Online Personals Watch

SuccessfulDates.com Offers Counselling

PRESS RELEASE - Dec 20 - MillionaireCupid.com has launched a new dating site SuccessfulDates.com. SuccessfulDates offers live counselors to their members. Members can get professional suggestions or advices from the live counselors once they have any dating problems or dating difficulties. To ensure the reality of user identity, this website has a background verification systems. FULL ARTICLE @ ONLINE PR NEWS

See all posts on MillionaireCupid

Terry Fitzpatrick, COO Of International Dating Ventures

OPW INTERVIEW - Dec 21 - International Dating Ventures’ holdings include eLove, the first dating service to fuse both traditional matchmaking and online dating. COO Terry Fitzpatrick details the differences between eLove’s two programs and how the company has been able to grow despite the difficult economic climate. – Jenn Rubin

What is the story behind eLove?
We’ve been in the traditional matchmaking business for the last 25 years. In the last five or ten years 85% of our membership base had tried online dating and it just has not worked for them.

eLove brings together the online dating community and the offline traditional matchmaking service. We have an online dating service and if the users don’t find success, they don’t have to leave eLove to look for a traditional matchmaker. Ideally, we want everybody to stay within the eLove community. This is really so we can efficiently monetize all our online registration and all our leads.

We consider eLove a life stage company. We want eLove to be that one stop service for anybody who is serious about meeting people. If they choose to do the online portion, great. If they need a little bit more help, the traditional matchmaking will also be provided there. We want to be that one-stop solution.

How does eLove differ from other organizations in International Dating Ventures?
A couple of those websites would be TogetherChristian.com and LoveAccess.com, but those are purely online dating platforms. eLove is that unique site where you can choose which path is right for you. Is it going to be traditional matchmaking or is it going to be online dating? So that’s how it differs.

How many members does eLove online dating have?
eLove has over 2 million members online and offline it would probably be in the tens of thousands. In offline, we currently are in 22 States. We have 43 physical locations.

What are some of the unique features on the online dating site?
You’ll find the same services on eLove that you would find on Match.com.

If I went to eLove.com and clicked on the matchmaking section, what would happen?
First, we need to make sure that they live in a zip code that we have a physical location. We also need to make sure they’re of the right age. Traditional matchmaking works best for people in their late 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. We’re not looking for people in their teens or early 20s.

If they qualify, they will receive a phone call. We ask them about their criminal background history, because if you do become a member, you will have to go through a background check. From there, they would set up an appointment and meet with the local matchmaker. At that stage, it takes about an hour to two hours with a matchmaker to put together a profile on what they are looking for in a significant other. From there, dating begins. Most people will go on their first date within seven to 14 days.

How is eLove online dating different from the matchmaking program?
You don’t have the personal attention online. Offline, you’re dealing one on one with a matchmaker who will be able to help you with dating coaching and tips. What is very unique with the offline is after you go on a date, you will call your matchmaker back and discuss the date. We need feedback on what you liked and didn’t like about the person.

Can you tell me a little bit about some of the matchmaking membership rates?
Traditional matchmaking usually starts around $2,000, and you will be able to meet 8 or 10 people. Prices do increase if you need more help with relationships coaching.

What is the eLove online dating memberships?
The basic one is $29.95 a month.

What are some of the biggest challenges in the next 12 months for eLove?
It’s probably keeping up with our growth plan. To do that we need to find talented people to work with us. It’s very difficult to find the right matchmaker.

Have these difficult times hurt your business at all?
The economy has touched all companies, but we’ve been very lucky. In 2009, we opened up more stores then we have ever opened up.

How do you predict eLove will look in the next few years?
Hopefully, if you look at eLove two years from now, we’ll be in 50 States with over 100 physical locations in the United States. We’re halfway there now, so we’re getting there.

See all posts on eLove

iDate Buyers And Sellers Session

OPW - Dec 21 - If you are interested in selling your company, or are looking for acquisition targets, you should come to iDate's Buyers and Sellers session on the Wednesday before iDate, on January 27th at the Miami conference center from 5:45pm to 7pm. No reporters will be allowed access to this session, and it will be requested of all attendees that they not disclose the names of businesses that are available for sale. This will be an intimate and private session between those who are genuinely interested in selling their online communities and have prices in mind, and metrics at hand, and those who are interested and able to make cash purchases. If that's you, please sign up. 

As always, you can also list your company or domains for sale on Online Personals Watch or Social Networking Watch for free. We'll need a price and basic metrics. Just email me at mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com. The iDate Buyers and Sellers session is a more intimate and private environment for buyers and sellers to meet, learn and share and break the ice in person.

AstrologyDating.com Launches

 PRESS RELEASE - Dec 18 - AstrologyDating.com has launched the beta test of its astrology-based dating site. AstrologyDating.com analyzes the planet's zodiac signs based on a person's birth-date, birth-location and time of birth, along with other technological and celestial information to provide in-depth matching criteria. FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE

Hire TRUE's Former COO

OPW - Dec 18 - Sandra Crawford Williamson is the former COO at TRUE. She developed and managed the growth of TRUE and numerous multi-functional teams in the past and is a top tier internet dating executive available for hire. Reach out to Sandra directly at via her LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sandracrawfordwilliamson or email her to SandyCW@sprynet.com.

Spark Networks Launches Spark.com

PRESS RELEASE - Dec 18 - Spark Networks, a provider of niche online singles communities, launches Spark.com, a new site for highly-qualified singles. Spark.com unites millions of members from AmericanSingles.com and Date.ca communities into one clean and easy-to-navigate site. One new Spark.com feature is the free Color Code Personality Test, a compatibility exercise required of all new members to help them learn more about themselves. Other features include a profile photo prerequisite and more photo upload space. FULL ARTICLE @ CNN MONEY

See all posts on Spark Networks

This post also appears at the iDate Forums

Lovetropolis.com Named Finalist For Multiple iDate Awards

PRESS RELEASE - Dec 16 - Dating site Lovetropolis.com has been recognized as a finalist in five of eleven categories for the 2010 iDate Awards. Lovetropolis.com is a nominee competing for top honors as Best Dating Site, Best Dating Site Design, Most Innovative Company, Best Marketing Campaign and Best Up and Coming Dating Site. The iDate Awards are being held as part of the annual Internet Dating Conference. FULL ARTICLE @ OFFICIAL WIRE

See all posts on Lovetropolis

Actress Ashley Madison Myrick Sues Ashley Madison

FOX NEWS - Dec 15 - Actress Ashley Madison Myrick, has filed a lawsuit against online dating site Ashley Madison for the “humiliation’ she has endured over having the same name as the site that promotes infidelity. She wants the site to change their name and claims that the Web site AshleyMadisonbio.com is connected to the infidelity site and features her photo without permission. But Pop Tarts has exclusively obtained a $1M counter-suit filed by Ashley Madison (the Web site) against Ashley Madison (the actress). According to their suit, they don’t even own the domain AshleyMadsionbio.com and have had the infamous “Ashley Madison” name trademarked since 2002 whereas Myrick only adopted the moniker as a “stage name” in 2005. The affair matchmakers are now suing the actress for using their trademark to “inappropriately garner goodwill” to support her acting career. FULL ARTICLE @ FOX NEWS   

See all posts on AshleyMadison

Social Media Mentions On Internet Dating Sites

OPW - Dec 15 - I've been playing around with SocialMention.com to monitor social media mentions of dating sites.  I picked some of the more distinctive names in the internet dating industry and here are the social media results...

Strength is the likelihood that the brand is being discussed in social media. The calculation is made by counting the number of mentions in the last 24 hours vs the total possible number of mentions. Sentiment is the ratio of generally positive comments to generally negative comments. Passion indicates if mentions are coming from individuals that are repeatedly talking about the brand. So the higher this number, the more likely that mentions are coming from the same group of people.

Blackbox Republic Partners With Venues

PR NEWSWIRE - Dec 15 - Blackbox Republic, the private network for people of all orientations, relationship combinations and lifestyles, has added regional nightlife venues to add entertainment options for members. Partners include Vibe Entertainment, 1015 Folsom, 103 Harriet, 111 Minna Gallery, and Paradise Lounge in San Francisco; Concept Entertainment in Portland; Subspace in Toronto; and Skin in New York. Blackbox Republic provides entertainment partners a single platform to "create once, promote everywhere." Events are automatically posted within Blackbox Republic and across the social web with a single click. This value greatly reduces the need for dedicated staff or the investment of time to post and repost event details on several locations all over the web. FULL ARTICLE @ AOL MONEY & FINANCE

Mark Brooks: Nightclub promoters can use Blackbox Republic as a promotions hub now.  (Full Disclosure: Blackbox Republic is a client of Courtland Brooks)

See all posts on Blackbox Republic

This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.

MyCreativeMate.com Connects Single Artists

PR WEB - Dec 14 - My Creative Mate is a new dating site specifically targeting creative-minded individuals and entertainment industry professionals. MyCreativeMate.com includes popular functions enjoyed on other dating sites, but also features additional options catered to its unique clientele. Artists can not only upload their own pictures, but also create an album to show their portfolio. Their work can be displayed in their galleries, allowing members to connect through specialized interests. All member benefits are currently free to registered users during this phase of the site. Eventually, subscription rates will apply and will typically be less than half of other popular dating sites. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB

Mobile Dating On The Rise

LONDON EVENING STANDARD - Dec 14 - 15M people in Britain are single, and ~5M are shopping for love online. The next dating revolution is happening in your pocket and it's all about location. Soon, Apple's iPhone and other touchscreen mobile devices will replace PCs as the main way we engage with social media. In 2007 the global mobile dating market was pegged at £200M, that figure rose to £332M worldwide in 2008 and is expected to more than double over the next five years, reaching ~£784M by 2013. Grindr, which launched in March this year, is presently most popular in San Francisco, with its dense concentration of gay men and iPhone customers, but gained more than 30,000 British users. GPS-enabled dating apps aimed exclusively at the straight market have just arrived, StreetSpark, Skout and Are You Interested being some of the latest. FULL ARTICLE @ LONDON EVENING STANDARD

See all posts on Grindr
See all posts on Skout
See all posts on AreYouInterested

Jonathan Crutchley And Adam Segel, Founder Of Manhunt And CEO Of Online Buddies

OPW INTERVIEW - Dec 14 - Online Buddies runs Manhunt.net, one of the most prominent gay dating sites. Manhunt recently acquired DList.com, a social networking site for the gay community. We have interviewed the founder of Manhunt, Jonathan Crutchley, and Online Buddies CEO Adam Segel about the merge and their marketing plans for DList.

Listen to the interview

For those not familiar with DList, can you describe the site?
Jonathan: DList is a social networking site for younger gay men. Users post videos and music clips and hang out chatting with friends, who could be anywhere, unlike with Manhunt, which was intended for guys to meet each other locally. DList was founded in 2006, and Online Buddies recently acquired it.

How did the idea to acquire DList come about?
Adam: We had been friends with the owners of DList for quite some time, and we were watching the development of the social networking space. Manhunt is more a dating and connections website, while DList is a place for people to meet friends, explore art, music, etc. It was a different offering, and we wanted to make that available to men.

Our ultimate goal is to be the largest and best place for men to meet men on the Internet. If they want to meet each other through a site like Manhunt, then that’s terrific. If they want to meet each other by sharing art, photos and things like that on DList, then that’s fantastic as well. We want to give all the mediums possible for men to be able to interact and meet each other.

How many members does Manhunt and DList have right now, respectively?
Jonathan: Manhunt has at least 2 million member subscriptions. Just under half of those are in the United States, and the rest are international. DList has about 180,000 subscribers at the start, and the idea is to grow it beyond that.

Adam: We have already started marketing DList just this week, and we’ve already quintupled the number of people joining each day.

Jonathan: We’re doing more marketing under the new ownership than the previous owners of DList were able to do.

How are you marketing DList?
Jonathan: It was a couple of years ago, but we advertised Manhunt on MySpace one weekend. On the Friday night the ad appeared, the responses crashed our website. The place to advertise an Internet product is on the Internet.

Adam: We started off by marketing DList through the Manhunt website and to the younger Manhunt members. We’re also marketing DList through events and promotions and through Facebook, MySpace and Google. We also advertise on some adult interest websites. The adult ’tube sites seem to do well for us.

Tell me more about these DList promotional events.
Adam: We work with the gay and lesbian organizations at a lot of different colleges. We’re coming up with some different contests and promotions, like traveling DList parties. We just did our first party at Harvard. It was a joint with MIT, and we had tons of guys come. We want to continue to host these parties at other campuses across the country.

What is the advertising budget for DList?
Adam: Marketing for DList is part of the overall marketing budget for Online Buddies, which is between $3 and $4 million per year.

Who would you consider DList’s competition to be?
Adam: One of them is called Connexion. Another one is called JustGuys.net. But they’re much smaller. Plus, they don’t seem to have the traction that DList has, especially now with the power of Online Buddies behind it and the marketing might we’re able to give it.

How does DList currently make money?
Adam: There are a few people who pay for some premium features. But the vast majority of the site is free, and the revenue is generated through advertising.

Do you plan to make any changes to the revenue model?
Adam: We aim to keep the website free so that more and more guys will use it, and thus we will be able to fund the website with advertising dollars.

We have a steady stream of advertisers now. We actually have advertisers waiting for us to make even more inventory available.

Any changes to current DList content offerings?
Jonathan: I don’t know if we plan any immediate changes in content. I think the first problem will be marketing and increasing the number of subscribers.

Who are some of your advertisers?
Adam: Most of them are through ad networks. In the past, we have worked with American Express, BMW, some of the clothing companies, some movies, etc. Lady GaGa is someone who advertises on our site.

Does Online Buddies offer any packaged advertising deal across all its sites?
Adam: Not yet, but it’s something we’re planning.

See all posts on Manhunt

For those not familiar with DList, can you describe the site?
Jonathan: DList is a social networking site for younger gay men. Users post videos and music clips and hang out chatting with friends, who could be anywhere, unlike with Manhunt, which was intended for guys to meet each other locally. DList was founded in 2006, and Online Buddies recently acquired it.

How did the idea to acquire DList come about?
Adam: We had been friends with the owners of DList for quite some time, and we were watching the development of the social networking space. Manhunt is more a dating and connections website, while DList is a place for people to meet friends, explore art, music, etc. It was a different offering, and we wanted to make that available to men.

Our ultimate goal is to be the largest and best place for men to meet men on the Internet. If they want to meet each other through a site like Manhunt, then that’s terrific. If they want to meet each other by sharing art, photos and things like that on DList, then that’s fantastic as well. We want to give all the mediums possible for men to be able to interact and meet each other.

How many members does Manhunt and DList have right now, respectively?
Jonathan: Manhunt has at least 2 million member subscriptions. Just under half of those are in the United States, and the rest are international. DList has about 180,000 subscribers at the start, and the idea is to grow it beyond that.

Adam: We have already started marketing DList just this week, and we’ve already quintupled the number of people joining each day.

Jonathan: We’re doing more marketing under the new ownership than the previous owners of DList were able to do.

How are you marketing DList?
Jonathan: It was a couple of years ago, but we advertised Manhunt on MySpace one weekend. On the Friday night the ad appeared, the responses crashed our website. The place to advertise an Internet product is on the Internet.

Adam: We started off by marketing DList through the Manhunt website and to the younger Manhunt members. We’re also marketing DList through events and promotions and through Facebook, MySpace and Google. We also advertise on some adult interest websites. The adult ’tube sites seem to do well for us.

Tell me more about these DList promotional events.
Adam: We work with the gay and lesbian organizations at a lot of different colleges. We’re coming up with some different contests and promotions, like traveling DList parties. We just did our first party at Harvard. It was a joint with MIT, and we had tons of guys come. We want to continue to host these parties at other campuses across the country.

What is the advertising budget for DList?
Adam: Marketing for DList is part of the overall marketing budget for Online Buddies, which is between $3 and $4 million per year.

Who would you consider DList’s competition to be?
Adam: One of them is called Connexion. Another one is called JustGuys.net. But they’re much smaller. Plus, they don’t seem to have the traction that DList has, especially now with the power of Online Buddies behind it and the marketing might we’re able to give it.

How does DList currently make money?
Adam: There are a few people who pay for some premium features. But the vast majority of the site is free, and the revenue is generated through advertising.

Do you plan to make any changes to the revenue model?
Adam: We aim to keep the website free so that more and more guys will use it, and thus we will be able to fund the website with advertising dollars.

We have a steady stream of advertisers now. We actually have advertisers waiting for us to make even more inventory available.

Any changes to current DList content offerings?
Jonathan: I don’t know if we plan any immediate changes in content. I think the first problem will be marketing and increasing the number of subscribers.

Who are some of your advertisers?
Adam: Most of them are through ad networks. In the past, we have worked with American Express, BMW, some of the clothing companies, some movies, etc. Lady GaGa is someone who advertises on our site.

Does Online Buddies offer any packaged advertising deal across all its sites?
Adam: Not yet, but it’s something we’re planning.

See all posts on Manhunt

Internet Dating Conference Discount

OPW -- Dec 14 - We've got an exclusive discount for conference attendees. Click here for $75 off the iDate conference on Jan 27-29th, 2010. See the agenda. Here's some sample sessions. If you're in the business of internet dating, it would serve you well to be at this conference.

- Advanced Information on Trends and Search for the Online Dating Consumer, John Ploumitsakos (Google)
- 3 Mobile Dating Strategies That Work, Ted Verani (Jumbuck), Brendan O'Kane (Messmo Media), Deepak Thomas (Match.com)
- Convergence of Paid and Free Online Dating Sites, Sam Yagan (OKCupid)

Toronto Transit Commission Flirts With Ashley Madison

NATIONAL POST - Dec 11 - Pro-family organizations are "shocked and outraged" that Toronto Transit Commission is considering plastering streetcars with advertisements for the Ashley Madison Agency, an online dating site that promotes adultery. The campaign is planned to start in January with a four-week test buy that would see a streetcar's exterior wrapped with the website's trademark phrase, "Life is short. Have an affair." If the initial ads are successful, Ashley Madison would enter into a deal with the TTC to see a total of 10 streetcars outfitted in a similar manner, amounting to a $200,000 influx to the Commission. Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman responded to criticisms that the proposed campaign is offensive by pointing out the proliferation of ads glorifying the use of alcohol and Viagra. "No one is going to have an affair because they read an ad on the side of a streetcar," he said. "They're going to have an affair because there are issues with their long-term relationships." FULL ARTICLE @ NATIONAL POST

Update: The Toronto Transit Commission reject a bid by the pro-adultery agency Ashley Madison to advertise on streetcars, says the company's CEO. The decision came after Mr. Biderman offered to subsidize fares by 50 cents for anyone riding a streetcar featuring his company's ads, in addition to the potential advertising buy of $200,000 for 10 streetcars. FULL ARTICLE @ NATIONAL POST

See all posts on AshleyMadison

Cooking Up A Love Match

THE SUN DAILY - Dec 11 - Thomas Honold is a chef with hardly any free time. As a chef, his working hours tend to be when other people are free. He decides to build his own matchmaking site – gastrosingles.de – aimed at gastronomes. His site now has 6,700 members and numerous offshoots for people who don’t work in the restaurant business but who have the same difficulty meeting people. Gastronomes aren’t the only people who have to work while other people are out partying. Bakers, butchers, police officers, farmers, doctors and nurses can go to jobsingles.de to find other people who are in the same profession as them. FULL ARTICLE @ THE SUN DAILY

Blackbox Republic Partners With Track Entertainment

PR NEWSWIRE - Dec 10 - Blackbox Republic, the private network for people of all orientations, relationship combinations and lifestyles to meet online and in person, partners with Track Entertainment a leader in online event promotion whose sites include: clubplanet.com, wantickets.com, newyears.com, Halloweenparties.com, cooljunkie.com, and nochelatina.com. "Now our members will have access to thousands of local events that they can socialize, see who's going, post content about and plan their personal lives around," said Sam Lawrence, Blackbox Republic CEO. FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE

See all posts on Blackbox Republic

This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.

Hivmatch.co.uk Exaggerates Member Numbers

DATE POSITIVE - Dec 10 - Datepositive.net was alerted to a statement on hivmatch’s website claiming that it has five times as many members compared to other websites. To investigate, they took out a membership on hivmatch.co.uk and discovered that their site has ~1000 members presumably all with HIV. Datepositive.net has ~4000 members, and more than 1600 have HIV. FULL ARTICLE @ DATE POSITIVE

Mark Brooks: Alexa shows a 34k traffic rank in the UK for Datepositive.net, while HIVMatch.co.uk is unranked.

See all posts on Datepositive.net