Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business

The Facebook Phenomenon

MARKET WATCH -- Oct 27 -- Apparently, about 4 million college students across the country are "facebooking" their classmates, whether to connect with them or just get more information about them.  News Corp and Viacom have shown interest in meeting with young Mark Zuckerberg, the 21-year-old Harvard dropout who started Facebook in his dorm in February 2004, and came into MarketWatch's San Francisco TV studios recently for an interview. Zuckerberg started the Facebook - essentially an online student directory -- while he was a sophomore at Harvard. The psychology major tells me that it took about 10 days -- during finals -- for him to build the site. He decided to take a leave from Harvard his junior year and move to Palo Alto, Calif.  In the fall of 2004 former-PayPal-CEO-turned-hedge-fund-manager-and-angel-investor Peter Thiel -- whose fund is up 60%-plus this year -- gave Zuckerberg $500,000 to buy servers to support the growing audience base at Facebook. By 2005 Zuckerberg had raised $12.7 million, with Accel Partners leading the VC funding round with a valuation of about $100 million. Zuckerberg told me that the fee site is profitable and makes money from advertising (8.5 million uniques).  Users spend more time on Facebook than MySpace. ~70% of the nearly 5 million registered users log on daily. Zuckerburg met with Chris DeWolfe, MySpace CEO who saw the selling of his company to a big media company as a natural progression. (I heard the next step for DeWolfe is to launch a MySpace music label with Interscope Records.)  Zuckerberg doesn't agree entirely, stating that technology and engineering should be considered a big priority at today's media companies.  "What drives the site is an offline dynamic and culture around it." What he means is that the Facebook communities revolve around a particular school. He can walk out into the school grounds and see everyone he knows in the Facebook. If Friendster is any guide, it's difficult to maintain a lead in this rapidly changing media business. What happens when the Facebook saturates the 8 million college-student market? FULL ARTICLE @ INVESTORS.COM

Mark Brooks: As TV struggles to keep it's younger audiences hitched, advertisers will seek out the likes of Facebook for advertising.  This will become an ever more valuable property as it penetrates the most valuable segment of the younger demographics; college bound youngsters and alumni. What irks me is that I worked on hooking up the UC system with an early version of Plaxo in 2000; 'eturn' was set on becoming a self updating address book for the masses.  Alas, eturn, Planetall, DigitalMe, Swifttouch and Contact.com all headed south in the dotcom crash. 

Wired for Love

ASBURY PARK PRESS -- Oct 27 -- According to Evan Katz, finding love on the Net need no longer be a dirty little secret.  Everybody's doing it so there's nothing to be embarrassed about.  It's a simple matter of ease and cost efficiency, Katz says. After all, admission is cheap.  Because text-chatting prohibits eye contact, users can miss the nonverbal cues that reveal more about a potential date than mere text on a screen, Katz admits.  "The strangest case I've heard was of a man who didn't bother to tell his date that he was a paraplegic until he showed up," Katz says. "It's understandable why he held back that information, but it's hard to overcome the surprise when you first meet someone."  Common-sense precautions also can help newbies avoid dastardly daters, Katz says. Some common tips include slowing down emotional involvement and being wary of people who seem too good to be true.  "Use the same cautions you'd use if you exchanged numbers with a stranger at Starbucks. Meet out in public, take your own transportation, that sort of thing."

Mark Brooks: TRUE lit a firestorm around online personals safety when it started offering background checks and initiated a legislative campaign to force online personals sites to state clearly on their home pages if they did not do background checks on members.  Next up...they are bringing into question the validity of competing sites personality profiles.  TRUE offers the only validated test, of course.

Online Dating has its Ups, Downs

U-WIRE -- Oct 13 -- The online dating craze has become a popular alternative for singles around the world; matchdoctor.com, plentyoffish.com and cupidjunction.com. However, uncertainty can still linger for some.  "Many of them (the sites) concentrate on 'compatibility,' but there's so much more to dating that 'compatibility' can't solve," Travis said. "Plus, people lie and the absence of body language and facial expression can make it easier to do that." Match.com promises to teach singles "how to find the right person in 90 days."  Others, like Yahoo! Personals, allow seven-day trials for visitors who sign up beforehand. FULL ARTICEL @ DAILY COLONIAL

Mark Brooks: Webdate.com is betting on webcam based 'webdating' to allow users to go on their first internet date online.

Safety? A Nice Photo? Help's Out There, For a Fee

SUNDAY NEWS -- Oct 23 -- Consultation with online dating adviser: $30. Dating profile makeover: $70. Professional profile photos: $130. Criminal background check: $20. Finding the perfect match: Priceless. As the market for online dating continues to grow, so does the array of related businesses helping online daters find their ideal mate. Most online daters are clueless when it comes to attracting, wooing, and catching that elusive fish in the great big sea of online dating. Being more specific in your profile is simple advice that can make a huge difference, said Mark Brooks, editor of major industry blog Online Personals Watch. Posting a flattering - but accurate - picture is also important, but many online dating subscribers have yet to take advantage of the services. "The users still don't quite get it," Brooks said. "They still don't think they need it." Sites such as LookBetterOnline.com and DatingHeadShots.com will set up users with a professional photographer.  Background checks are becoming a more popular way to screen dates, Brooks said. One dating site is taking the initiative and screening members before they are allowed to join the pool. True.com screens for convicted felons and married people, and requires all members to state that they are neither. Approximately 5% of the site's applicants fail to pass the felony screening and another 4% fail the marriage screening, CEO Herb Vest said. "If you go to any other site my guess would be probably 10-11% of the people on the site will have felony convictions, and I've heard estimates as high as 30% of the people on some sites are married," Vest said. Other services likely to grow over the next few years include "Web dating" - WebDate.com now allows daters to use
webcams for "virtual dates" - and anonymous phone services that allow users to chat without handing over phone numbers. "To be honest, it sounds safer than going into a bar and meeting someone," WebDate founder Abe Smilowitz said. "When you walk into a bar and meet someone, you do that at your own risk." Most of the businesses related to online dating sites have only been operating for a couple of years, but Brooks predicts many of them will continue to profit from the boom of online dating. FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Dream Guy

UNION LEADER -- Oct 24 -- Christine, 36, is hoping to meet her match in cyberspace and has been dabbling with online dating for the past year-and-a-half. After trying Yahoo Personals and Match, Christine recently decided to narrow her search to a specialized site: christiansingles.com. FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Specialized Dating Soars

UNION LEADER -- Oct 24-- DateMyPet.com is one of hundreds now available for people trying to find mates with whom they share a common interest. For daters new to the online world, niche dating offers hundreds of alternatives to the more commonly used dating sites. There are dating sites for Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Italians, Greeks, Indians, and Latinos, among other groups. Vegetarians, cyclists, recovering addicts, fitness fanatics, and disabled singles have their own sites, too. SquareDating.com helps connect single alumni from top colleges and universities. NoLongerLonely.com allows singles suffering a mental illness to seek each other out. LittlePeopleMeet.com is one of several sites exclusively for singles with dwarfism. And MilitaryDate.com hooks up servicemen and women across the country. GreenSingles.com is celebrating its 10th year online shortly. "When people begin to get serious about looking for long-term relationships or marriage, they're more likely to want to meet people of a similar background, race, or religion," said Gail Laguna, VP for Spark Networks. Spark recently acquired MingleMatch which oversees 21 affinity-focused online personals sites, including DeafSinglesConnection, Interracial Singles Connection, Single Parents Mingle, and Prime Singles Connection - for online daters more than 40 years old.  FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Daniel Kaluzny Appointed CEO of PrivateTel

PR NEWSWIRE -- Oct 24 -- PrivateTel, a developer of privacy-oriented telecommunications solutions, announced of Daniel Kaluzny as CEO.  He will be charged with overseeing PrivateTel's portfolio of privacy-oriented solutions that ensure safer and more secure communications for online dating, social networking, real estate, and e-commerce Web sites.  RELEASE @ PR NEWSWIRE

Mark Brooks: Email me at mark@courtlandbrooks.com if you would like a copy of the overview of anonymous phone calling services providers for online personals companies. 

Speed Dating Xfactor?

PR WEB -- Oct 26 -- After being locked up in the Big Brother house for weeks on end this summer, a celebrity speed dater is now well and truly "out" and looking for a great night on the town. With the new craze sweeping the globe, what better way to meet 20+ single gay men than at a top speed dating event. Hosted by Xfactordates.com at London's No.1 Gay Members Club "The Shadow Lounge" in Soho. Since 2003, over 26,000 people enlisted the help of Xfactordates in their quest to find a partner; 30 cities.  RELEASE @ PR WEB

Mark Brooks: Speed dating provides instant gratification for daters. 

Online Dating Led Her to Mr. Right

UNION LEADER -- Oct 26 -- Sue had been meeting men the old-fashioned way when, while surfing the Web one day, she accidentally clicked on an ad for Match.com. Sue and Mark Butler, who met on the Internet, married in August 2004. She went on about 25 dates during her first year on the site. "Now I can't even imagine my life without him." FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Mark Brooks: We need more success stories like this in the press.  Great PR for the industry, heartwarming, and...it's kinda nice knowing that we're working for an industry that can impact people's lives so incredibly.  We really are getting it right, aren't we? 

5,000 Singles Search for Partners at Biggest Dating Party Ever

-- Oct 25 -- Turnout at the eagerly awaited, largest matchmaking party in China on Saturday evening did not disappoint.  About 5,000 single men and women converged on Zhongshan Park in search of their soulmates at the event billed as "meet and mate."  The criteria for entry was strict: Only white-collar workers with at least a college education and aged between 20 and 45.  The four-hour party, which started at 4pm, was spiced up with various games featuring couples and an eight-minute speed dating session.  To add to the romantic atmosphere, each participant was given a rose upon entry, to be given to the "right" person.  FULL ARTICLE @ THE STAR ONLINE

Mark Brooks: 5000 people!  That's insane.  Cupid has the strongest singles events position with it's acquisition of Predating in 2004.  Match killed it's event service, Matchlive, last year.  Word on the street is that larger players are still very interested in events, but have bigger fish to fry right now.  Events are tough, risky, and don't earn enough money to be worthwhile.  But, they do spur great word of mouth, if done right...and terrible, crucifying word-of mouth if done poorly...they're a double edged sword, for sure.  They are also a nice differentiator.  I guided and recommended Cupid's acquisition of Predating.  Cupid 'owns' radio.  They market exclusively via radio, and radio loves events.  They've grappled with the Predating acquisition but they have by far the strongest position of any online dating site when it comes to events, which will enhance their attractiveness as an acquisition target in the future. 

Where Did All the Eligible Men Go?

GANNETT NEWS -- October 25 -- The tabloids tell us that since Ashton Kutcher, 27, and Demi Moore, 42, have married, older women are the hottest new thing. A dating site called www.maydecember.net is even capitalizing off the phenomenon by bringing together those "seeking age gap relationships.

Mark Brooks: There's something inordinately attractive about an older woman who has looked after herself, knows what she wants and knows how to get it. We'll see more of this trend.

You Had Me at Love Dot Com

TIMES RECORD -- Oct 25 -- "It was so dark she couldn't even see the ring," he said.  It sparkles on her hand now. Tim's holding that hand, and describing the wedding band that will join it soon. They both shake their heads over their courtship. "It's been a little over six months," Tim said, "but with eHarmony and all those questionnaires and profiles, we learned so much so quickly."  "We would recommend eHarmony to anyone, but be cautious," they advised. "Ask direct questions, and never give out personal information until you build up trust."

Flock Web Browser Incorporates Social Networking Dimension

OH MY NEWS -- Oct 26 -- Netscape released its code as open source, and Firefox was born to become a distant No. 2 in the browser space.  A new group has created "Flock" based on Firefox.  Del.icio.us is wildly popular utility site for "social bookmarking," that lets users store and share their favorite site links. Digg, a tech news Web site, allows members instead of editors decide which stories get on the homepage.  Flock adds a social networking dimension; integrating blogging, Flickr support, synchronization with Del.icio.us, and other goodies.  Its blogging tools let users write and publish blog posts from within the browser.  Its current version is still under heavy development and buggy (not ideal for downloading just yet). FULL ARTICLE @ OH MY NEWS

Mark Brooks: Is there an opportunity for convergence with an online dating site or social networking site here?

Online, but Not Looking for Love

UNION LEADER -- Oct 25 -- Social networking may be a close cousin of online dating, but it is much more low-key - attracting a totally different demographic. More online dating sites may be moving toward social networking as a way to keep members on the site. One of the first social networking sites that took off was Friendster, which relied on the "perception of exclusivity" to drive its membership numbers sky high, according to Mark Brooks, editor of industry blog Online Personals Watch. Brooks worked with friend and Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams in 2003, and said much of his friend's success is owed to timing and a few simple observations. "He looked at the real world and he modeled it, and one of the things he noticed is there are certain people that are the connecters," Brooks said. Friendster did not try too hard, Brooks said. But it allowed people to join only when they were invited - thus feeding on the desire for exclusivity - and let people meet others through friends, thus ensuring, for the most part, that these friends of friends were legitimate. Facebook has virtually locked up the college market. MySpace.com started as a network for musicians to advertise and expand their fan base, but is fast becoming the largest social networking site in operation. "They're out-Friendstering Friendster, which is absolutely amazing" Brooks said. But business networking sites, such as Linkedin.com, will likely surpass them all in terms of lifespan, revenue and popularity, according to Marc Lesnick who runs the Internet Dating Conference, the largest industry event for online dating and social networking Web sites. FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Facebook Now 10th Most Popular Site on Net

THE CRIMSON -- Oct 25 -- Facebook.com unveiled its long-awaited expanded photo feature last week. Facebook.com is the 10th most trafficked site on the internet, with over 8.5 million unique visitors in September.  Although other networking sites such as Friendster and MySpace have long allowed users to upload multiple photos, Hughes promised in September that the site would offer "more photos than any other comparable site." Facebook.com is now the first of its kind to offer unlimited capacity. Murtaza M. Hussain, a spokesman for online social networking newcomer XuQa.com, said that unlimited photo uploading is more a catchphrase than a reality since most people would upload few photos. FULL ARTICLE @ THE CRIMSON

For Derry Dater, it was a Long, Strange Trip

UNION LEADER -- Oct 25 -- For all the heartaches and horror stories - and there are a few, to be sure - Deborah still gets a buzz from meeting men on the Internet. "It's a real crazy soup," she said. "But it's so interesting." Many online dating sites are swarming with married men, she said. Deborah knows how to spot these guys. They're the ones who ask to meet at lunchtime, or some other strange hour. A few weeks ago, after posting an ad on Craigslist.org, a free and totally uncensored catch-all, Deborah started talking with a pleasant-sounding suitor from Derry. They met for coffee, and she agreed to go back to his place, where he suggested they watch a movie... From now on, she said, she'll be staying away from the free sites. Those are the sketchiest of all, she said. FULL ARTICLE @ UNION LEADER

Online Networking Clicks Among Friends

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- Oct 23 -- There's now a social network site for practically every subgroup. aSmallWorld.net is an invitation-only site for jetsetters. Dogster.com caters to dog owners. LinkedIn.com serves professionals. Friendster has about 19 million users. MySpace.com now boasts 33 million users. Facebook.com has grown to 8.3 million users and is the 11th most visited site on the Internet.  Among other things, each site is a treasure trove of consumer data. In May 2005, the Accel group, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist firm, bought a $12.2 million chunk of Facebook, which is currently valued at around $100 million. This month, Yahoo purchased Upcoming, a site that lets people publicly list and share their schedules of events with friends. In May 2005 Google bought Dodgeball; a site that brings social networking to mobile phones.  'Online social networking is in its infancy. There's a huge opportunity for players like Microsoft or Yahoo or Google to layer social networking applications on top of existing features, like utilizing existing buddy lists or saving e-mail addresses and connecting them to profiles. 'Social scientists ascribe the appeal of social networking sites to what they call "low cost." Rather than engage in long conversations to determine someone's favorite movie, for example, Facebook users can just glance at a profile and get a sense of the interests of the person living next door. But lots of low-cost friendships might mean lots of lower quality friendships. FULL ARTICLE @ SF GATE

Mark Brooks: Some social networks will morph into or be created as Personal Information Management systems to complement the likes of Outlook (or CRM, in the case of LinkedIn) to allow people to orgnise their networks of friends more easily.  Many social networks spur on the 'connectors' to connect with as many people as possible, turning their networks into popularity contests.  This creates a low focus, low integrity network.  Facebook is the best example of a high integrity, high utility social network; they masterfully limited connections to a core group of students/alumni.  This will ensure their success well into the future...and give classmates a run for their money.  Social networking is indeed still in it's infancy. 

Personacheck Background Checks

THE SENTINEL -- Oct 19 -- For an annual fee of $99, PersonaCheck members receive a complete criminal background check, a personal credit report, Social Security number verification, an address check and unlimited use for a year. Hard copies of the information are sent directly to the member via snail-mail and added to their profile upon verification.

Speed Dating Makes Inroads in India

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED -- Oct 18 -- Speed dating has taken root in India, mixing traditional and modern ideas about love. Some of the clientele -- mostly young professionals who can afford the fee -- are sent by their families to find a partner, while others lie to their families about what they're doing. LISTEN TO STORY @ NPR

Mark Brooks: Keep your eyes on Cupid.com/Predating.

Yahoo Buys Whereonearth Location Based Internet Service

NETWORKING PIPELINE -- Oct 19 -- Yahoo has bought the UK location-based Internet services firm Whereonearth, to improve its local search and mobile phone services, and to better compete against Google.  Whereonearth's services include a database of geographical locations that covers more than 90% of Europe, Asia and the Americas, and allow users to search for local goods and services.  Whereonearth is privately held, headquartered in London, has approximately 25 employees, and has had a licensing deal with Yahoo since 2000. FULL ARTICLE @ NETWORKING PIPELINE

Mark Brooks: Location based services will eventually meet mobile services and the online personals world to significantly change the paradigm for 'online personals.'  I see a plugged in world with WiMax networks and wearable computers informing us we have compatible matches waiting for us at the next coffee shop ahead.