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

The Dating Revolution Cleans up its Act

THE NEWSQUEST HERALD -- Jan 26 -- This month a survey - by a British subsidiary of Europe's largest dating service which has more than 1.5 million members - reported that 3.6 million Britons used online dating services last year. That represents 65% of the 5.4 million Britons who are looking for a relationship, according to parship.co.uk. Not only are more people looking online for love but the mechanics of doing so have also improved enormously. A few of the UK's top websites; Datingdirect  promises "your next date is just a click away...", LoveandFriends provides "internet dating for thinking people", FriendsReunitedDating has "thousands looking for genuine relationships". Mysinglefriend.com has 15,000 members; a friend can register their single friend who then has a chance to look over, approve and add comments to the description before it goes live.  Or a single person can nominate themselves, ask a friend to describe them and, again, approve the description and add any comments before it goes online. 

Mark Brooks: The European online dating market is hot; growing at the same fast clip as the American market 2-3 three years ago.

Online Dating Reaches a Critical Mass

SIDNEY MORNING HERALD -- Jan 12 -- Two thirds of singles in Britain looking for love turned to electronic dating agencies in 2005, figures published in the Times showed today. There are more than 100 independent online dating agencies in Britain, chasing a market that is valued at about $A28.12 million and expected to rise to $A62.33 million by 2008.  Mary Balfour, founder of Love and Friends, where a full "hand-holding" matchmaking service can cost more than £5000 ($A11,715), said the internet had revolutionised the dating industry by raising its profile and placing a new reliance on getting to know a date before meeting.  FULL ARTICLE @ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD