HUFFINGTON POST - Aug 19 - Facebook's rollout of "Graph Search" has created uproar in the online dating space. Online dating CEO's, investors and entrepreneurs have become concerned that graph search would do what dating sites traditionally could not -- meaningfully connect singles through friends and common interests -- and therefore drive traffic away from dating sites. One of the search fields includes "relationship status," which enables you to specially search for "singles," thus making graph search a de facto dating feature. Facebook has actually done a huge favor for the entire online dating industry. Given that only 1 in 5 singles visit a dating site each month, the biggest opportunity for growth for dating sites is to remove the stigma associated with using online dating sites, and thus expose the other 80% of singles to online dating.
Its a double edged sword. Really depends on how the reputation of the internet dating industry as a whole develops. If people continue to identify internet dating as more effective than Facebook, the internet dating industry will do well. If not, the industry will move into a gentle slumber.
Posted by: Mark Brooks | Aug 21, 2013 at 07:59 AM