Internet Dating Video News Summaries

Internet Dating Video News Summary #25

Hello, and welcome to Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup. I’m Mark Brooks, and here are the latest headlines from around the industry.

This edition of the weekly news roundup is kindly sponsored by iTeleBill.

Match.com recently launched a new matching channel called My Match. My Match has several innovative features that should assist with complementing their overall search capabilities.

• The Daily 5 feature offers Daily introductions to people based on how likely they are to strike up a conversation with another person.
• The Mutual Match feature serves up daily introductions to people based on their stated preferences and their targeted match’s stated preferences.
• The Singled Out feature seems to be a more hands on service providing introductions made only when match believes there is a high likelihood that 2 people will hit it off.
• and the Like At First Sight feature provides introductions to people who are suspected to be immediately drawn to one another based off of responses to an online quiz regarding first impressions.

Match.com isn’t the only website on the launchpad however! Dating website BlackPeopleMeet.com recently debuted a magazine. The Magazine is free and doesn’t require any membership. It is filled with insightful advice to assist single African-Americans with dating and relationships.

Now for hookups and breakups!

Just in case you missed the post, Match.com unveiled their first work by advertising agency Mother since it was appointed to the account last October. The activity will use the Jack and Jill icons from previous ad campaigns telling their own love stories for the first time!

Love is a big part of online dating. That’s why WhiteLabelDating.com is teaming up with IntroAnalytics to spread more love! WhiteLabelDating.com is offering profile matching technology to all of its partners and brands looking to build online dating sites. The technology matches member profiles based on implicit behavior as they move around the site, rather than relying on user’s preferences or questionnaires.

Oxigen Services also partnered up with World Dating Partners to launch a new Matrimony site in India. The website, MyCupid offers a new alternative twist on “paid for” services with a cool concept called Oxicash. Oxicash should eliminate the need for a bank account or credit card under normal circumstances.

Moving on. Extramarital dating sites like AdultFriendFinder are booming with business lately. The websites owner, FriendFinder Networks is said to have more than 245 million members in over 170 countries. FriendFinder recently set the terms of an IPO filed in December of 2008. Florida-based FriendFinder said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they plan to sell 20 million shares for $10 to $12 each. FriendFinder Networks commenced with the marketing for a $220M Flotation on the New York Stock exchange. They plan to use the offering proceeds to pay waiver fees and a portion of their debt.

Finally, the iDate2010 Miami conference is just days away! Remember to register online before Jan 22nd if you plan to attend the largest single gathering of online dating CEOs, Matchmakers, and social networking executives!

As a reminder, If you are genuinely interested in selling your company or making a cash purchase, be sure to head over to the iDate’s buyers and sellers session with prices in mind. The private session hosted by me will be held one day prior to iDate at the Miami conference center from 5:45pm to 7pm on Wednesday, January 27th.

That’s all for this week’s news roundup. To check out NBC New York’s interview with head matchmaker for Model Quality Introductions and President of VIP life’s Siggy Flicker and Lisa Clampitt, head over to OPW1.com.

This edition of Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup has been sponsored by iTeleBill. iTelebill, increase your revenue by adding choice, flexibility and anonymity to your billing options!

Tune in again next week as we bring you the latest and greatest from the world of online dating. No ads, no fluff, just raw news and CEO interviews. I’m Mark Brooks. Thank you.

Internet Dating Video News Summary #24

OPW Weekly News Roundup - January 1st, 2010 from Mark Brooks on Vimeo.

Hello, and welcome to Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup. I’m Mark Brooks, and here are the latest headlines from around the industry.

This edition of the weekly news roundup is kindly sponsored by iovation.

In shocking news for the online dating industry, BeautifulPeople.com parted ways with 5,000 members. The members reportedly posted pictures of themselves with extra weight gain from the holiday seasons. Surprisingly, the move was prompted by fellow members of the website. These members patrol the site to maintain a high standard of attractiveness. However, the situation could prove to work in favor of the business. Site founder Robert Hintze is standing firmly behind his reputation and brand. he believes that, quote, “LETTING FATTIES ROAM THE SITE IS A DIRECT THREAT TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL AND THE VERY CONCEPT FOR WHICH BEAUTIFULPEOPLE.COM WAS FOUNDED.”

5,000 members seems like a big loss for BeautifulPeople.com, but as the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. eLove.com is jumping in to save the day opening up its doors to all the rejected members from BeautifulPeople.com.

Speaking of the niche dating sites, the increase in the number of specialist dating websites is expected to lure record numbers of singles online this decade. Analysts are predicting the industry will grow by almost a third! The Australian online dating industry alone grew 5 percent last year and is expected to grow another 5 to 10 percent this year. A recent survey of more than 3000 people prompted by dating website RSVP found that, 50 percent had tried online dating and 10 percent had met their current or most recent partner on the internet. This figure is likely to increase over the next few years as Australia catches up to the US and Britain.

The cold weather of January seems to be working in favor of adultery website AshleyMadison.com. It has been reported that on a typical day anywhere from eight to ten thousand people sign up to AshleyMadison.com. However, last Thursday over 25,000 new members signed up, making it AshleyMadison’s most profitable day ever.

Ashleymadison.com isn’t the only website seeing member increases from the weather however. MySingleFriend.com says visitors to it’s website soared by 55 percent on a single Tuesday. Meanwhile, rival site Singles365.com experienced a visitor increase of 27 percent across a single Tuesday and Wednesday compared to one year prior. IllicitEncounters.com also gained 2,567 members over a six day span in January of this year.

CityDate.com recently launched a new dating website, SensualityDating.com. The website caters to the needs of women seeking romantic experiences without the commitment. SensualityDating features a virtual dating app which will allow people to get to know each other in a virtual coffee shop or restaurant. This will in theory allow members to flirt and explore their chemistry.

Looking for a job in the dating industry? We might have a bit of valuable information you should take a look at. We’ve updated the OPW industry job listings again. If you think you might be interested, just head over to opw1.com and look for the post on the 10th of January.

Last but not least, Courtland Brooks recently did a preliminary study of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk Service. The big question was whether or not it was appropriate to use this service for profile approvals. Chances are it probably isn’t. To check out our blog and see an overview study, head over to internetdating.typepad.com, and you can see the post and study from January 4th.

As a reminder, if you are genuinely interested in selling your company or ready to make a cash purchase, your chance is right around the corner. Remember to head over to iDate’s Buyers and Sellers session with prices in mind. The private session hosted by me will be held one day prior to iDate at the Miami conference center from 5:45pm to 7pm on Wednesday, January 27th.

This edition of Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup has been sponsored by iovation. iovation, helping companies expose cybercriminals and fight fraud with device reputation.

That’s all for this week’s news roundup. To check out AdExchanger.com’s interview with PlentyOfFish CEO Markus Frind, head over to opw1.com.

Tune in again next week as we bring you the latest and greatest from the world of online dating. No ads, no fluff, just raw news and CEO interviews. I’m Mark Brooks. Thank you.