WEBWIRE - Aug 23 - Wayne May, CEO from ScamSurvivors will speak on a panel covering how dating businesses fight fraud. Created in 2012, ScamSurvivors is a voluntary community that offers free help and advice regarding Internet fraud. The European iDate (Internet Dating Conference) is taking place this September. You can register here. OPW readers get 50 GBP off.
« July 2016 | Main | September 2016 »
Scam Survivors CEO To Speak At iDate London
| |
New Bay Area Matchmaker Targets Wealthy Single Men
THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL - Aug 23 - "Our memberships start at $15k," says Megan Buquen, the company's VP. "We have a huge waiting list." In business less than a year, Executive Matchmakers is targeting CEOs, doctors, lawyers, politicians and entrepreneurs living in Northern California. The agency has a team of scouts who are looking for eligible women at charity events, art openings, wine tastings, film festivals, tennis clubs and upscale gyms. Prospective women are invited to fill out a profile and come into the company's Sausalito office for an interview. The men pay. The women do not.
by Paul Liberatore
See full article at Mercury News
Mark Brooks: The traditional matchmaking industry is healthy and growing. It's a very different business and discipline however. Dating sites should do more lead-gen for matchmakers. It pays. Email me at [email protected] for a connection with Instinct Marketing, the USA's lead-gen hub for matchmakers.
| |
Snap Interactive To Merge With Paltalk
MARKETWIRED - Aug 11 - Chat app Paltalk would merge into a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of SNAP. Paltalk's stockholders would own a majority of SNAP's outstanding common stock on a fully-diluted basis. The purpose of this merger is to enlarge SNAP's product portfolio.
See full article at Marketwired
| |
NudistFriends Is Tinder For Naked People
THE SUN.CO.UK - Aug 22 - NudistFriends.com is like Tinder for nudists and naturists to look for friendships, relationships, and resources concerning the nudist lifestyle. The site claims 780K users.
| |
Professionals Are Using LinkedIn To Hook Up
NYPOST - Aug 22 - "If sharing career interests or finding a significant other who is successful professionally is important to you, it is an amazing resource," says Roy Cohen, a career counselor, executive coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide." "But that's not what LinkedIn is for", says April Masini, an etiquette and relationship expert. You could be hitting on someone who isn't available, warns dating and relationship coach John Keegan.
| |
Tinder Sued Over "Super Like" Feature
TMZ - Aug 21 - John Mellesmoen claims in a new lawsuit he pitched the idea of the "Super Like" to Tinder's CEO, Sean Rad, back in 2014, and says Rad loved it, promising to compensate him if the company ever used it. John says he hasn't seen a dime. But nothing's in writing. Tinder's spokesperson says this is a "baseless shakedown."
| |
Plus Size Dating App, WooPlus, Adds Voice Messages
PRESS RELEASE - Aug 20 - WooPlus now offers voice messaging service. WooPlus is a location-based dating app for curve singles. "Picture may tell lies, but voice will not,” said Neil Raman, CEO of WooPlus.
| |
One Third Of Young Japanese People Have Never Been In A Relationship
BELLANAIJA TV - Aug 18 - The number of people getting married and having children is in rapid decline in Japan. The government is pouring $30M annually into matchmaking events, a new documentary by Al Jazeera's 101 East has found. 600K couples tied the knot in Japan last year but the government wants to double that figure by 2020. Despite the authorities' best efforts, some Japanese men have given up on finding real love completely. Instead, they buy life-size dolls which they take on outings and consider as real companions.
| |
Seeking Arrangement Hosted Sugar Baby Summit In LA
NEXT SHARK - Aug 19 - Once a year, women pay to attend a conference where they are taught practical skills on how to lead a life as a sugar baby. The second annual Sugar Baby Summit, hosted by Seeking Arrangement, took place in LA.
See full article at Next Shark
| |
Queek'd Platform Compares Dating Sites
BQLIVE.CO.UK - Aug 17 - Queek'd was borne out of Elisa Mclean's own frustration at not being able to find the right dating site. Queek'd means 'quick n easy kinda dating', and helps users compare dating sites to find the one that offers the most to them. "We pair users with top UK dating sites," Elisa says, with the aim to help users find those long lasting relationships. So far Elisa has funded everything out of her own pocket, but she is now looking for investment.
| |
Mobile Dating Trends And Analysis - Mobile Dating Conference Presentation
OPW - Aug 17 - The European (London) Internet Dating Conference is coming up September 26-28, and I'll be giving the roundup of Internet dating and mobile dating for Europe there. (Get 50 GBP off here). In the mean time, here's a bonus video, my presentation from iDate in Los Angeles from June.
Post by Mark Brooks @ Courtland Brooks.
| |
Pokemon Go Matchmaking Events Announced In Japan
ROCKETNEWS24 - Aug 17 - ENA Ltd will be holding Pokémon Go matchmaking events around Tokyo and Kanagawa, called "Pokemon Gokon" (Gokon = Japanese word for "matchmaking event"). The first event will take place at Hibiya Park on Wednesday night. It will cost $20-$30 for men and $10-$15 for women.
by Corey Gold
See full article at Japan Today
| |
Bumble Is Monetizing With Paid Features
TECH CRUNCH - Aug 16 - Starting today users will be able to pay for three new features for $9.99 per month, with discounts available if they prepay for 3 or 6 months. The three features are called Beeline (shows only users who swiped right), Rematch (keeps expired matches in users' queue) and Busybee (extends the 24-hour window so users can have another day to try to match with someone). Bumble has still refused to add any advertising to the platform.
by Fitz Tepper
See full article at Tech Crunch
Mark Brooks: Mobile dating apps will follow the same trajectory as Internet dating in its 1995-2005 genesis. I think we'll see a gradual shifting upwards of the mobile dating app paywalls. The mobile dating industry is getting to grips with its metrics now, and what it can afford for new member acquisition and expect for longer term ARPU. It will only get more expensive to acquire, so monetization will need to shift upwards as well.
| |
Tinder Says GIFs And Emoji Lead To Better Connections
ENGADGET - Aug 16 - Users have sent 100M animated images since the feature launched in January. According to Tinder's research, GIF messages are 30% more likely to receive a response than non-GIF ones, and conversations with GIFs were two times longer than those without.
| |
Canadian Blood Services Chastised For Ad On Grindr
INSTINCT MAGAZINE - Aug 14 - Canadian Blood Services says the placement of a blood donation ad on Grindr is the fault of its mobile advertising vendor. In the ad, the organization encouraged men to download its GiveBlood mobile app. But under rules that took effect Aug. 15, any gay men who have been sexually active within the last year are banned from donating blood. Health Canada reduced the ban from five years to one earlier this year.
| |