Blind Date With Recession

FINANCIAL TIMES -- Feb 12 -- While the build-up to Feb 14 may be a busy time for the on line dating industry, the "crunch time" this year, says Mark Brooks, president of the Internet Dating Executive Alliance, will be when the red roses have wilted. "It's then, when subscriptions typically tail off, that we'll see if the industry will be able to withstand the recession.

Some are tempted by free online dating sites. In 2006, 8% of traffic to online dating services went to free sites. By 2008 this had reached 24%, according to Hitwise. "A dating site might well be one of the things you cut back on if there are free sites on offer", said Sam Yagan, CEO of OKCupid. Mr Brooks disagrees: "At the end of the day $20 a month isn't that much to spend. People can rationalise it by saying that it's cheaper than going out for a night out and wasting much more and not meeting anyone."

Ross Williams, CEO of Global Personals, believes members will not cut back. "You get what you pay for," says Mr Williams. "Users don't want a free-for-all. They want to know that their potential dates are serious about relationships."
FULL ARTICLE @ FINANCIAL TIMES

Mark Brooks: Your comments please.

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Comments

[Kerry Gray]

Mark Brooks is right. All my friends would rather pay $20 a month or more to meet real people interested in really dating, especially during economic hard times. You do get what you pay for. The free dating sites have no customer service, and the profiles are deleted on the whim of a computer; profiles that are ernestly worked on for days. My friends have all been greatly relieved to pay for dating sites that make customer service a priority after trying in vain to have a successful profile on the biggest free dating site, POF. The monthly dues are a fraction of the cost of one date.