The Online Personals Insider is the internet dating conference weekly news summary
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:~ INTERNET DATING CONFERENCE ~:
http://www.idate2009.com - June 25-26, 2009 - Beverly Hills
Speakers include: Google, Chemistry, Patti Stanger (Millionare's Club). The Social Networking Conference (included with the iDate registration) speakers include Wal-Mart, Digg, Dow Jones, Google, Intel and others
Register before May 31st and save $425 on the entrance fee: http://www.idate2009.com/register-la-2009.php
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:~ CEO INTERVIEWS ~:
BoonEx - Andrew Boon
http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2009/05/andrew-boon-director-and-cofounder-of-boonex.html
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:~ TOP ONLINE PERSONALS WATCH NEWS ITEMS ~:
DNA Dating
SUNDAY TIMES -- May 24 -- Dr Tamara Brown, a Croatian geneticist, has been investigating what creates that initial “spark” between two people, and she believes that the answer lies in smell. Her company, GenePartner, charges clients $99 for a genetic match. GenePartner is not the first company to use DNA testing. ScientificMatch started in December last year, about the same time as GenePartner, offering DNA matching for a lifetime membership fee of $1,995. As the testing is unregulated, there are fears of serious risk to privacy, that customers’ DNA results might be sold to insurance companies, for instance. In the U.S., the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (Gina), signed by President Bush last May, makes it illegal for employers and health insurers to use their employees’ or customers’ genetic information to discriminate against them.
http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2009/05/dna-dating.html
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Interview With Marc Simoncini, CEO Of Meetic
OPW -- May 21 -- Meetic is focusing on expanding Meetic Affinity all over Europe. Its in all countries except for the Nordics at this stage. This is a higher end dating product for serious daters. They will be rolling out a product for a younger audience called Peexme. Its a mobile application and web application that will be launched in June. As far as their acquision of Match Europe goes, they will continue to run all the brands but will only promote the top brands. Meetic will run Match in the Nordics, and Meetic all over the rest of Europe. They will actively market and promote one brand per market. So that means they will stop promoting Match and DatingDirect in the UK. Additionally, they will merge the Match Europe and Meetic databases.
http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2009/05/interview-with-marc-simoncini-ceo-meetic.html
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Craigslist Sues South Carolina Attorney General
TECH CRUCNH -- May 20 -- Craigslist is suing South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, seeking declaratory relief as well as a restraining order with respect to criminal charges he has threatened against the company and its executives. The company is raising the gloves because it refuses to shut down its operations in South Carolina, claiming it’s in full compliance with all applicable laws and has already done enough by removing its ‘erotic services’ category.
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Enable your dating site with voice with Talkster. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com for more info
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Zoosk Introduces Last.fm And Netflix Integration Into Online Dating Profiles
PR NEWSWIRE -- May 19 -- Zooskers can easily link their Last.fm and Netflix accounts to their Zoosk Date Card by providing their Last.fm username or a link to their Netflix queue's RSS feed. Once a user links their accounts to their profile on Zoosk, music picks made on Last.fm and movie titles selected on Netflix will automatically appear on the user's Zoosk Date Card.
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Cupid's Arrow Lands In War Zone
USA TODAY -- May 18 -- Dating services such as Match.com and eHarmony are reporting that numerous members are finding romance with someone in the U.S. while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The % of military members joining eHarmony increased by 56% from 2006 to 2008, says Gian Gonzaga, an eHarmony research psychologist.
http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2009/05/cupids-arrow-lands-in-war-zone.html
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British Dating Site In Trouble For Using Obama's Name
ZEENEWS -- May 17 -- A British dating site has landed into trouble for trading on Barack Obama's name and posting a snap of America's First Couple on its portal. According to 'Daily Star', 'ObamaSinglesDating.com' is facing an investigation for using Obama's name on their portal and posting an album of the US First Couple, including a photo with the Queen snapped in London earlier this year without any permission from the White House.
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Internet Dating Conference
The business conference for the online dating industry @ InternetDatingConference.com
Industry Message Boards @ mb.InternetDatingConference.com
Conference Organiser
Marc Lesnick, info@idate2007.com, 212-722-1744
Media Relations
Press, please contact Mark Brooks
mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com, 212-444-1636
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Online Personals Watch
www.onlinepersonalswatch.com or opw1.com
Editor: Mark Brooks, mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com, 212-444-1636