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

An App That Checks Criminal Records Won't Make Dating Safer

THE GUARDIAN - May 24 - Dating app Gatsby suggests users will be more secure thanks to its background checks. Currently, criminal record disclosure in England and Wales relies on self-reporting, and it's the genuinely contrite who would do it. Those without compunction obviously don't volunteer information. There's a risk people could use the app thinking they were safer than they are. The newest dating apps integrate a sense of community protection into tech. Take BeLinked, which verifies users through LinkedIn, or The Inner Circle, which builds in accountability via Facebook connections displayed on profiles, and holds events where users can meet a date in a safe, public venue.

by Nichi Hodgson
See full article at The Guardian

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

BeLinked: A Dating App Aimed Exclusively At Professionals

THE GUARDIAN - Jan 25 - Max Fischer launched the dating app BeLinked, which taps into LinkedIn data, after meeting a woman through the social network. BeLinked markets itself as a dating app for professionals. "Members must be "ambitious and career focused," says Max Fischer. LinkedIn has come under fire in recent years for facilitating unwanted contact from people searching for more than a business connection. Max got the idea when he was approached himself. "I noticed a woman looking at my LinkedIn page on a regular basis, through the popular 'who's viewed your profile' feature," he says. "So I decided to ask her for coffee. And it turned out to be a successful dating experience." Since launching 2 years ago, the BeLinked app has been downloaded in ~100 countries, although Fischer is reluctant to reveal how many users they have today.

by Emma Sheppard
See full article at The Guardian

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

BeLinked: A Dating App For Employed Singles Only

GLOBALNEWS - Jan 11 - Launched in 2014, BeLinked uses information from LinkedIn to help users target potential suitors from similar educational and professional pools. The apps exclude the jobless and non-professionals and lets users swipe left to pass on potential dates and swipe right if they’re interested in them, similar to Tinder.

by Melissa Gilligan
See full article at GlobalNews

See all posts on BeLinked

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Some Try To Turn LinkedIn Into A Dating Site

CHICAGO TRIBUNE - Oct 31 - LinkedIn can serve as a toolbox for searching online ahead of dates. For example, finding out whether those who proclaim themselves successful business owners actually own one, or simply confirming whether people are employed. One app sprang up using the site. BeLinked, previously known as LinkedUp, targets career-minded singles and operates by importing users' LinkedIn data, then making matches. Founder Max Fischer launched the site when he noticed that his friends would subtly begin conversations with interesting people through LinkedIn.

by Alison Bowen
See full article at The News & Observer

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BeLinked Dating App Mixes Business With Pleasure

L.A. BIZ - Sep 16 - One-time investment banker Max Fischer got into online dating by launching LinkedUp!, a mobile dating app that draws user data from LinkedIn. The site soft-launched in March and today rebranded as BeLinked. Users sign up for BeLinked via their LinkedIn profiles, and the app pulls a profile photo, name and age from that network. They select dating preferences filtered by gender, age, distance, industry and school, then swipe through potential matches. If two users mutually swipe right, they can chat via a built-in messaging function.

by Annlee Elligson
See full article at L.A. Biz

See all posts on BeLinked (formerly LinkedUp)

Professional Networking And Online Dating

NY TIMES - Aug 12 - Services like LinkedUp and "Elevated Careers by eHarmony" are blurring the lines between professional networking and online dating. LinkedUp is a new service, not affiliated with LinkedIn, that uses the LinkedIn network to look for potential dates, while eHarmony has decided to deploy its expertise to match job seekers with potential employers. Many social networks designed for other purposes are now being mined for their dating potential turning the web into what writer James Bridle calls "a universal dating medium".

by Anna Altman
See full article at NY Times

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Millennials Are Drawn To Dating Apps

FORBES - Apr 28 - LinkedUp is a new dating app aimed at those who aren’t averse to mixing business and pleasure. 84% of employees between 18 and 29 are open to pursuing a romantic relationship with a colleague, with 71% saying that office liaisons can offer benefits such as improved performance and higher morale. ~40% would be okay with dating their boss.

by J. Maureen Henderson
See full article at Forbes

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LinkedUp Is Like Tinder On LinkedIn

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK - Apr 25 - LinkedUp dating app connects people with their LinkedIn profile. The app works like Tinder; users swipe left to reject and right to indicate interest. Messages can only be exchanged if both parties are interested in each other.

by Rhiannon Williams
See full article at Telegraph.co.uk