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

Ever Heard of Free.Date?

OPW INTERVIEW - Jan 14 - Have you ever heard of Free.Date? I think you will. They're one to watch. PlentyOfFish's tagline was "100% free. Put away your credit card." Which was a great and unique position in the market 10 years ago. Now everything is freemium and noone seems to be entirely free. Free.Date intends to take the "put away your credit card" position, essentially. Its actually not possible to spend money with them. Here's our interview with Jason Lee who is busy growing this property. - Mark Brooks

What is Free.Date?
Free.Date is a totally free, ad-supported dating site. Our users never have to pay for online dating. Our focus is on offering the best experience, and our goal is to be a basic and reliable free dating site. Some people might argue that it is not enough but if we look at the history of some of the top free dating sites, that is exactly what they did before being acquired by larger conglomerates, caving to financial pressures, and ultimately charging customers for what used to be free.

What's your founding story?
After college I could not find a good, totally free dating site. Most dating sites and apps focus on gimmicks and try to get people to pay a membership fee. Frankly people should not have to pay for online dating because there are tons of companies willing to buy ads. Dating sites can still make a great profit. As a user of a dating site/app, you get two very simple things - access to a database of singles and secure method to contact them. This is basically all dating site is. So why isn't there a boatload of free dating sites?

What's your position in the market?
First off, I think you would agree that user acquisition strategies are what most dating sites lack when they launch. This is also why most dating apps fail. The reality is the cost to get users is oftentimes higher than the value of the users. Our goal is to sustainably grow without amassing a large debt load. Our marketing team is based in India while I am working between S.E. Asia and the U.S.. Meanwhile, our programming is done in China. Most people look at Internet dating as a market where the leaders will always be the same. In our opinion that is far from the case. The mobile transition was the grand reset button. 25% of the top dating sites from a decade ago are no longer mentioned in mainstream media, while other big names like DateHookup and Perfect Match do not even exist anymore.

Do you have a mobile app?
We are launching our "Free Dating" app soon.

What's your biggest mistake so far?
My biggest mistake was thinking it would be easy, and not understanding the difficulties when building a scale-able websites. I have also learned how to delegate better and focus on what the data is telling me versus hunches. Another mistake during the first few years was not realizing how gifted our programmers are, and truly appreciating their skills.

And your biggest win?
Our original concept included building free niche dating sites and giving people the ability to join those and also become a member of Free.Date simultaneously. While our focus is now entirely on Free.Date, these small communities continue to grow around us as well and drive lots of new members to the Free.Date community. So proof of concept was the first big win. Secondarily, we've been profitable for 4 years now. But my biggest win is in the satisfaction of knowing that tens of thousands of people visit the site each day and are able to connect with other real local singles for free.

Internet Dating Jobs Listing Update - January 2020

OPW - Jan 12 - The new Internet dating jobs listing is live on the Internet Dating Jobs blog.

Below see a couple of this month's most interesting offers:

Bumble
  Head of Growth

CoffeeMeetsBagel
  VP of Product

Hinge
  Creative Director

POF
  Director of Live Straming Content

Tinder
  VP Product Innovation

To see more open positions go here.

Do you have an idating industry job offer which is not included? Please, send it to tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com and we will add it to the list.

Join OPW.news

OPW - Jan 12 - Do you love OPW.news? Please subscribe and we can be together forever.

Tinder CEO, Elie Seidman, And Sean Rad Invest in LA Tech Magazine

GEEKWIRE - Jan 9 - Nearly a year after stepping down as CEO of Seattle-based Zillow Group, Spencer Rascoff is leading the launch dot.LA, a news site for Southern California tech. Dot.LA has attracted dozens of investors and just announced a $4M seed funding round with participation from venture capital firms such as Comcast Ventures, Maveron, Anthos and Greycroft; companies including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Snap; and executives and entrepreneurs including former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, CEO of Tinder Elie Seidman and Tinder Founder Sean Rad.

by Kurt Schlosser
See full article at Geekwire

Momo Launches Short Video Social App 'Duiyan'

TECHNODE - Jan 9 - Dating platform Momo is launching a short video social app, "Duiyan," in an attempt to boost user growth, which slowed in 2019. Despite recording solid year-on-year revenue growth of 18% in the Q3 of 2019, Momo's user base growth increased only 3% YOY to 114M. Duiyan allows users to shoot and upload short videos and browse a feed consisting of videos created by other users. Users of the app can privately message content creators using a chat bar placed at the bottom of videos. Duiyan is currently only available on iOS devices.

by Tony Xu
See full article at Technode

See all posts on Momo

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wants LGBTQ Dating App Privacy Protections

BLOOMBERG LAW - Jan 8 - The LGBTQ community in New York needs additional privacy protections on dating apps, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as part of his Jan. 8 State of the State. He called for updating New York's Dating Service Consumer Bill of Rights. His plan would change "members of the opposite sex" to "persons" and expand coverage under the bill of rights to all dating apps, not just those charging fees. These amendments will ensure that services used by New Yorkers to meet friends and significant others may not provide different protections depending on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the individuals being matched.

by Daniel R. Stoller
See full article at Bloomberg Law

Matchmakers Are Doing a Brisk Business Pairing Silicon Valley CEOs With L.A. Ladies

LA MAGAZINE - Jan 9 - "About two and a half years ago, I started getting a ton of inquiries from women living in LA trying to find a good, like-minded man," says Amy Andersen, the San Francisco-based matchmaker. Andersen founded her company, Linx Dating, in part to find women for the men of Silicon Valley, who can be peculiar, to say the least. She grew up in nearby Marin County but got into a serious relationship with a "quintessential Silicon Valley geek," to whom she is now married. "I witnessed that there was a huge surplus of eligible men and a dearth of women," she says. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, there are 40% more men than women just in Palo Alto (home to SAP, Tesla, and Hewlett-Packard). In 2018 women held only 20% of all jobs in tech. Talia Goldstein, founder of the L.A.-based matchmaking service Three Day Rule, has paired a number of SoCal women with Silicon Valley men. "The more successful they are, the pickier they get," she says, "especially those techie guys that maybe didn't have all the girls in high school. Now they're really choosy."

by Sean Elder
See full article at LA Magazine

See all posts on Linx Dating
See all posts on Three Day Rule

Alibaba Praised by China's Gay Community for Ad Recognizing Same-sex Couples

REUTERS - Jan 9 - Alibaba Group has released subtle ad that features a gay couple returning home for the Lunar New Year. The spot began to circulate widely on Chinese social media as gay groups praised it for its good-natured humor and subtlety. Depictions of gay and lesbian individuals in entertainment and media are rare, due to government dissuasion or outright censorship. However, China has vibrant gay communities and activists in its major cities, and same sex couples are increasingly tolerated across society.

by Josh Horwitz
See full article at Reuters

Here's How Much Brits Are Spending on Dating

YAHOO FINANCE - Jan 9 - A survey of 1K people by Plusnet found that Brits spend £53 per date. 56% of those surveyed said they couldn't imagine a world without online dating. 46% said they hadn't been on a date without the help of a dating app in the past 10 years.

by Abigail Fenton
See full article at Yahoo Sports

Hinge Opens Merch Store With 'Delete Day' Goods

THE DRUM - Jan 8 - Dating app Hinge has opened a merch store for users to mark the day they deleted the app with Hingie memorabilia. Hinge first introduced its fluffy, accident-prone mascot back in August. The ad campaign proved to be a hit, increasing Hinge's monthly downloads by 47%, with an 18% increase in users deleting the app because they found love. It also earned the app 153K more Instagram followers. Among the online goods, recent deleters or Hinge current users can buy a Hingie pinata, a Hingie bath bomb and a Hingie ring box. Customers can also buy a 'Delete Date' necklace with their delete day date on a 14-carat gold necklace with real diamonds.

by Imogen Watson
See full article at The Drum

See all posts on Hinge

History of the '90s Podcast: The Birth of Online Dating

GLOBAL NEWS - Jan 8 - On this episode of History of the '90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the creation of online dating and how it became such a normal part of our lives. She talked to Gary Kremen, the creator of Match.com, the first mainstream dating website, and asked him what inspired him to use the Internet to solve the age-old problem of finding a perfect match.

See full article at Global Match

See all posts on Match.com

Quibi Is Launching Interactive Dating Series 'The Hot Drop'

DEADLINE - Jan 8 - Quibi, the mobile video platform, is looking to revolutionize the tech-driven dating experience with the real-time, interactive dating series The Hot Drop. It will be produced by ITV America's Sirens Media and by ITV Studios Entertainment. The Hot Drop will start each week by dropping a profile of one of the most eligible singles of all genders and sexual preferences in America. Through the Quibi app, the audience can submit videos for the chance to go on a date with the aforementioned single. That same week, Quibi will reveal the top three candidates. From there, it's up to the Quibi community to determine who goes on the date. By the end of the week, the audience will watch the eligible single and the winning candidate meet for the very first time and go on their date.

by Dino-Ray Ramos
See full article at Deadline

What's on in 2020 - Your Complete Events Calendar

OPW - Jan 8 - Here's all the top dating industry events worthy of your attention in 2020.

iDate (InternetDatingConference.com) events are 2 dayers, actually 3 days including the pre-conferences. They've been around for years, and have 50 events under their belt. Led by Marc Lesnick, assisted by Elena Lesnick.

GDI (Global Dating Insights) events are 1 dayers, with speakers speaking for 20 minutes. Now an established industry event. GDI runs daily news rewrites, interviews and GDI events. Led by Simon Corbett, assisted by GDI.news editor Dominic Whitlock.

IDEA (Internet Dating Excellence Association) SUMMIT events (see latest event at IDEASUMMIT.org) are small gatherings just for dating industry leaders to learn and share. These gatherings are usually in the board room of a hosting established dating industry company with 20-25 speaker-attendees who speak for 10 minutes each to share a meaningful idea. At each gathering we also invite one IDEA Alumni, i.e. someone who was senior and left the industry, plus a (promising) startup CEO, plus the CEO of a vendor of interest. Each event is led by the CEO of a leading dating company and co-hosted by Mark Brooks, assisted by OPW.news editor Irena Brooks.

I recommend picking off at least two or three events this year so you can stay connected with industry trends and your peers. Have fun, stay informed, and good luck growing your dating business in 2020. Here's the complete pick list.

Q1
Jan 30th & 31st - iDate Delray Beach, Florida - $645

March 6th - IDEA SUMMIT New York - Free
By invitation only for 25 dating industry leaders
March 7-8-9th - IDEA WOW New York - 3 half days of social events - At-cost

March 10th - GDI New York - $299

Q2
May 9-11th - IDEA SUMMIT + WOW Asia in Kuala Lumpur/Singapore TBD

May 12th - GDI Singapore - $299

May 23rd & 24th - iDate Premium International Dating (PID) in Odessa - 245 EUR

Q3
June 10th - IDEA SUMMIT Los Angeles - Free

June 11th - GDI Los Angeles - $299

Q4
Oct 1st - GDI London

Nov - IDEA SUMMIT + WOW Europe in UK/Germany/Malta TBD

If you're a traditional matchmaker or run a modern/hybrid matchmaking firm you should also take in a Matchmaking Institute Conference. Their Global Love Conferences are right after the GDI New York and Singapore and London conferences. See MatchmakingInstitute.com for tix.

Co-Parenting Sites Skip Love and Marriage, Go Right to the Baby Carriage

WALL STREET JOURNAL - Jan 7 - Sites like PollenTree.com and Modamily match people who want to have children, but not necessarily romance. "The alarm clock goes off for men as much as it does for women. You'd be surprised by the number of young, professional straight men who want to have kids," said Patrick Harrison, co-founder of PollenTree, the largest of the subscription-based co-parenting sites. (The service also connects people with egg and sperm donors.) He said ~60% of the co-parenting seekers are women. The male clientele is evenly split between single gay men and heterosexual men, both seeking to be co-parents with women. There are also same-sex couples looking to have a mother or father figure in their child's life. The success rate is hard to measure. PollenTree has had ~90K members since its 2012 launch. Mr. Harrison estimates that ~500 babies have been born as a result of co-parenting matches on the site.

by Julie Jargon
See full article at Wall Street Journal

See all posts on Modamily

AI Companies Offer Fake Profiles

WASHINGTON POST - Jan 7 - AI start-ups are selling images of computer-generated faces that look like the real thing, offering companies a chance to create imaginary models and "increase diversity" in their ads without needing human beings. One firm has already signed up clients, including a dating app that intends to use the images in a chatbot. The AI software used to create such faces is freely available and improving rapidly, allowing small start-ups to easily create fakes that are so convincing they can fool the human eye. The systems train on massive databases of actual faces, then attempt to replicate their features in new designs. But AI experts worry that the fakes will empower a new generation of scammers.

by Drew Harwell
See full article at Washington Post

Video Calling - the Next Big Thing in 2020

MIRROR.CO.UK - Jan 7 - Badoo was the first dating app to test video feature in 2016, which can only be activated once both parties have matched and exchanged one message. The call happens through the app so there's no need to share any personal details like a phone number. Tristan Pineiro, head of communications, claims that the chances of a real life date being a success are higher if you've had a video call before.

by Paige Holland
See full article at Mirror.co.uk

See all posts on Badoo  

Meetic/Match Launches "If Commitment Is Your Thing" European Campaign

MEDIA POST - Jan 7 - The "If Commitment Is Your Thing" campaign, developed with Publicis Groupe's Marcel, uses one overarching message that opens with what is thought of as a romantic moment before revealing two individuals who are actually engaged in mundane activities, such as hanging a picture on a wall or dancing with a baby. Each snippet is designed to appeal to a core membership target, including single parents as well as same-sex and interracial couples. "In a society that values casual dating and one-night stands, it feels good to tell the world that more serious relationships and commitment are as cool and sexy," stated Youri Guerassimov and Gaetan du Peloux, executive creative directors at Marcel Worldwide. The campaign will roll out in France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway, airing across TV, radio, social and digital.

by Larissa Faw
See full article at Media Post

See all posts on Meetic

OPW Podcast - The Top Dating Industry News for Jan 7th

OPW - Jan 7 - Online dating peak season, Facebook Dating survey, Match Group spin-off.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Anchor , Stitcher , Overcast , Radio Public or Apple Podcasts .

OkCupid Rolls out "Ask Yourself" Global Campaign

CAMPAIGN LIVE - Jan 6 - "Could you date someone who couldn't be bothered to vote?","Intelligence or looks?" - These are just some of the deal-breakers which form the basis of OkCupid's first global campaign, called "Ask Yourself". "Ask Yourself" will roll out across digital and social platforms, as well as out-of-home, in major cities around the world, starting with New York City.

by Oliver McAteer
See full article at Campaign Live

See all posts on OkCupid

Sexual Health Programs Are Using Gay Dating Apps to Get Users Tested for HIV

NBC NEWS - Jan 6 - Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is thought to be the first health center in New York City to incorporate gay dating apps such as Grindr, Jack'd and Scruff into its sexual health efforts. Staffers interact with other users with their own account like a regular user would - except they offer sexual health services. The center says the innovative approach is working: Since its launch in 2016, the program has attracted ~300 clients to the facility, and at least one other community health clinic has launched a similar program. CAMBA, in Brooklyn, has seen similar success using gay dating apps to reach individuals at high-risk of HIV infection: From 2017 to 2018, 65% of its clients linked to PrEP or PEP services were reached through apps apps like Grindr.

by Arno Pedram
See full article at NBC News

See all posts on Grindr 
See all posts on Jack'd
See all posts on Scruff