OPW -- June 22 -- Speeddate and Woome are leading the industry when it comes to online speed dating. Match launched online speed dating in 2004 and gave it a shot and later pulled it. Lavalife is giving online speed dating a shot in Toronto. It's on one of the main tabs as soon as you log into Lavalife. It's temporarily free but will eventually cost money/tokens. The online speed dating events run 8pm each night.
IVEY INTOUCH MAGAZINE -- Apr 3 -- “Tele-personals,” known today as Lavalife, is one of the world’s oldest online dating services. The founding partners started out dabbling in the business of celebrity voice tapes for answering machines. They developed “Tele-classifieds" and soon found that personal advertisements had the most potential. Today, Lavalife offers its voice, Web and mobile services in more than 60 markets across the U.S., Canada and Australia. Sam Moorcroft discovered online dating services when he found himself single and unemployed in Toronto in the late 90s. He created ChristianCafe. The key to the success of ChristianCafe.com was filling a niche in the market. ChristianCafe.com has grown into a multi-million dollar operation, and is now celebrating its tenth anniversary online. FULL ARTICLE @ IVEY INTOUCH MAGAZINE
OPW -- Apr 1 -- Marina Glogovac has worked with Lavalife since 2004, first as the Chief Revenue Officer and and then as CEO since 2006. She has stepped down as CEO of Lavalife. Ron Duke, whos was the CFO, is taking over as the CEO.
SMH -- Feb 14 -- Figures obtained from internet dating services show
that in some age groups there are far more men than women searching for
a partner online. RSVP reports that women are outnumbered by men 1.5 to
1 in their late 20s to mid 30s. On Lavalife, women remain in high
demand even after they turn 50, when almost three times more men in
that age group are logging on. FULL ARTICLE @ SMH
FOX NEWS -- Feb 3 -- There a plenty of fish in the sea, and nearly as many online dating sites. M&J investigate which services will help you find that perfect catch. M&J spoke to Dr. Gian Gonzaga from eHarmony, CEO of Lavalife Marina Glogovac and Mark Brooks from PlentyofFish.com.
Juliet: Dr Gian what are the components to making a successfully compatible relationship?
Dr. Gian Gonzaga: One thing relationship science has shown for the last 40 years is that people who are similar to each other on some important core personality traits, attitudes, values and interests are going to get along better.
Juliet: We’re going to move from E-Harmony to Lavalife.
Mike: Marina, I’ve heard this site called sort of the Sex and the City website.
Marina Glogovac: Yeah, we have 3 distinct communities- a dating community, a relationship community and an intimate community and that’s for people who are more open minded about exploring intimacy. The point is if you’re single you can quickly be surrounded by likeminded people who share your relationship goals.
Juliet: Next we’re going to look at PlentyofFish.com. What set’s PlentyofFish apart from all the other sites?
Mark Brooks: Well we heard a lot of talk about Plenty of Fish being free, free, free, but the real difference these days is it’s big, big, big. We have 900,000 people logging in every day. And we know now that 800,000 people a year are meeting and are in successful relationships because of PlentyofFish.com.
Juliet: Is there a science behind why you hook up so many people together?
Mark Brooks: The fellow who started the site is actually a math wizard and he’s observed the real world and he’s bottled the best of matchmaking. We have a chemistry test but there is a lot going on behind the scenes to match compatible people.
Stephanie: I’m a huge fan of PlentyofFish. Because it’s free and with the economy being down like it is, why not try a free site for 3, 4, and 5 months and then if it doesn’t work you can always pay later. And then take your saved money and go on a date.
Watch the show @ Mandjshow.com
PART 1
PART 2
See all posts on eHarmony
See all posts on Lavalife
See all posts on PlentyofFish
GLOBE & MAIL -- Jan 29 -- Lavalife, PlentyofFish, Match and
PerfectMatch have seen their memberships soar after the stock-market
plunge. Lavalife registrations are up 11% from last month,
PlentyofFish enjoyed 77% growth in visits from Dec '07 through Dec
'08. "Unlike the real world, dating sites offer the lovelorn a
"completely refined, focused community", says Mark Brooks. Dating
sites take care of the formalities. "If somebody wants to wander
around and meet somebody, that's not a good idea on two counts: No. 1,
it'll take them a long while and No. 2, they've got to get all the
difficult questions out of the way." A survey by Florida-based Avalanche LLC - which operates international sites date.com, matchmaker.com and amor.com - found that 48 per cent of respondents were spending more time online or on the phone with a potential date before spending cash on a face-to-face meeting. Joe Tracy, publisher of Online
Dating Magazine, agrees that bad economic times force people to
"reprioritize their goals in life." Paul A. Falzone, CEO of
LoveAccess.com agrees. "People, when they're confronted with any type
of dilemma in their lives, tend to want to migrate back to what's
comfortable to them. They go back to eating their comfort foods, they
crank up the heat by the fire instead of going out all night, and they
want someone to be able to share things with." FULL ARTICLE @ GLOBE & MAIL
See all posts on Lavalife See all posts on Amor.com
See all posts on PlentyofFish See all posts on Date.com
See all posts on Match.com See all posts on Matchmaker.com
See all posts on PerfectMatch See all posts on LoveAccess
CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS -- Jan 18 -- For the last four months of 2008, LinkedIn, which
has 1.4 million members in New York state, reported an 11% increase in
the number of
connections made between users, a 10% boost in invites sent among
members and a 9% uptick in page views. Facebook reached 150m+ active
users earlier this month. Interactive One, which operates
BlackPlanet.com, AsianAvenue.com and MiGente.com, has
seen a 12% jump in uniques. Sign-ups from New
York state residents on Lavalife.com were down 13% until the stock
market meltdown, according to Marina
Glogovac, CEO of Lavalife. New York membership increased 7% each month
from the beginning of the 3rd quarter through the end of 2008. Although
OKCupid met its goal of reaching $2m in revenue
last year, Mr. Yagan admits that his site is vulnerable to a declining
ad market. FULL ARTICLE @ CRAIN NEW YORK BUSINESS
See all posts on BlackPlanet
See all posts on Lavalife
See all posts on OKCupid
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.
CNW -- Jan 7 -- Lavalife has launched the third annual search to
find Canada's 10 most eligible singles with the smarts, looks and
winning personalities to carry the title of Top Single. Lavalife's 2009 Top Singles Competition is presented by Colgate MaxFresh and is in partnership with LouLou and Glow magazines. FULL ARTICLE @ CNW GROUP
TORONTO DATING SOCIAL -- Nov 30 -- The first Toronto Internet Dating Industry Party for the owners and
executives of the Internet Personals and Social Networking companies
was held on November 25, 2008. This networking event was
attended by 27 representatives of 15 dating technology companies.
Companies that attended the Toronto Dating Social Party:
Date.com,
OmniDate Inc., Dating Ad Network, Lavalife Corp., Epic Advertising,
Canoe / Reseau Contact, ChristianCafe.com, Cupid.com, Talkster, Impact
Mobile, Randodate.com, WorldFriends Networks, Personality Pro, Dating
Essentials
FULL ARTICLE @ TORONTO DATING SOCIAL
GLOBE AND MAIL -- Sep 15 -- In a new era of divorce, approximately 25%
of Canadians born between 1946 and 1964 are single. According to a poll
by the American Association of Retired Persons,
only 15% of single boomer women and 22% of boomer men
are looking for someone to marry or live with. But
they are looking for friendship. Since
last year's launch of LavalifePrime, an online dating service for
people 40 and over, 65,000 people have registered. "They're looking for
people they can do activities with,"
says Agneta Owen, who helped launch the site. "I'm sure a lot are
finding romance as well, but it's a lot less about getting married." FULL ARTICLE @ GLOBE AND MAIL
CANWEST -- Aug 16 -- A growing number of Canadians are willing to pay for services such as online dating, speed dating, singles groups and matchmakers. Kim Hughes, editor-in-chief of Lavalife, says there are two key reasons that people pay to date: efficiency and customized searches. It's Just Lunch is a matchmaking service that works with upscale restaurant partners and charges $1,995 for one-year membership. Meet Market Adventures is a more casual singles service. It is a "pay-as-you-play" model with no membership fee, but individual fees are charged for each event. Meet Market organizes approximately 35 to 45 events every month. Justin Parfitt was single and looking to improve on existing speed-dating models when he founded his company, FastLife, in Australia in 2003. FastLife is now based in Toronto and has expanded into Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, the U.K. and China. The price of a standard event is $79 and includes an open bar. FULL ARTICLE @ THE WINDSOR STAR
See all posts on Lavalife
See all posts on It'sJustLunch
See all posts on MeetMarketAdventures
See all posts on FastLife
CANADIAN BUSINESS ONLINE -- Aug 5 -- People over 50 is rapidly becoming a sought-after segment and comparable to the highly profitable younger generation. LavalifePrime which launched last year has had twice as many signups as expected. In Canada, 1/3 of the population is over 50 and holds 77% of the country’s wealth. Currently only 4% of advertising dollars is spent on the segment. Selling to the set is different. The group buys more on personal feelings rather than based on what their friends are buying. Marketers shouldn’t lump the whole group together, as there are distinct subgroups, such as UBoomers and GrandBoomers. The 50plus set is increasing internet usage faster than every other group spending 33 hours a month online each month. FULL ARTICLE @ CANADIAN BUSINESS ONLINE
PR NEWSWIRE -- June 2 -- lavalifePRIME, one of the first sites designed exclusively for singles aged 45 and
over celebrates its 1st anniversary. As part of the first anniversary
celebration, lavalifePRIME polled
1,000 single Boomers to uncover
current trends among this fast-growing group which numbers roughly 85m
in US and Canada in total. 25% of sexually active Boomers would
take part in a threesome. 46% said they enjoy sex now more than they
did in their 20s
and 30s. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWS BLAZE
PR LEAP -- Mar 20 -- LavalifePRIME, a dating site exclusively for singles 45+ will offer 50Plus.com members
immediate access to LavalifePRIME's database and social networking
resources at http://50plus.lavalifeprime.com. Boomers registered with 50Plus.com will be able to view LavalifePRIME members' profiles and use its instant chat and
social networking features. FULL ARTICLE @ PR LEAP
PRESS RELEASE -- Mar 18 -- What do women want? According to a recent survey done by Lavalife.com and AXE male grooming products, Canadian women say it's not necessarily the money, the cars or the beautiful home that make a man irresistible… it could be about how well he grooms himself. The survey asked more than 800 women exactly what makes a man more appealing, and found that 66% of women go for well-groomed conscientious guys, verses only 7% of the female population who prefer a hairy bad boy. FULL ARTICLE @ PR LEAP
OTTAWA CITIZEN -- Feb 14 --
Unlike traditional dating, people's intentions are more evident online
than in the non-virtual world. PlentyofFish.com is virtually a dating
haven for millions of people around the world. The site rakes in $10
million a year in advertising and Ontario is one of the biggest hot
spots for PlentyofFish users. Founder, Markus Frind says that meeting
people in today's fast-paced world is just too hard, and it only gets
tougher with age. "The baby boomers are signing up in droves now," says
Frind. "They
never used to use the site, but now it's the biggest growth market for
all dating sites." Lavalife has started a dating service called
LavalifePRIME, exclusively for those 45 and older. FULL ARTICLE @ CANADA
CNW -- Feb 6 -- 10 singles throughout Canada will be named Lavalife's 2008 Top Singles in a contest presented by Colgate MaxFresh. Entering is easy. All singles have to do is be a member of Lavalife.com, have a great Lavalife photo and a creative and engaging "In My Own Words" profile. On March 19th, 2008, once the voting is final, Lavalife will announce the ten Top 10 Singles from across Canada who will share in all the public admiration and, more importantly, get a heap of attention for their profiles. FULL ARTICLE @ CNW GROUP
PRESS RELEASE -- Jan 22 -- A recent
article on lavalifePRIME,
a social dating site exclusively for single Boomers, states that a
recent study done in the UK found that more than one-third (37 %)
of 1,000 respondents ages 50 to 65 said that they would be willing to sleep with someone on
the first date. That's twice the number of Generation X singles (just
18 % of the under-40 crowd) who would also say yes to a casual
intimate encounter. Most experts interviewed by lavalifePRIME believe that
Boomers are more open to sex because they grew up in an era of free
love, sexual freedom, swingers, feminism and the introduction of the
birth control pill. FULL ARTICLE @ PR LEAP
PRESS RELEASE -- Jan 8 -- Lavalife.com launched a free online city guide http://wheretogo.lavalife.com. "Where to Go" city guides feature a range of listings allowing singles to create a great date itinerary while discovering new and exciting ways to spend their time, including: restaurants and bars, shopping, travel destinations, attractions, health and wellness, hotels and getaways and much more. FULL ARTICLE @ PR LEAP
Mark Brooks: Singles have specific needs for their date venues. It's great for them to have a recommended shortlist. Other sites such as Manhunt and Date.com offer targeted local advertising to venues. We'll see more sites offering targeted advertising and building out there content sections in 2008. Internet dating sites need to distinguish themselves as much as possible from social networks. Adding highly magazines, and user generated content useful to singles is a good move. See Adult Friend Finder for an example of a User Generated Content magazine done right. (Full Disclosure: Manhunt is a client of Courtland Brooks. Mark Brooks worked for FriendFinder in 2003).
NEWSWIRE -- Dec 6 -- Jambo Mobile Solutions, a mobile messaging provider, signed a two-year agreement with Lavalife to become its primary text and content fulfillment partner for the Canadian and US. Revenues will be generated through monthly fees and a percentage of text-chat messaging and content purchases. FULL ARTICLE @ CNW GROUP
Recent Comments