Online Personals Watch

Michael Tso On Mixi Internet Dating In Japan

OPW -- May 9 -- Michael Tso, CTO of Gemini Technologies, talks about what the Japanese do for internet dating in Japan at the Asian Social Networking and Internet Dating Conference. 

Michael Tso On The Use Of Avatars In Japan

OPW -- May 9 -- Whilst at the Asian Social Networking Conference in Tokyo today, I asked Michael Tso, CTO of Gemini Technologies, about the use of avatars on Asian SNS. 

Parship Doubles In Size

PR NEWSWIRE -- May 8 -- Parship, the online matchmaking service, announced a turnover for 2007 of 46m Euros, which represents an increase of 100% over the previous year. Parship now operates in 14 countries, including the UK and Ireland, employing a total of 150 people. According to Jupiter Research there will be an average growth for the whole dating sector in Europe of 20% in the current year. FULL ARTICLE @ IT NEWS

Like Jangl, TalkPlus Losing Its Voice As Well

GIGAOM -- May 7 -- Michael Cerda, former CEO of Jangl along with the cofounder, Ben Dean and three other Jangl employees is joining Jajah. "The company was finding its groove in the marketplace, but our investors though it wasn't enough for us to keep going, and decided not to fund us", Cerda said. Jangl had raised about $9m in VC funding from Storm Ventures, Labrador Ventures and Cardinal Ventures. Cerda explains the rise and fall of Jangl on his blog. Jangl is not the only VoIP company to nosedive. We have heard from reliable sources that TalkPlus, is going nowhere fast. Michael Toepel, who was the CEO recently left, after the company failed to get new investment to keep going. FULL ARTICLE @ GIGA OM

This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.

White Labeling Rant

OPW -- May 8 -- Affiliates built FriendFinder to a $300 million a year revenue company. But affiliates don't want to build someone elses brand. They would rather build their own brand, and brand equity. I worked with FriendFinder as an affiliate manager in 2003 and have been surprised that they have not pushed their white labeling products more, since then. FriendFinder would far rather promote their own brand, as would most dating companies, but a number of white labeling companies are on the rise now. You can find a list here. (White Label Dating, a client of Courtland Brooks and sponsor of Online Personals Watch, is one of them, and our recommended provider.) 

White labeling is the last big opportunity in internet dating because it allows mega-affiliates, and entrepreneurs, and online media of all types, to build their own brands and utilize the economies of scale of working in a network. The little guys get economies of scale. The guys who have lots of traffic, but don't have the time or inclination to build their own dating site can use white labeling to get up and running quickly.

This post also appears on FrequentFlirters.

2 Million And Counting

PR NEWSWIRE -- May 7 -- AshleyMadison.com, the world's largest infidelity dating service, announced today that their membership base has doubled in just one year to 2m members. With 85% of all new members hailing from the US, Ashley Madison boasts members in every state, including Alaska and Hawaii. California tops the list of fastest growing states with an incredible 205% increase in membership since last year. FULL ARTICLE @ THE EARTH TIMES

Flirting Online A Major Struggle

STREET INSIDER -- May 7 -- According to WooMe survey, nearly 3 out of 4 single online adults (72%) find flirting online more difficult than in person, citing the inability to observe body language, gauge chemistry and assess physical appearance as major contributing factors. 61% of single adults say looks are most likely to attract them to someone within the first minute of an introduction. Only 17% thought sense of humor was most important and an even lower 9% said they value intelligence most. "With WooMe, people meet face-to-face via webcam in fast and fun live introductions where they can decide if they are 'wooed' in one minute and move on if they are not", said Stephen Stokols, CEO and co-founder of WooMe. FULL ARTICLE @ STREET INSIDER

Internet Therapy To Save Marriages

COURANT -- May 7 -- eHarmony claims its scientific system is responsible for 118 marriages a day. The site has expanded into couples counseling in the past two years with eHarmony Marriage, an online therapy service for people who are married or in committed relationships. There's no traditional talk therapy involved. Instead, couples answer an extensive questionnaire and receive a computerized assessment of their relationship's strengths and weaknesses. Based on that information, eHarmony prescribes a series of self-directed exercises and interactive videos that target their trouble areas — communication, intimacy and conflict resolution, for example. FULL ARTICLE @ COURANT

myPartner Keeping It Honest

PRESS RELEASE -- May 1 -- In a move to keep its site as honest as possible, myPartner.com is adding Honesty Online, which certifies profile information. The optional Honesty Online certification will verify name, address and date of birth before running a background investigation to check for any criminal records. Members of myPartner who opt for the certification will have the Honesty Online stamp of approval on their profile. FULL ARTICLE @ MY PARTNER

LoveAccess.com Renamed to eLove.com

PR INSIDE -- May 5 -- The Right One and Together Dating, a traditional dating service expands into the online industry to offer a new level of service to singles. "We wanted to expand online, so we searched for a service we could purchase that would fit the safety demands of our clients,"said Paul Falzone, CEO. The company purchased LoveAccess and renamed it eLove. Mark Brooks, analyst and consultant to the online dating industry and editor of Online Personals Watch, commented, "LoveAccess.com has been an innovative dating service. eLove.com is a top tier domain name, and will help the service the branding traction it deserves at it moves towards competing directly with the likes of eHarmony." FULL ARTICLE @ PR INSIDE

Mark Brooks: Disclosure - The Right One and Together Dating, along with LoveAccess/eLove.com are working with the Courtland Brooks team.