Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

New Sexual Revolution For Baby Boomers

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

WhiteLabelDating.com Hires Courtland Brooks Agency

NEWS WIRE -- Jan 22 -- WhiteLabelDating.com, a provider of white label internet dating sites, has hired Courtland Brooks to assist with business development, guide worldwide product and marketing strategy, and manage media relations in the U.S. Courtland Brooks is a boutique consultancy that works solely with internet dating and social networking companies. WhiteLabelDating.com is launching in the U.S.A. at the Internet Dating Conference in Miami on January 31st. WhiteLabelDating.com is powering hundreds of online dating sites for brands such as EMAP (UK's largest publishers of magazines), IPC Media (UK's 2nd largest dating site), and Dennis Publishing (one of the world's leading independent publishers), as well as individual sites such as the UK's social networking and dating website, Singles365.com. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWSWIRE

Iovation Founder To Speak At iDate

PR WEB -- Jan 22 --  iovation co-founder and vice president, Jon Karl, will be part of a panel that will educate attendees on how sharing critical information is playing a key role in helping online dating sites combat fraud and abuse in the discussion, "Combating Fraud in Internet Dating". Topics of discussion will include: How to improve your ability to spot scammers, spammers and predators hiding behind multiple identities, what tools are available to stop known fraudsters, how combining forces and sharing information is a winning strategy in combating online fraud and abuse.

The full article was originally published at eMedia Wire, but is no longer available.

Are Gay Relationships Different?

TIME -- Jan 17 -- Many people, gay and straight, assume gay men are worse at maintaining relationships than straight people are. The psychologists found that when gay men initiate difficult discussions with their partners, the partners are worse than straight or lesbian couples at "repairing"--essentially, making up. That's one reason gays and lesbians end relationships sooner than heterosexuals. In a 2004 paper, psychology professor Lawrence Kurdek of Wright State University in Ohio reported that over a 12-year period, 21% of gay and lesbian couples broke up; only 14% of married straight couples did. Legalizing same-sex marriage would probably help prolong gay relationships. For gays, breaking up usually means simply moving out, not hiring divorce attorneys. FULL ARTICLE @ TIME

Internet Dating Conference Tix & Hotel

OPW -- Jan 22 -- The last day for buying your tix through the online booking system is Friday January 25th, for $850. After that, you can buy your conference ticket on the day for $995.  Hotels within 1 mile of the Miami Beach Convention Center are shown below. Prices are from Sidestep. Check in Jan 30th, check out Feb 1st. - Mark Brooks

0.3 miles
. Catalina Resort 4*, $156
. Dorchester Hotel and Suites 3*, $155
. Shelborne Beach Resort South Beach 3*, $249
. The National Hotel 4*, $199
. Townhouse Hotel 4*, $205
. Carlton Hotel 3*, $139
. Island House South Beach 3*, $134
. The Delores Clarion Collection 3*, $171
. South Beach Plaza Hotel 4*, $129
. Winterhaven Hotel 3*, $119
. The Marlin Hotel 4*, $151
0.9 miles

Rabbis Play Online Cupid To Help Jews Marry Jews

REUTERS -- Jan 21 -- Marrying outside the faith is an issue for many in the U.S. Jewish community.  U.S. rabbis are turning to an on-line dating service to help Jews marry Jews. As a result a few rabbis have started offering subscriptions to their congregants on JDate, an online network dedicated to hooking up Jewish singles. I've had 14 people take up the offer since October, said  Rabbi Donald Weber of Marlboro, New Jersey. FULL ARTICLE @ REUTERS

Moniker.com Plays Matchmaker at iDate 2008

PR NEWSWIRE -- Jan 18 -- Moniker, the provider of Domain Asset Management services, is set to host a social networking and dating domain name auction at iDate 2008 and the Social Networking Conference. The live auction will take place on Thursday, January 31 at 4:30 pm ET at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the common location of the two conferences. More than 100 domain names will be on the auction block during the one hour live auction.  An additional 2,000 domain names will be available online.

The full article was originally published at Earth Times, but is no longer available.

We Just Clicked

TIME MAGAZINE -- Jan 18 --  In the U.S., there are close to 1,000 dating sites, led by Match.com, eHarmony and Yahoo! Personals. The industry rang up $649 million in revenues in 2006, according to Jupiter Research. Of the 92 million unmarried Americans, about 16 million have tried online dating, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. In 2003 online daters increased 77%. Match.com is now in 35 countries, 30% of its 1.3 million members live outside the U.S. eHarmony, which started in 2000, has accrued 17 million members, $200 million in annual revenues and 30% yearly growth. Western online matchmakers face challenges in the Chinese matchmaking market. Of the 14 million Chinese Internet daters, only 500,000 pay subscription fees; thus industry revenues are estimated at just $24 million, according to iResearch. Paying users are expected to rocket to 3 million by 2010, generating sales of at least $160 million. FULL ARTICLE @ TIME MAGAZINE

Winter is #1 Break-Up Season

PRESS RELEASE -- Jan 17 -- Research conducted by Yahoo! Personals shows that we are now in National Break-Up Season. The survey revealed some major faux pas to avoid when it comes to breaking up: Digital Don'ts – 28% of the respondents selected "sending a text or instant message" or "through e-mail" as the worst methods for breaking up. 19% considered Monday the best day to break up with someone. 37 % selected "a public place" as the worst location to break up. A complete National Break-Up Season survival guide can be found online at http://personals.yahoo.com/breakup.

The full article was originally published at MarkwtWatch, but is no longer available.

UK Hitwise Rankings Update

OPW -- Jan 18 -- We've just updated Hitwise UK Online dating rankings. SexInTheUK is # 1, moving PlentyofFish, Gaydar.co.uk and DatingDirect down to #2, #3 and #4. Pocado.com entered the chart at #6. BeNaughty, GirlsDateForFree and TelegraphDating dropped to #7, #8, #10 from #4, #6 and #8. LoopyLove slides off the top 10.   

Americans Reveal Views On Sex And Gay Dating

PR NEWSWIRE -- Jan 17 --  A survey, released by Chemistry.com, reveals 84% of Americans agree there's nothing wrong with premarital sex, 72% of singles agree that gay people fall in love the same way straight people do, 79% believes that gay people should have the right to find a meaningful relationship and 74% endorse the idea of gay marriage or civil unions.

The full article was originally published at PR Newswire, but is no longer available.

 Mark Brooks: I'm not so sure about that. Your comments please...

Japan Internet Dating Safety Concerns

YOMIURI -- Jan 17 -- The (Japanese) National Police Agency (NPA) wants stricter regulations as current law regulating Internet dating services is being ignored. The law (enacted September 2003) prohibits minors under 18 from such actions as posting messages on the sites that can be interpreted as soliciting to have paid sex. According to the NPA, there are about 5,000 dating sites on the Internet. The number of young people under 18 who were victims of sex crimes in connection with dating service sites in 2006 increased to 1,153, up 92 people from the prior year. 95% of the victims accessed the sites via cell phones.

iDate & The NJ State 'Internet Dating Safety Act'

NEWSWIRE -- Jan 16 -- The New Jersey State Legislature passage of bills A4304 and S1977, known as the Internet Dating Safety Act, will be discussed at the 5th annual Internet Dating Conference in Miami beach on January 31 and February 1, 2008. Peter McGreevy, an attorney with McGreevy & Henle, LLP, will discuss the status and details of the legislation. The event also coincides with the Social Networking Conference, taking place on the same dates at the Miami Beach Convention Center in separate rooms. Delegates to the Internet Dating Conference receive complimentary admission to the Social Networking Conference as well. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWSWIRE

Active.com Partners with Fitness Singles

PRESS RELEASE -- Jan 16 -- Fitness Singles and Active.com partners to serve single adults who engage in active and fitness-oriented lifestyles. Active.com is helping their members connect to a large database of like-minded, active singles by way of Fitness Singles. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

Day Off

Irena and I took the day off today.  See Seasonal Paradise to see why.