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

Over Two Million Singles Connect On Skout.com In 2010

PR WEB - Dec 30 - ~10K new users joined Skout each day in December 2010. According to Gary Kremen, Founder of Match.com, "Skout is perfectly positioned to disrupt the online dating market." Skout pioneered what is known as "gps dating", using the iPhone's unprecedented gps technology to help singles meet and flirt based on proximity. Skout launched in 2009. The average user spends ~40 minutes per day "Skouting", according to Skout's founder.

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

Mark Brooks: Traditional dating sites have been slow to push out GPS offerings, leaving the door open for Skout to lead early adopters by the hand to their next generation social dating + geolocation based service.

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People Pay For Online Content

CNET NEWS - Dec 30 - Among the 750 Internet users in the U.S. surveyed by Pew, 65% said they've paid for online content. Music, software, and mobile apps were the most popular items among paying users. Lower on the list were cheat codes for video games and access to online dating sites. Only 2% admitted to buying adult content online. On average, the people polled spend ~$10 per month on online content.

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

FriendFinder Networks Expects $350 Million In Revenue

SUN SENTINEL - Dec 30 - FriendFinder Networks owns ~30K sites, also owns Penthouse Magazine, and has more unique visitors than MySpace and Twitter. In 2010, FriendFinder Networks expects $350M  revenue. In 2009, the company earned $330M and EBITDA of $103M. It lost money 2006, 2007 and 2008. Early in 2010, the company postponed an IPO of $240M citing market conditions. CEO, Marc Bell said he hopes to make acquisitions using proceeds from the $551M financing the company completed in October. Penthouse Media spent ~$400M to acquire Various Inc. and changed the name to FriendFinder Networks.  In July, the company made a $210 million offer for Playboy Enterprises that's still pending. FULL ARTICLE @ SUN SENTINEL

Mark Brooks: A well-timed FriendFinder IPO would build a lot of investor awareness in the iDating space, and help drive up prices for IAC, Spark Networks, EasyDate and Snap Interactive and bring more money to the coffers of startups. You can see financial analysis and summaries of these companies in pdf's on the right bar of OPW over here >>>

Full Disclosure: I worked for Andrew Conru at FriendFinder in 2003-2004

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Google Deal Divides Travel Industry As Kayak Registers For IPO

NY TIMES - Dec 27 - Six months ago, Google announced its intention to buy the company that made it easy for travelers to compare airfares, ITA Software, for $700M. The acquisition, if approved, would let Google digest ITA, which was founded in the 1990s and has become the leading provider of flight data to airlines, travel agents, global distribution systems, flight comparison sites and technology companies. This fall, a coalition that included Expedia and Kayak formed FairSearch.org to push regulators to thwart the deal. Microsoft recently joined the cause. Kayak, in registering to file its IPO, suggested that a combined Google-ITA could present a risk to its business. Orbitz has stated publicly that it is neutral on the deal. Priceline, in a public filing, cited Google as a risk factor. FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES

Mark Brooks: Where is the 'Kayak.com' of the idating industry? Lycos failed with their comparison engine in 2005. It required sites to send weekly data flat files, and then Lycos paid out on a per registrant database. Canoodle, powered by EasyDate, has packed together some of their internal brands. Courtland Brooks is advising Dating Starts Here, meanwhile. DSH is founded by Chris Walker, a Yale grad who was one of the people behind the Harvard/Yale 'Operation Match' punchcard based dating service launched in the 60's.

Dating Sites Have Made It Easier For People To Click With One Another

ECONOMIST - Dec 29 - The new year can be an unhappy time but it is a golden opportunity for dating sites, as singles are hoping to find romance—ideally before February 14th. “The period between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day is our busiest six weeks of the year,” explains Sam Yagan, from OkCupid. Once seen as the last resort for a bunch of lonely geeks, online-dating services have gradually shed much of the stigma formerly associated with them. ComScore says Match.com and Zoosk saw 4.6M and 4.8M unique visitors respectively in November 2010. Deepak Kamra of Canaan Partners, an American VC firm that has backed Zoosk and BharatMatrimony, estimates that the industry’s revenues now amount to $3 billion-4 billion a year. The online-dating world has also spawned thousands of niche ones. Then there is the fuss over sites such as Illicit Encounters and Ashley Madison, which match people seeking partners for extramarital affairs. But to blame the service for infidelity is to confuse cause and effect. FULL ARTICLE @ ECONOMIST

See all posts on OkCupid                       See all posts on Match.com
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Difference Is The Norm On These Dating Sites

NY TIMES - Dec 28 - Several dating Web sites for singles with health problems have started up in the last few years. Dating4Disabled is a site for people with an array of disabilities, including paralysis and multiple sclerosis. Other sites include NoLongerLonely, for adults with mental illness, and POZ Personals, for people who are H.I.V.-positive. Another site, Prescription4Love, has communities dedicated to sexually transmitted diseases and physical disabilities. Awkward issues that come with an illness can be discussed frankly and openly in an online space in which everyone is dealing with something out of the ordinary. FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES

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Two New Websites For Jewish Singles

PJ VOICE - Dec 28 - According to the latest surveys 47% of American Jews who married between 1996 and 2001 did so outside of their faith. While intermarriage affects only 6% of the Orthodox community, it reaches 32% of Conservative, 46% of Reform, and 49% of secular Jewish households. The number of intermarriages continues to grow (in 1970 only 13% of American Jews intermarried), and only 13% of the grandchildren of intermarried couples continue to identify themselves as Jews. Two new Jewish dating sites have launched:
- The JMom, geared toward Jewish parents and their single sons and daughters, the site offers a unique, but old-fashioned, concept: "Let Mom decide."
- My Jewish Matches: 100% free, members are certified to be Jewish, single with no criminal record.

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

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Snap Interactive Surges 150% On Heavy Volumes

EFREE PRESS RELEASE - Dec 28 - Snap Interactive spike up by 150% or $0.75 to trade close at $1.25 after Bloomberg reported on Dec 23 that the company’s dating app AreYouInterested.com adds ~50K users a day, while Match.com adds ~20K new users daily. The Company recorded quarterly revenues of $1.65M in October, more than double the revenue of the same quarter the year prior. It had recorded $3.9M in revenue in the first nine months.

The full article was originally published at eFree Press Release, but is no longer available.

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New Zoosk Commercial Banned In Europe

EXAMINER - Dec 28 - Zoosk, a dating site that uses major social networks to find a date, has a new banned commercial. The new commercial was set to air in Europe, yet it was banned. The reason for the ban might be that the commercial is too violent. The man is stretching for a dart throw in a bar, looking to impress. After the perfect ninja call, the dart goes flying into the chest of another dude who appears dead at the end of the shot.

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

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Badoo’s Dating App Sees Big New Surge On Facebook

INSIDE FACEBOOK - Dec 24 - Badoo has been around for years, mostly as a slickly-designed dating social network, but it introduced a Facebook app version in Oct, and it’s recently been challenging many larger dating competitors. The app grew from 3.19M monthly active users and 365K daily active users a month ago to 10.8M MAU and 1.34M DAU today — making it the second-largest dating title by MAU and the largest by DAU on Facebook. FULL ARTICLE @ INSIDE FACEBOOK

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Unhappy Nordic Married Women Turn To VictoriaMilan

OREBROGUIDEN - Dec 27 - Women looking for an affair through dating sites feel lonely and are missing the passion in the relationships they have, according to a survey by VictoriaMilan, a Nordic dating site for people who are in relationships and looking for a flirt. VictoriaMilan surveyed ~10 000 pre-registered members during their two-week launch period. 30% of women said they were looking for a long-term relationship, while 25% were only interested in a flirt to spice up their current relationship.

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

Dating Sites Try Adaptive Matchmaking

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW - Dec 27 - ~40M Americans are members of dating sites and in China the number has grown to 140M. Matching up millions of members is a major technological challenge. Joseph Essas, VP of technology for eHarmony, has developed a new matching algorithms based on Yahoo's system for targeting ads to specific users who have revealed preferences and behaviors over time. Adaptive algorithms are a powerful tool because what people say they want and how they actually behave are different things. "We can piece things together without having to ask you," says Sam Yagan, CEO of OKCupid, a free online dating site.  New techniques are based not on questionnaires but on other kinds of "recommendation engines," like those used by Netflix and Amazon, says Gavin Potter, CTO of IntroAnalytics, a company that develops software for both e-commerce and dating sites. PlentyofFish is asking members who leave the site whether they entered a relationship with another member. This information is added to the company's predictive model, which also includes information from personality tests and user behavior. FULL ARTICLE @ TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

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It Has Been A Tough Year For Marriage

TALLAHASSEE - Dec 27 - According to a new research report by the Pew Research Center, ~39% of adults say marriage is becoming obsolete, up from 28% in 1978. At the same time, child-bearing and cohabitation are rising dramatically among young people. The benefits of marriage have been exhaustively researched. Healthy marriage has a positive impact on men, women and children in every leading social indicator. Married people are happier, healthier, wealthier, better-educated and have better sex lives. Healthy marriages are good for economic development and reduce crime. Children in married households are less likely to be poor, suffer abuse, experience depression or be involved in risky behaviors, and more likely to do well in school.

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

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Facebook Friends In Search Of Romance Drive Dating App Growth

BLOOMEBERG - Dec 23 - With the growing popularity of social networks, people turning to apps such as Snap's AreYouInterested. AreYouInterested.com is adding ~50K users a day, compared with the 20K new daily users Match.com reports. AreYouInterested.com is now the largest Facebook dating app, with ~13M average monthly users. Its popularity may cut into the growth of Match and eHarmony, whose Facebook programs have 72,712 and 8,607 average monthly users respectively. Snap had $3.9M in revenue in the first nine months, up 65%. One reason dating apps on Facebook are popular is that they give romance-seekers insight into potential partners through the social network's existing information, according to Darrell Lerner, Snap’s co-founder.

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

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