result from JDate introductions each year.

The Cost of Finding Love

BANKRATE.COM -- For $24.95 a month, $44.85 for 3-months or $65.70 for 6-months, you can have access to Match.com; nearly 1 million subscribers. For $1 a minute you can talk with an expert to get advice on Match.com dating. For $40 you can get help writing that all-important Match.com profile. eHarmony's services cost $49.95 for a one-month subscription, $99.95 for 3-months, $149.95 for six-months and $249.95 for a year. Great Expectations fees average $3,000 and up. Matchmakers fees can be astronomical, sometimes topping $25,000 and up.

Lonely Hearts, Deep Pockets - Yahoo Personals Premier Service Launched

REUTERS -- Yahoo has launched Personals Premier, a premium online dating service aimed at attracting serious relationship seekers with deeper pockets. Yahoo's new premium service costs $34.95 a month and features searching and matching technology that uses results from relationship and personality tests. Yahoo's existing personals service costs $19.95 a month. eHarmony visitors are much more likely to be in the age range of 25 to 34 while Yahoo's visitors are older or younger -- with lower incomes. Yahoo Personals is #1 in the online dating category with about 21% of the market, EHarmony fourth with about 6%, after Match.com and American Singles, Hitwise reported.

Japan Singles Courted by Match.com

REUTERS -- Match.com, already embedded in 32 countries with 15 million active members, is offering a virtual solution for the maritally challenged in the world's second-largest economy. "Of our members, 80% said they're looking for a serious relationship or marriage," said COO Joe Cohen. Cohen estimated Japan's online matching business will exceed $200 million in total revenues in four years. Despite a tradition of "omiai," or partner introduction, many Japanese have gone off-line in their family and career paths, keeping the nation's marriage rate flat and raising the average marrying age to nearly 30 for men and over 27 for women.

Cupid.com Hires Mark Brooks, Online Personals and Social Networking Guru, as VP Marketing & Business Development

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Online personals guru and marketing consultant Mark Brooks has joined Cupid.com, Inc. as VP Marketing & Business Development. Cupid.com expects to announce a significant acquisition very shortly. This acquisition will further Cupid.com's promise of uniting local singles in the real world. Cupid.com, which started in 2001, is unique; promoted on radio stations. "Cupid.com is unique in the way it drives user satisfaction by homing in on local markets with radio advertising. Singles don't want to meet singles that live a thousand miles away. They want compatible local singles. The closer the better."

Wal-Mart Selling In-Store Dating Scene

DELAWAREONLINE -- Nov 16th -- The Dortmund store launched its first singles shopping event in the fall last year, at the suggestion of two workers who thought it might help an unmarried bakery worker at the store. Now, every Friday night is singles night at the store, and the event plays out regularly at many of the 91 other German Wal-Marts. Wal-Mart officials in Germany say they know of about 30 couples who found each other at a singles shopping night. In fact, the events have become such hits in Germany, increasing Friday night sales 25%, that Wal-Mart has trademarked the name "Singles Shopping" to deter copycats.

The Date Outdoors; Thrill-Seeking Singles Go on Pull

REDNOVA NEWS -- Hanging precariously off a cliff might not be the first place you'd think of looking for a perfect mate. Believe it or not, I'm on an adventure dating weekend called "I'm A Singleton...Get Me Out Of Here!" And I'm here to find my Mr Right. The concept was dreamt up by four adrenaline-junkies who wanted to get singles out of smoky city bars and into the mucky country. Leon Wren, co-founder of P7UK, explained: "There's no better way of getting to know someone than seeing them outside their comfort zone!" REDNOVA NEWS

Gannett and eHarmony Partner

MCLEAN, Va. & PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nov. 15, 2004 -- Gannett Co., Inc., a leading international news and information company, and eHarmony, the Internet's premier relationship service, today announced a partnership to launch branded online personals for USA TODAY and Gannett's daily newspapers. 

Six Million Britons Sign Up for Singles Bars in Cyberspace

THE INDEPENDENT -- Nov 15th -- There are now 150 online dating agencies in the UK alone, up 20% in just 12 months, according to Hitwise. Online agencies are growing at a rate of 30 a year, with people in London and the South-east making up a third of all UK users. People aged between 25 and 34 make up the largest group of users at 29%. 35-44 year olds represent 26%. One in 10 is aged over 55. Two-thirds to three-quarters of single men and women will be members soon," Professor Scase said. "There are about six million using these services now and by 2005 there will be seven million." THE INDEPENDENT (UK)

Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz Win 'Top Turkey' as Most Preferred Thanksgiving Dates

YAHOO FINANCE -- Nov 12th -- TRUE today announced that actors Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz are this year's top choices for a Thanksgiving Day date...More than 79% of singles feel that a few months of dating a person is all that is needed before bringing them home to meet the family. 12% of respondents even said that knowing someone for only a day is sufficient time, so long as they have someone with whom to share the holiday. 

Directmatches.com; Where Relationships Build Income

PRWEB -- Nov 12th -- DirectMatches is the first company in the online matchmaking market to deploy a multi-matchmaking system that helps people locate business contacts, job opportunities and finding dates online. It is the first dedicated match service with a contact management system. The company is also the first company to deploy a direct selling marketing program.  PRWEB

Video Phones Act as Dating Tools

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

Romeo Bannned From British Internet Dating Site

IOL -- Nov 12th -- A middle-aged Romeo has been banned from an Internet dating agency for sleeping with more than 100 women. Former miner Clive Worth, 55, had 119 dates in five years and ended up in bed with most of them, reports the Daily Mirror. The website has taken him off their books for showing a "lack of commitment". He now plans to sign up with another Internet agency and vowed to carry on until he's 80. INDEPENDENT ONLINE WORLD 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