True Hires ex-Bush Aide to Seek Safety Checks

PALM BEACH POST -- Apr 16 -- True has hired a well-connected lobbyist from Tampa — former Secretary of the Department of Management Services Cynthia Henderson — to push the background checks measure. True routinely rejects 5% of possible daters identified as felons. Rapsheets asserts that the checks are derived from 17 different public records sources but the DOC database hasn't been updated since August, and rapsheets.com searches only 16 of the state's 67 counties.  "These background checks are not perfected and could create a false sense of security," said Sen. David Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who voted against the bill.  The House sponsor, Kevin Ambler, said his measure (HB 1035) is an attempt to "bring our laws into the 21st century to protect consumer safety." Last month, a New Jersey man who had a profile on match.com was charged with murdering a co-worker, her sister and her 3-year-old daughter.  But Eichinger, the man accused of the killings, would have passed such a screening with flying colors, according to Kristin Kelly, match.com spokeswoman who said he had no arrest record until the charges and has not been convicted of a felony.  Other opponents appear to include two dozen Internet and technology companies, who last month sent the lawmakers a letter calling the legislation "an ill-advised approach" that also "discriminates against internet business models by applying only to dating services that operate primarily online." The unsigned letter was written on behalf of such internet giants as Microsoft, Google, eBay, Amazon.com and Yahoo!, as well as match.com. 

Mark Brooks: The legislation is listed at www.idate2005.com and calls for dating sites to disclose prominently if they don't do background checks, or offer them.  Fast forward 6 months.  True pushes this legislation through, background check companies knock themselves out to provide online dating companies with new levels of background checks services...and True loses it's differentiation.  Then what?  Your comments please...

Comments

[Lee Phillips]

Once again, Herb Vest's deep pockets allows True.com to employ yet another tactic in their pursuit of legislating their business model. Although I think there were already professional lobbyists on the payroll prior to Ms. Henderson coming on board. Good thing he has the finacial werewithal to pay for this type of expense since True.com certainly isn't bringing in the dollars that he probably once envisioned.

One would think that he would pursue measures that could be applied unilaterally by the industry rather than seeking out legislators looking for new things to waste the taxpayer's dollar on.

Oh well, chances are he'll get more than he bargained for if by some chance many states adopt his legislation. Once that cat is out of the bag, there won't be any getting it back in.

Just my two cents as always.

Lee Phillips
Application Developer/Consultant

[Frank]

On a different controvertial note, has anyone seen True.com's adds featuring the large pair of breasts and the phrase, "Dive into Love!"? If there were ever a way to attract a convicted felon...

[Mark Brooks]

Yes, I've spotted them. Quite raunchy. Lest we forget. We're in the business of helping people find love...and sex should be part of the picture. I reviewed eHarmony, True and PerfectMatch recently and was surprised sex isn't covered enough. Let's not get too altruistic. Sexual compatibility is very important. And heck yes, sexy ads do help reel in the punters. In fact, I really see two major developments in the online dating arena. 1. the growth and development of relationship based sites i.e. perfectmatch and eharmony, and 2. the growth of adult dating sites such as the incredibly popular (most people don't realise just how popular) adultfriendfinder, followed by sexsearch and sexyads and eroticy... sheesh, then there's even Ashley Madison which is quite appalling in it's focus. So, my point is, relationship sites are getting attention and growing, and so are sites catering to more casual relationships. I'd like to see a site emerge that takes a middle ground. A site that is geared towards matchmaking for long term relationships that really takes on sexual preferences head on. I think there's a need for that and I've not seen a clear solution yet. Your comments please...

Mark Brooks
Editor
Online Personals Watch

[James Houran]

Of course, this ad is just one of many different types of ads that TRUE.com has run, and it is one targeted to specific placements.

Mark Brooks is correct and insightful when he notes that relationship sites need not neglect the importance of physical attraction. It is well known that profiles with photographs receive significantly more attention than those without. Furthermore, weAttract's recent industry report (Thompson et al., 2005) also noted that this is a facet of relationships that is arguably under served with current online dating services.

Specifically, psychologists widely accept that love has at least two primary facets known as Passionate-Erotic Love and Companionate Love. Passionate Love is associated with sexual desire for a partner, whereas Companionate Love represents friendship-type platonic love towards a partner (for a review, see Masuda, 2003). Sternberg (1986) expands this conceptualization in his Triangular Theory of Love and Attachment. According to Sternberg, the amount of love or relationship satisfaction that a person experiences is due to the strength and interaction of three components: Intimacy (the feeling of closeness and bondedness), Passion (the drives that produce romance, physical attraction, and sexual intercourse), and Decision/Commitment (the decision that one loves another and the commitment to continue that relationship).

Clearly then, physical attraction is an important component in the major models of romantic compatibility and relationship development. I did not design this particular ad, but it is memorable to say the least (as testified by the fact that someone actually took the time to write a blog entry here about it!) and to not address this component of love and attachment in both advertising and product offering would be remiss.

The ad might be regarded as controversial by some people, but the content of that ad is entirely consistent with prime time TV standards and what anyone can freely see on a magazine stand while walking through an airport or the mall.

References

Masuda, M. (2003). Meta-analysis of love scales: do various love scales measure the same psy-chological constructs? Japanese Psychological Research, 45, 25-37.

Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93, 119-135.

Thompson, M., Zimbardo, P. & Hutchinson, G. (2005). Consumers are having second thoughts about online dating: are the real benefits getting lost in over promises? [Industry Report]. Dallas, TX: weAttract.com. Available online at: http://weattract.com/images/weAttract_whitepaper.pdf.

Thanks,

James Houran, Ph.D.
Chief Psychologist, TRUE.com

[Lee Phillips]

I fully agree with Mark and Dr. Houran. Sexuality is a factor that is either ignored or blantantly flaunted. There doesn't really seem to be a middle ground. My theory on that is that sites that blantantly flaunt their focus on sexuality attract members that are not offended by it, while other, more traditional, sites have a mixture of members with disparate views and those that are offended by sexual references are usually more vocal in their disapproval.

Just my 2 cents as usual. And I fully approve of that True.com ad. Do they have a similar one for the women? Not that I want to see it. :P

Lee Phillips
Application Developer/Consultant

[James Houran]

Hi, Lee:

You could be right about your theory! And oh, I don't recall right now if there is a similar ad for women. But like you, I will pass on reviewing it ;)

Thanks,

James Houran, Ph.D.
Chief Psychologist, TRUE.com

[Mark Brooks]

Stop the press! Lee and Jim, you just agreed on something! Revelation. ;-)

Mark Brooks
Editor
Online Personals Watch

[James Houran]

Hey, Lee:

Do you think Mark will make us split the cost of medical treatment should this "revelation" give him a heart attack?!! ;)

LOL,

James Houran, Ph.D.
Chief Psychologist, TRUE.com

[Lee Phillips]

Hey Mark, don't be so surprised! Just because Dr. Houran and I disagree on some things doesn't mean would would disagree on everything. If everybody agreed with each other all the time it would be an awful boring world.

Jim, I think Mark can pay for his own darn medical treatment. I have enough trouble paying my shrink's bill. ;).

Lee Phillips
Application Developer/Consultant

[David DiSabatino]

I'm only a customer of personals sites, not an employee. In the past, I have used dating sites successfully, and met my partner of 5 years through one.

True.com's legislation is pure fear-mongering. If it passes, I will encourage people to boycott True.

First, the legislation addresses a problem that has not been shown to exist. The "warning label" in True's legislation implies that there is reason to believe that a felony conviction alone makes a person a risk of physical harm, no matter what kind of crime was committed. Whether or not persons with felony records try to sign up for sites is not sufficient information. What percentage of them are violent felons? What percentage of them have the social skills to actually meet someone online? How many conceal their background when they do meet someone? It is silly to drive people to pay a premium for something that they don't need.

True's fear-mongering is also clear in its marketing materials. I happened to notice a web ad which depicted a woman, wearing only underwear, peering in a fearful manner out a window through blinds. True's logo was written on her ass. The clear message of this ad is to depict a woman in a vulnerable position (combined with a dose of gratuitous skin), in which True will be able to protect her. I am sure we will get another treatise from Mr. Houran, Ph.D., on how this is perfectly acceptable.

Also, I find it disgusting that True is capturing the legislative process as an anti-competitive move. If you want more business, create a better product; the online personals business desperately needs that. If True thinks providing background checks is a competitive advantage, then compete on that basis. Don't try to put warning labels on your competitors' sites.