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?