Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business

Singles Suffer in Online Dating War

PR WEB -- June 29, 2005 -- A war is being waged on the Internet for dominance of the online dating world and surfers are caught in between. Some smaller dating sites have come to fight and have prepared very well. Said Jeff Mayhew, owner of LoveMatch.com, "competing in the online dating market used to be really easy. But in the last two years it has gotten a lot harder."  The return on advertising revenue is slim so he's been forced to take a cautious approach. LoveMatch spends about $30 a month on advertising, relying heavily on top lists and smaller sources of traffic to populate the site. Jordan Ravka, owner of CasualKiss.com, said he spends about $50 a month on marketing. Then there are companies like True.com, which advertised it's need for an ad sales company to manage a multi-million dollar advertising budget. "In all honesty, I have no idea how people find out about CasualKiss," said Ravka. "We charge about five times less than our competitors, therefore we will never be able to spend as much to acquire new customers." Charging less and providing more for consumers seems like a decent way for smaller companies to compete, but not all practice this approach. FULL RELEASE @ PR WEB

Mark Brooks: When users sign up for online dating sites they expect to be able to search from as large a pool of people as possible, for the best possible matches.  Small sites that pretend to be large sites, offering extremely limited pools of users, are a huge disservice to the industry. The smaller the pool of users, the less the utility.  $20 a month fees are 'throw-away.'  Everyone can afford $20.  Monthly fees simply demonstrate user commitment.  We're seeing companies such as True and eharmony up the ante on fees for two reasons.  1. Marketing costs are indeed rising.  2. Higher fees filter for those who are committed to the process.  Users put more time into searching, responding and dating when they are paying $50 a month; higher response rates, overall activity rates and a better user experience overall.  This is good.  I urge users to conisder the value of their time and the importance of finding a good match, rather than the paltry fees the online dating services charge.   

Connections, The Wireless Way

BUSINESS WEEK -- June 29 -- SMS.ac and other mobile social networks help users find dates, keep in touch with friends, share photos, and update their blogs via cell phone. SMS.ac claims 40 million users; 14% in U.S. Most other services only have thousands of customers, who typically pay a $5 monthly subscription fee. Popularity should skyrocket as telcos, which get a cut of fees, roll out more of these applications later this year. Sprint began offering SMS.ac, Match.com Mobile and Lavalife Mobile several months ago. U.S. subscription revenues should rise from $31.4 million this year to $215 million in 2009, according to Frost & Sullivan.  Additional revenues from forwarding SMS and MMS messages could double that amount. These social networks typically cater to 18-35-year-olds.  There are 2 billion cell phones in the world, vs. fewer than 700 million PCs. No wonder online heavyweights such as Google, Match.com, and online social networking sites are ramping up their efforts in the mobile social networking market. Friendster is testing Friendster Mobile in the Philippines. Google acquired Dodgeball.com. In July Match.com will debut a more advanced mobile dating service in Japan. Members will be able to post multiple photos with their profiles, receive daily or weekly lists of matches, and perform complex searches. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WEEK

Mark Brooks: See you at the mobile internet dating convention.

Yahoo Introduces Social Search

MARKET WATCH -- June 29 -- Yahoo on Tuesday quietly introduced a beta site of what it calls a "social search engine." It's in very early stages, according to Yahoo, and can be accessed at My Web 2.0 for a limited number of users.  The social search engine is designed to enable searchers to scour the knowledge and expertise of their friends in their social networks, in addition to the Web. For example, if someone is looking for a new computer, a person could search for recommendations amongst friends.  Idealab is incubating Insider Pages, which is an online Yellow Pages written by friends; a resource for local information made up of recommendations. FULL ARTICLE @ MARKET WATCH

DateScreen Rolls Out New Background-Check Tool

HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL -- June 28 -- DateScreen.com is taking the fuss out of online dating with a new software tool designed to work with existing dating homepages to aid in conducting background checks.  "Members have the ability to join multiple sites, manage profiles and check prospective dates for honesty and criminal records before meeting," says Richard Cobb, CEO of DateScreen. FULL ARTICLE @ HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Dating Goes to Cable TV

CHICAGO TRIBUNE -- June 28 --Dating on Demand combines television and online dating. You can either send in a videotape of yourself (which will be edited) to Comcast, or catch Comcast when it is shooting people looking to participate at local events. Within a few weeks, the tape will air on Comcast's On Demand digital cable menu. You can contact a person whose profile is appealing after registering with HurryDate.com.

US Rules All Porn is Child Porn

THE REGISTER -- June 24 --All pornography in the US is now effectively classified as child pornography, unless providers can prove the ages of everyone taking part. The law, which requires porn producers to hold copies of all actors' photo ID for seven years, has been in place for some time, but as of 23 June, the rule was extended to cover online pornography as well. This includes online forums, adult personals sites and any other place where adult material may be published.  The law gives authorities an awful lot of power to close down site they don't approve of.  The Free Speech Coalition is already preparing a legal challenge to the law.  Others warn the law could leave performers open to stalking and harassment because the law requires that they publish their physical addresses online. Legislation Text  FULL ARTICLE @ THE REGISTER

Mark Brooks: It remains to be seen if adult personals will get clouted by this law.  They are on the fringe of what this law is targeting.  The enforcement of this law could close their businesses down.  It's unlikely, so I'm told, to effect them.

Web Site Serves Music, Dating Needs

NEWS TRIBUNE -- June 24 -- MySpace is addictive, and the rock gods are flocking to MySpace in increasing numbers.  Queens of the Stone Age have a MySpace page. So do Nine Inch Nails.  The shift from cyber-fraternizing to music marketing began early on. Small-time rock bands quickly learned that MySpace could be a valuable marketing tool. The site allows bands to post music and send bulletins that reach hundreds, sometimes thousands, of fans on their friend lists with the click of a "send" button.  1.7 million listeners surfed on over to hear "Around the Sun" before it was available for sale. More than 500,000 fans tuned in to MySpace to hear Nine Inch Nails' "With Teeth."  But it doesn't stop with the music. NBC-TV saw the potential to generate a little buzz when it partnered with MySpace to webcast the debut of the American version of "The Office" before it was broadcast on television. Around 150,000 viewers watched the webcast.  FULL ARTICLE @ NEWS TRIBUNE

DatingDr.com Announces Profile Makeover Services

PR WEB -- June 23 -- DatingDr.com offers new personalized internet dating profile makeover services aimed towards 'hip' internet daters. RELEASE @ PR WEB

Text Date Advertisement Deemed 'Irresponsible'

BBC NEWS -- June 21 -- A mobile/online dating firm has been criticised over an advertisement for its text dating service which could encourage teenagers to make dates with strangers. Textandmeet, promised: "You could be meeting someone tonight." The words, "over 18s only" were featured in the small print. The Advertising Standards Authority said it was possibly "irresponsible". It was "concerned" the poster could imply it was "acceptable for young people to make dates with strangers". It was spotted by a member of the public near a local swimming pool, cinema and a fast food restaurant. The posters depicted a bikini-clad woman sitting by a swimming pool with a mobile phone while three men looked on. All posters have now been removed.  FULL ARTICLE @ BBC NEWS

Connections, The Wireless Way

BUSINESS WEEK -- June 29 -- SMS.ac and other mobile social networks help users find dates, keep in touch with friends, share photos, and update their blogs via cell phone. SMS.ac claims 40 million users; 14% in U.S. Most other services only have thousands of customers, who typically pay a $5 monthly subscription fee. Popularity should skyrocket as telcos, which get a cut of fees, roll out more of these applications later this year. Sprint began offering SMS.ac, Match.com Mobile and Lavalife Mobile several months ago. U.S. subscription revenues should rise from $31.4 million this year to $215 million in 2009, according to Frost & Sullivan.  Additional revenues from forwarding SMS and MMS messages could double that amount. These social networks typically cater to 18-35-year-olds.  There are 2 billion cell phones in the world, vs. fewer than 700 million PCs. No wonder online heavyweights such as Google, Match.com, and online social networking sites are ramping up their efforts in the mobile social networking market. Friendster is testing Friendster Mobile in the Philippines. Google acquired Dodgeball.com. In July Match.com will debut a more advanced mobile dating service in Japan. Members will be able to post multiple photos with their profiles, receive daily or weekly lists of matches, and perform complex searches. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WEEK

Mark Brooks: See you at the mobile internet dating convention.

MatchWise.com Selected as Best Christian Online Dating Service

PRWEB -- June 21 -- The Christian Singles Association (CSA) announced today their choice of MatchWise.com as the "Best Christian Online Dating Service for 2005." They selected MatchWise.com because it's 100% Christian and monitored to ensure the safety of its members, and offers biblical and psychological instruction for healthy relationships. MatchWise was founded and created by Christian psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman and features a patented matching system on 30 keys to lasting relationships.

Mark Brooks: As eHarmony takes a step back from Christian dating, Matchwise is stepping forward.  All they need now is some decent traffic.  Their Alexa rank is 165k for the week.

The Knot Launches the New GreatBoyfriends.com

PRNEWSWIRE -- June 21 -- The Knot announced the relaunch of GreatBoyfriends.com featuring a hip design, simple navigation and enhanced profiles. The site enables matchmakers (ex-girlfriends, moms, best friends) to post profiles on behalf of desirable singles. Singles seeking romance can contact these "pre-owned and pre-approved" GreatBoyfriends or GreatGirlfriends for a monthly fee of $20.

Mark Brooks: A wonderfully unique idea.  The Knot also owns promspot.com and thenest.com

Where the Gang Goes to Bang

WIRED -- June 21 -- Harriet turned to Tribe.net and started a "tribe" called Gangbang Girls to promote frank, uninhibited discussion of her secret fantasy. "I decided to...demonstrate that even the most stigmatized stuff can be discussed publicly, if done right." Gangbang Girls is just one of dozens of sexually themed tribes on Tribe. Other examples include Nymphomaniacs and the Smart Girls' Porn Club. Perhaps because of its San Francisco roots, Tribe has always attracted an artistic membership, one that seems more comfortable delving into alternative lifestyles than some of its more mainstream competitors.  FULL ARTICLE @ WIRED

Mark Brooks: Wired has been turning out some racy articles of late.  The top adult personals sites are listed in the left bar.  Craigslist also has it's casual encounters.  The adult sites are some of the most trafficed personals corners on the net.

Meetro Helps Netizens Find Out Who's Nearby

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES -- June 20 -- Meetro has a new spin on social networks: tapping into location Wi-Fi hotspot info to link Wi-Fi users.  "Imagine you were at a convention, in an airport or just hanging out, and wanted to meet people," said Paul Bragiel, 27, co-founder and chief executive of Meetro. "Meetro can help make that happen. Meetro pops up and tells you who's around."  He plans to "monetize" Meetro, which has eight employees, by licensing software to city Web pages, conventions and other businesses that want to put people together locally.  FULL ARTICLE @ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Online Personals Watch Exclusive Interview #6 - Webdate.com's CEO

OPW CEO INTERVIEW -- June 21, 2005 -- Online dating pioneer Webdate.com offers 'webdating' video chat, web chat and mobile phone based dating...all for free.  It's grown to 4 million members whilst maintaining a completely free membership model, much to the chagrin of it's competitors, Match.com, Yahoo Personals and American Singles.  Mark Brooks, Editor of Online Personals Watch, interviews Abe Smilowitz, Webdate.com’s CEO and Founder. 

Is webdate beyond 4 million users now?
Yes.  We've had a consistent growth rate.  Anywhere from 250 to 300 thousand new users a month.  60% is type in traffic from viral, from non-advertising referrals. 

Why did you start webdate? 
We started webdate to be the #1 online personals company in the world.  We identified online dating as a hot industry and decided we wanted to participate and create the best online personals service on the net.  We decided we would add the largest amount of users in the shortest amount of time by moving to a free model, and the rest is history...Now we're #5.  We're the 5th largest online personals company (per Hitwise).  Last year we were the fastest growing online personals company.  We grew 800% where the industry average was 42%.  The guys ahead of us are monsters and we've spent a fraction of what they've spent!  What they spend in a month, we spend in a year.  Some are spending in excess of $5 million a month.  That's unbelievable!  Probably some of the guys below us are spending several multiples of what we're spending...and we're still ahead of them.  It's credit to word of mouth marketing and our user experience.  We think users want a fast, simple, no frills, quick and easy communication oriented site.  They don't want to have to jump through hoops.  We're not overly complicated like other sites. 

Was there a 'magic moment' for you when you were first developing webdate?
The magic moment for us occurred when we came up with the video dating idea.  You can go to any online dating site and see fake pictures.  Then you show up to a date and find your match is older than they looked...it's crazy!  How do you get around the problem of fake pictures?  It just seemed so 'not personal' to us.  Online personals didn't give users much feel for a person's personality.  Users can write down any horse crap, put up a fake picture and the person on the other side has no idea.  Video dating, done properly just crushes that.  It really gives users a feel for a person, not the profile, but the real person. They can interact!  Enabling someone halfway round world to get a feel for someone's personality over the web, with pictures, and movement and voice.  You can see if a woman is sexy, get a feel for her attitude, see if she's funny.  You can pick all that up on video dating.  When you're just reading a profile, staring at multiple-choice questions, just looking at words, those things don't speak to the soul as much.  The way a person moves can say a lot about them.  You can't pick up on body language from a profile.

How on earth can you justify making webdate free for so long?
Our justification is industry ranking.  We've been able to build webdate to our #5 ranking in a very competitive industry.  We have a high number of active users and significant market share now.  Here's a scoop for you; we're looking to move to a premium services model in the very near future.  But, we'll continue to be less expensive than any of our competitors because we feel everyone should be able to enjoy online dating.  Part of our approach has been to extend online dating to all of society with webdate mobile.  Minority groups are generally more mobile oriented.  That's a totally different approach.  Our mobile service is $3.99 a month.  So, beat that!  And our mobile users can interact with the entire 4 million person webdate user base.  It's an inexpensive alternative to being on the website and it has most of the features of an online service.  You can see pictures, browse profiles, we stand alone in the industry as far as mobile goes right now. 

How does this compare with Match's mobile offering?
We've integrated the entire mobile aspect into the webdate.  Match breaks it up into two sites.  Ours is the only fully integrated service.  Which is the future of mobile applications, fully integrated.

What will webdate look like 5 years from now?
It will be fully mobile.  Everything you can do online, you'll be able to do on a cell phone, and that's what we're trying to do now. 

What's the end goal?  Do you want to be bigger then Match.com?
The end goal is to offer the best online personals service on the planet.  If we're the biggest, great.  Our philosophy is, if we build the very best product the users will come.  But, it has to be the best integrated, have the best features, be the easiest to use, and be fully integrated with mobile and video.  We're building the best mousetrap but not necessarily to beat Match.com in users.  We think that we will beat them in users eventually, because our product is going to be better.  The users will acknowledge that.  Users will often join several sites when they start online dating, and then end up sticking with the one they like the best.  We want to be that one.  In order to do that we need to give them great combinations of features, ease of use and value...which means not charging them an arm and a leg for the service.

Does the public really care about mobile and video chat yet?
The video dating, absolutely!  Over 50% of users have tried video dating.  The video is here and it's here to stay.  It's not pie in the sky or something for down the road.  It's here now and it's only going to get bigger.  As far as safety is concerned...We were thinking about safety two and a half years ago!  Video dating allows people to go on first dates in the safety and security and comfort of their own homes...without putting them in uncomfortable or dangerous situations.  They can get a sense of chemistry from the other users, hear their voice and look into their eyes before taking it to the real world.  Mobile dating is still something that is not mature.  There's no doubt it's where the future lies.  There will always be online dating though.  You can't completely duplicate online dating with a cell phone.  There's not enough room, but there's no doubt mobile will play a huge role in the future.  Our goal is to be the innovator and shape the way online dating progresses, with a mobile perspective.  The companies offering it now will shape the industry down the road.

What does the future hold for webdate?  Where will webdate be in two years time?
We'll be the best personals site to get in touch with the 'right person.'  We're working to give our users as many options to communicate as possible in as time efficient a manner as possible.  Users can see who's online, who's on video chat, who's new on the site, who's viewed their profile, who's emailed and IM'd them, who's network of friends others belong to.  You shouldn't have to click five times to find what you want.  You only have to click once on webdate.  Everything users could possibly want is right there, laid out one click away from the home page.  We're building the best online personals site and in two years we'll be at the top of the online dating rankings. 

Mark Brooks: People, essentially, are the 'product' that online dating sites sell.  Webdate has invested heavily to build a considerable member base, get people talking (hey it's free!), and offer some great next generation services.  One to watch.

New Sites Rate Online Daters

FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE -- 20 Jun -- The online dating scene can be full of intrigue and mystery. Daters sometimes don't know who they're dealing with on the other end until it's too late.  www.truedater.com allows people to review other users of dating sites and reveal whether they're really who they claim to be.  Founder Mark Geller said the idea for his site came to him while researching an idea for a TV show about an online dating company. A majority of the TrueDater reviews appear positive. But some take people to task for their alleged dishonesty in their profiles. "Picture is old ... he's about 40 lbs. heavier in person than in the photo." Another new company, www.opinity.com, allows people to collect all of their online identities and screen names - from message boards and gaming sites to eBay - into a single list so that others can more easily see the digital footprints they've left across the Internet.  Opinity users can register all or some of their various screen names with the service. Registered Opinity users can rate each other based on encounters they've had. Opinity uses those ratings to tally an overall "online reputation score" for each person. Opinity users can even begin to build a dossier - viewable by Opinity users - on people who are not registered with the service as long as they know one of their screen names.  www.niftyguy.com is a new San Francisco Web site where people can rate everyone from their favorite plumber to dentist.  "Let his flattering lines draw you in, but let it end there.  He's a fun guy to hang out with, but very flaky and not the brightest crayon in the box." 

Mark Brooks: eBay seller reviews meets Friendster testimonials.  Friendster testimonials were a significant factor in Friendster's success.  Truedater attempts to bottle that element in a 3rd party site.  How will they make money?

Cost of Dinner, Show and Brush-off?

INDEPENDENT(UK) -- June 19 -- Cost of dinner, show and brush-off? Up to 1,500 pounds a month for serial daters.  They are young, single and wealthy - and enjoy a fabulous social life thanks to the phenomenal success of internet dating. Dinner, cabs, drinks and entertainment can cost more than £100.  Women may want to split the bill but will also have invested heavily in new outfits, shoes and hairstyles.  A survey quizzed 5,000 members of the loopylove.com website.  The average spend for men per date is £27 and for women £16. The average number of dates per month for men using the site was 11 and for women 7, meaning that the cost can exceed £1,500 a month.  A poll last month for the Maestro card found that Britain's 8.6 million singles spent £8bn a year on dating. Also, ite revealed an 11% rise in spending on hairdressing, restaurants and accessories, with 60% of men prepared to pay for the first date and 64% of women happy to split the bill.  FULL ARTICLE @ THE INDEPENDENT

Mark Brooks: The online personals industry is leaving money on the table.  eHarmony, PerfectMatch and True are proving that users will pay more money for better matches.  If users get better matches then they guys can reduce their date budget (less dates, more success) and girls have less heartache from having to dish out so much rejection.  The public are sold on online personals, now it's time to up the ante, and the level of service.  They WILL pay for it, as long as the benefits are real.  That means matchmaking that really works. 

Will MySpace Keep It's Lead?

MARKETWATCH -- June 18 -- MySpace.com has attracted 18.5 million members from the coveted 16-34-year-old demographic.  It's drawing 2 million registered users per month, according to Chris DeWolfe, CEO.  Chris Gorog, Napster's CEO, said that MySpace was the "bellwether for where the industry is going," referring to how Napster might get its music services out to millions of potential subscribers by using the social-networking techniques deployed by MySpace.com.  FULL ARTICLE @ MARKETWATCH

Text Date Advertisement Deemed 'Irresponsible'

BBC NEWS -- June 21 -- A mobile/online dating firm has been criticised over an advertisement for its text dating service which could encourage teenagers to make dates with strangers. Textandmeet, promised: "You could be meeting someone tonight." The words, "over 18s only" were featured in the small print. The Advertising Standards Authority said it was possibly "irresponsible". It was "concerned" the poster could imply it was "acceptable for young people to make dates with strangers". It was spotted by a member of the public near a local swimming pool, cinema and a fast food restaurant. The posters depicted a bikini-clad woman sitting by a swimming pool with a mobile phone while three men looked on. All posters have now been removed.  FULL ARTICLE @ BBC NEWS

Audioscrobbler; Social Network for Music Oriented

CNET -- June 17 -- Audioscrobbler.com is an online social network that rolls the concepts of Friendster and iTunes into one. It uses a plug-in to track what songs a user is listening to. So users can check to see what your friends have listened to most, ranked by most recently played, most-played artists and most-played tracks.  FULL ARTICE AT NEWS.com