Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business

Dating Profile Attributes vs. First Date Outcomes

PRESS RELEASE - Sep 9 - According to FreeDating.co.uk study, the more overweight a woman is, the more open she is to having sex on a first date. The same applies as women get taller. The younger a woman is, the more likely she is to be up for sex on a first date. Men peak in their late twenties in this respect, with younger men apparently slightly more inhibited. The more educated a man is, the more receptive he is to sex on a first date. Women, in contrast, become less open to first date sex as they get increasingly better educated. Dan Winchester, founder of FreeDating.co.uk, said "this research allows our users to target or avoid other members based on their own attitude to what is appropriate behaviour on a first date." Read the full report on this research here.

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FreeDating.co.uk Partners With Messmo For Mobile Messaging

PR WEB - Jan 19 – FreeDating.co.uk, one of the UK's largest free online dating sites, has integrated messmo's AnyPhone messaging system. AnyPhone mobile-enables every member of the site, regardless of the member's handset. messmo's patent pending system allows users to send and receive messages safely and seamlessly from FreeDating.co.uk's messaging system or another user's handset. Dan Winchester, CEO of FreeDating.co.uk, said, “ With messmo’s AnyPhone messaging system, we are able to let members receive and reply via text from mobile as they follow their favourite or hotlisted members.” Brendan O'Kane, CEO of messmo, said, " messmo’s patent pending AnyPhone messaging system, by assigning unique cell numbers, lets members harness the power of SMS, while hiding user’s real mobile numbers.” FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

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Competitors Benefit From PlentyofFish Misfortune

OPW - Aug 17 -PlentyoffFish was down for over 8 hours on August 9th due to a hardware failure. How does that effect the competition? Dan from Freedating.co.uk had 5.3% more uniques and 19.3% more visits on August 9th compare with one week prior. Why did he see so many more visits? Because existing users of Freedating.co.uk who previously split their time between the two sites suddenly only had one option. Meanwhile, Martin from Smooch.com, another free UK dating site, saw similar increases in uniques and pageviews but more interestingly, his registrations were up 70%.

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One In Three Women Would End A Relationship Over An 'Inadequate' Christmas Gift

PR NEWSWIRE -- Dec 10 -- Research by free dating site FreeDating.co.uk found that 36% of women would end a relationship over an 'inadequate' Christmas gift. Examples of gifts which were deemed inadequate included cooking utensils, cleaning products, and a sticky tape dispenser. Highly educated women were much more likely to end a relationship for this reason than those with no qualifications. Just 17% of men would end a relationship over their partner's choice of Christmas present. FULL ARTICLE @ THE EARTH TIMES

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First Date Budgets Unaffected By Credit Crunch

PR WEB -- Nov 27 -- New research by FreeDating.co.uk shows that UK singles are spending as much as ever on a first date, despite the credit crunch. 80% of guys thought the man should pay, with 47% of women agreeing that the man should pick up the tab. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

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Dating Sites Hang On Despite Increasing Competition

IDG SERVICE -- Sep 23 -- Owners and companies running dating Web sites are meeting Monday and Tuesday at the Internet Dating Conference in London to discuss challenges in their industry. The top dating sites in the U.K. for June were PlentyofFish, followed by Meetic, Match.com, Gaydar.co.uk and GirlsDateForFree, according to comScore. In North America, the top sites in June were PlentyofFish, Singlesnet, eHarmony, Match.com and Yahoo Personals. The number of page views for dating sites are falling, and people are spending less time but revenues are growing. The main revenue model is subscription. Other dating sites are offering premium services used by traditional matchmaking companies. A site in China, Zhenai, charges $200 a year for access to its online site and team of match matchers who work with singles over the phone. That's far less than fees charged by traditional matchmakers, which can cost $5,000 or more a year, said Mark Brooks, who runs a consultancy focusing on social networks and dating sites. FreeDating.co.uk is free, and makes money by showing ads. It's the same model used by PlentyofFish, a relatively simple site that debuted in 2003 and has surged to the top spot in the U.S. and U.K. markets. FULL ARTICLE @ PC WORLD

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