Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business

Mobestar Launched Mobile Dating For Singles365.com

BUSINESS WIRE -- Apr 29 --  WhiteLabelDating.com's dating site, Singles365.com, utilises mobile platform mDate. This will enable its members to access their online dating services via their mobile for the first time. WhiteLabelDating.com will roll out its mobile services to all partners free of charge, allowing them to run their own mobile dating services alongside their regular online dating site, providing new revenue streams with no extra running costs. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE

Wanted: Very Smart Partner With High IQ

REUTERS -- Apr 29 -- IntelligentPeople.com, directed towards highly intelligent people, started in Denmark and has now expanded to Canada and the United States. Potential candidates have to pass an online test to prove they have an IQ of 115 or higher. The score places them in the top 15% of the population for intelligence, said Copenhagen-based Trine Jensen, the founder of IntelligentPeople.com. "I believe that intelligent people communicate better with other intelligent people and, of course, love happens more easily if you communicate well," she said. FULL ARTICLE @ REUTERS

JDate Sparks Romance In The UK

MARKET WIRE -- Apr 29 -- JDate, the online community for Jewish singles, launched a sister-site in the UK. Already available in Hebrew, English, and French, JDate.co.uk is designed specifically for the UK market. With nearly 300,000 Jewish residents, the UK is home to the fifth largest Jewish population in the world. FULL ARTICLE @ CNN MONEY 

Facebook + Personality = Perfect Match

PR NEWSWIRE -- Apr 29 --  New Facebook application 'What's Your Personality Type?' gives members their own 'personality type' results to share with friends and find out who they are compatible with. The application provides an access to a special customized version of Perfectmatch.com's Duet test, a personality assessment co-developed by Dr. Pepper Schwartz. FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE

DNA Dating Comes To iPhone And iPod Touch

PR WEB -- Apr 29 -- Dating DNA is now available on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch Internet devices. iPhone and iPod Touch users can immediately start browsing photos and compatibility scores by visiting www.datingdna.com/iphone from the devices. Dating DNA started in August 2007 and provides free and open Web Services which bring 1-click compatibility scoring and other dating features to sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Craigslist, as well as to Internet devices such as Apple's iPhone and the Chumby web appliance. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

Inside A Man's Mind

BUSINESS WIRE -- Apr 28 -- DontDateHimGirl.com, one of the hottest women's websites on the Internet, kicks off its weeklong series 'Inside a Man's Mind ' What Guys Really Think About Love, Lust and Being Loyal'. 'Men and women speak totally different languages when it comes to love, dating and relationships,' said Tasha Cunningham, creator of DontDateHimGirl.com.

DontDateHimGirl.com found out that: 
73% of men keep secrets from their significant others
21% visit sexually-oriented websites at least once a day while in a relationship
56% fantasize about other women while in a relationship
8% have virtual sex online with a person they don't know personally at least once a week while in a relationship
FULL ARTICLE @ AD HOC NEWS

3 Million Brits Looking Across Europe For Romance

PR NEWSWIRE -- Apr 27 -- According to new research by PARSHIP, 3 million UK singles are looking for a serious long distance relationship (LDR). That's 20% of Britain's 15m singles. British women would most like to date Irish (11%), French (11%) and Italians (11%), followed by the Danes (10%), Dutch (10%) and Swiss (10%). British men favored the Nordic touch with Swedes (14%) and Germans (14%), closely followed by the Swiss (13%), Dutch (12%) and Danish (12%). FULL ARTICLE @ IT NEWS

Let's Say You Want To Date A Hog Farmer

NY TIMES -- Apr 27 -- A growing number of people have found love on dating sites that pair members based on a specific shared interest or background, like Nerdsatheart.com, DateMyPet.com, STDmatch.net and Veggielove.com. "Singles are increasingly eager to narrow the audience and really target their needs," said Mark Brooks, a consultant who keeps his own blog, OnlinePersonalsWatch.com. "It's the same reason why Procter&Gamble makes so many detergents. We are all drawn to things that cater to our very specific desires." According to Hitwise there are now 1,378 U.S. dating sites, up from 876 three years ago. Mr. Brooks estimates that 44% of those sites in the U.S. are niche sites, up from 35% in 2006. Large companies like Match.com, eHarmony, Yahoo Personals and SinglesNet.com have the general market cornered, Mr. Brooks said, "the only real entrepreneurial opportunities left in the online dating world lie in the niche market." FarmersOnly.com has attracted 90,000 members so far, 50,000 in the last year alone. One month's membership costs $15.95. Mr. Brooks said the most successful niche sites pair people by race, sexual orientation or religion. The 20 most popular dating sites this year as ranked by Hitwise include JDate, Christian Mingle and ChristianCafe.com, Manhunt, Love From India, Amigos, Asian People Meet, and Shaadi. "A few years ago, a company called Spark Networks was putting major funding into its general dating site, American Singles," Mr. Brooks said. "But when executives saw that the Jewish market was huge and relatively untouched, they switched gears and ratcheted up JDate." FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES. Also in THE LEDGER

White Label Dating Or Software

OPW -- Apr 28 -- Think of a dating site as a shop, with people on the shelves. Dating sites sell people to people. So the first thing a new site must do, is build their stock of people and spend seven figures to build their sites to critical mass so it converts, and is viable. They also have to overcome the operational costs of running customer service, and their sites, and site development. The entrepreneur can choose between developing their own software from scratch, or using an off the shelf package, or using a white label provider.

The majority of people I talk to who have tried to develop software have run into serious problems. If you're going to use software, make sure its with a development group that has developed community/social networking/dating sites in the past. If you have more generic needs you could use an off the shelf package.  Off the shelf dating site software is a better bet than developing from scratch in most cases but most packages tend to be buggy and the support costs can add up. My money has always been on using white label services. You can find a list here. White labeling services help negate operational costs, and help entrepreneurs build a profitable businesses extremely quickly by granting them access to an existing base of users. Rather than start one generic site, I'd recommend starting a number of niches. Niche dating sites tend to convert better than generic sites and tend to garner more word-of-mouth exposure amongst their target audiences because of their more focused approach. Let me know how it goes, mark@courtlandbrooks.com.

This post also appears on FrequentFlirters.

Improving Online Dating With Virtual Dates

HARVARD STUDY -- Online dating is an undoubtedly popular way to meet potential partners. 11% of Internet users (16 million Americans) have used an online dating website. Online dating websites are highly successful in allowing people to connect with others outside of their existing social circles.

Most online dating sites use a "shopping" interface like that used by other commercial sites, in which commodities – users – are classified by different attributes (e.g., height, weight, income) which can be parsed and sorted in any way the shopper desires. Choosing partners online by sorting them on various attributes lacks the crucial component of real-time interaction so crucial to the acquaintanceship process. We sought to more closely mirror face-to-face interaction, where people get a sense of others – in real time – that is simply not available through standard online dating websites.

In an attempt to bridge this key difference between online and offline dating, we created Virtual Dates, online interactions designed to improve online dating by allowing daters to interact in a virtual environment that mirrors first dates in the real world.

Our research has demonstrated the benefits of adding image content to stimulate conversation. Individuals can like each other more if they are given an opportunity to chat online before chatting in person.

Our results suggest that Virtual Dates cause individuals to develop greater affinity toward one another when they actually meet, in line with other research showing the positive impact of real-time online rapport.
READ THE FULL STUDY

Businesses We'd Like eHarmony To Venture Into

EHARMONY BLOG -- Apr 20 -- We've heard that eHarmony is gearing up to buy online businesses — so we'd like to offer suggestions.
#1. A gay dating site
#2. A search-and-browse dating site - eHarmony already has the personal preferences of over 1.6 million whom it rejected while looking for love. f they don't want to match them, then let them search and browse for partners on their own!
#3. FriendHarmony - Find people with whom you actually get along and have plenty in common
#4. Pet matchmaking -  According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 71.1 million homes. According to APPMA, the Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures for 2007 is $41.2 billion dollars.
#5. Religion and congregation matchmaking
#6. Adoption matchmaking - Match orphans to parents
#7. Career matchmaking - Match people to jobs
#8. Real estate matchmaking - Match homes to homebuyers
FULL ARTICLE @ EHARMONY BLOG

"The Love Doctor"

EHARMONY BLOG -- Apr 20 -- The February 2008 issue of Reader's Digest ran an article about eHarmony and its founder, Neil Clark Warren and his dream to beat the 'horrors of divorce'. From the article:

Q:  What exactly do single people want?
Dr: They are dying for a deep sense of companionship and to feel really good about themselves.

Q:  What's the one essential quality to a successful relationship that most people overlook?
Dr: Honesty.

Q: What's the most important of your 29 criteria for compatibility?
Dr: Emotional health.

Q: Do opposites attract?
Dr: I believe in the importance of similarities. The truth is, opposites attract, then they attack.
FULL ARTICLE @ EHARMONY BLOG

Interview With Noel Biderman, CEO Of Ashley Madison

OPW INTERVIEW -- Apr 25 -- Ashley Madison is for those already in relationships to find a 'bit on the side' as we say in England.  Its the site I most love to hate, but, bless 'em, they fulfill a need and make great money doing so.  We asked the CEO of Ashley Madison if he'd be OK with his wife using Ashley Madison.  See his answer below... - Mark Brooks       

What is Ashley Madison, who are your members, and how did the name come about?
Ashley Madison is the largest dating service of its kind catering to like minded adults who are already in a committed relationship. Our members are people who find themselves attached at this stage in their lives, and in many instances, in otherwise very happy marriages or with great family situations, but they're physically or emotionally unfulfilled. What they seek at Ashley Madison is someone who understands those needs.

The name is fictitious and based on the two most popular girl's names in 2001 when the founder of the service, Darren Morgenstern, came up with the concept.

What makes your site stand out from the competition?
I think we're unique, one of the only sites in this niche, and we're definitely the originator. The genesis of the business itself was a report that stated that upwards of 30 to 35 percent of people on singles dating services were actually attached, and so we thought 'what if you could create a site where you didn't have to lie about your personal circumstances?' You could put your hand up and say 'this is who I am; this is my situation in life. I'm still looking to meet someone else to fill a void and not create any additional risks for myself.' That's the uniqueness of the Ashley Madison model.

How does your service help people improve the quality of their lives?
Ironically, we've actually preserved a number of relationships and marriages in the sense that many people suffer from a lack of physical or emotional intimacy. Other aspects of their lives are going well, great career, incredible children, extended family, but there is just a certain critical element to their life that they're not happy with. With Ashley Madison, they have a chance to explain that and not be judged for it, because everybody knows the nature of the service when they join. Here's a chance to meet someone like-minded. All of a sudden, when that void is filled, they can be an even better parent, a better spouse or partner to whomever they're with in their life.

But why would anyone who wasn't looking for a marital split want to openly broadcast their cheating?
Statistics show that approximately 60% of people are somehow involved in cheating in their relationship. It's almost a DNA pull, a fact of life, and we battle against it all the time.

People wrestle with the whole notion. When they've finally made the determination that this is what they need to do for themselves, the next move can be challenging. The work place is fraught with problems. Someone could lose his or her job; you could misread a cue. If you visit a prostitute, you could end up with an STD. You could have a stigma attached to you for breaking the law. There are so many problems.

If you come to a service like ours, you can at least mitigate the risks. You still take a risk; I want to be clear. Anytime you do this you take a risk, but if you've been thinking about it, then you tend to approach it in a different way.

How do you check for fraudulence?
We review every single profile and photo prior to releasing it to our membership base. We remove anyone that we find to be fraudulent, solicitous, or problematic. Soliciting is veiled prostitution. We just won't allow that kind of behavior to take place. We have a fraud check system that we've built up over years and a huge customer care staff who monitor 24/7. We know what our members need and we need to protect them.

How do you protect members (who post photos) from their snoopy spouses?
Many singles will post a public photo but very few attached people do so. Most photos are posted to a private showcase section. The release of those require a key in exchange with another member only after you've built a relationship and have a sense of who they are and what they're about. I've never, in all of our existence, come across one story of a spouse catching another spouse on Ashley Madison. When they do get caught, it's for other reasons. It could be that they didn't clear their cookie on their computer, or the like.

Have you used your own service?
I'm married with two kids, and I hope that I'm not one of those people who find a need for a service like mine – but clearly it's out there.

Would you be okay with your wife using your service?
No. If my wife were using my service, or any dating service, or if I even found her on Facebook chatting with former boyfriends and not telling me about it, I would be emotionally hurt beyond belief, and would feel that our relationship had severe problems. To me, a healthy relationship is one where there is communication and honesty and emotional and physical connectivity. I would hope that that is what is going on in my current relationship, and if not, I'd have to look at myself, and my responsibilities. But if my wife were engaging in such a service, then clearly our relationship would be in trouble.

Is there anything that you want a perspective client to know?
We do our research. We try to understand what you need, and refine our products and services for that. This isn't about judging, it's an open platform, and what you'll find is that no matter who you are, the housewife who just hasn't been complimented or paid attention to in ages, the woman who just really likes being with married men because that's what she wants, or you're with someone you don't want to marry, maybe you want to trade up; if you relate, then you're going to find someone compatible. It's a wide slice of life with real people, and I think that's the great part of our service.

Niche Dating Sites Grow Steadily As Mainstream Ones Flail

TECH CRUNCH -- Apr 24 -- In the internet dating space, bigger is not always best. According to the latest U.S. numbers from Hitwise, the top niche dating sites are steadily gaining market share while their big mainstream counterparts stagnate. In March 2008, the top 5 overall sites held 7% less market share than they did in 2007 (Plentyoffish and Singlesnet were the only sites to buck this trend individually). Meanwhile, the top sites (Adam4Adam, Manhunt, Gay.com, BlackPeopleMeet, BlackSingles, BlackChristianPeopleMeet, ChristianMingle, JDate, and ChristianCafe.com) from the top five major niche dating categories made considerable gains. The biggest niche in terms of total traffic is casual dating, which consists of sites like Fling, AdultFriendFinder, and SexSearch. While the top 10 mainstream dating sites gained only 0.01% of total Internet traffic over the past year, the top three casual adult sites gained 0.07%. That's a hefty 56% increase in the traffic. (Authored by Mark Brooks)
FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH 

Science Of Love

RED EYE CHICAGO TRIBUNE -- Apr 24 -- Scientific minds across the country are attempting to decode the rules of romance, tackling issues such as the role evolution plays in attraction, whether a "love" hormone exists, and how love affects the human mind. Science is sweeping even the online dating world, according to trend watcher Mark Brooks of Online Personals Watch, who said online dating sites are increasingly adding features, including handwriting analysis, to match like-minded mates. Scientificmatch.com dabbles in DNA testing, currently charging $995 for a lifetime membership. The site claims to analyze some of the potential partners' immune system genes in order to help online daters make the right romantic connections. "With all the time, energy and money that people put into dating sites or dating to find love, it's not surprising to see that even more scientific methods are being leveraged," said Brooks. "Since the mid-'90s, online dating has revolutionized the level of personal detail and data you can provide. I can totally see it heading in the direction of science to assist with compatible matching." FULL ARTICLE @ RED EYE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Want To Marry A Millionaire?

NEWS.COM.AU -- Apr 24 -- Lindsay Lewis founded Millionairedating.com.au six months ago and says there's been a steady stream of Australian women looking for a wealthy Mr Right, either as a short term sugar daddy or a long term partner. With names like Sugardaddies.com and Seekingmillionaire.com, the sites offer to match "those with beauty with those with wealth". Another Australian dating site catering to women looking for a successful partner is Millionairematchmaker.com.au. Basic registration starts at $165, while the entry level introduction service costs upwards of $1500. Success fees are also payable, with a newly engaged couple recently handing over $50,000. Most Australians would rather follow their hearts than their purse strings when it comes to romance, according to research commissioned by HSBC Bank for Valentine's Day this year. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWS.COM.AU

Does eHarmony Read eHarmony Blog?

EHARMONY BLOG -- Apr 24 -- eHarmony Blog served approximately 47,000 webpages in December and 43,000 webpages in November. I served only 37 pages to eHarmony's corporate offices. No one in eHarmony offices seems to be visiting me. The 37 already includes the times they used the "cached copy" link in Google's search results. FULL ARTICLE @ EHARMONY BLOG

JDate Named Official Honoree In 12th Annual Webby Awards

PRESS RELEASE -- Apr 24 -- JDate, the dating site for Jewish singles, has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Social Networking category in the 12th Annual Webby Awards. Called the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, the Webby is the leading international award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. FULL ARTICLE @ CNN MONEY

RedneckAndSingle Under New Management

PRESS RELEASE -- Apr 23 -- RedneckAndSingle.com has been sold. With over 18,000 members, RedneckAndSingle.com provides a place for Rednecks and those who love them to meet for love and adventure or just to discuss shared interests like muddin', fishin', campin', and huntin'. Nascar races, mud floppin' and mattress surfin' are also very popular. FULL ARTICLE @ IPD GROUP

CrazyBlindDate Has Finalists In ''Pick Your City'' Campaign

BUSINESS WIRE -- Apr 23 -- CrazyBlindDate.com, the one-of-a-kind blind dating site from the creators of OkCupid, announced the five finalists of its "Pick Your City" campaign - Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Providence and Seattle. The voting starts today and runs through May 2. CrazyBlindDate is currently available in seven cities across the U.S. and has coordinated more than 10,000 blind dates at local bars and coffee shops. FULL ARTICLE @ BUSINESS WIRE