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Lawless Luvoo.com: Missouri residents on the Do Not Call list are receiving telemarketing calls from dating site Luvoo.com. Reader Renaldorv says I have been living under a rock, that Luvoo is not the real deal. I put Luvoo and Mate1 in the same category. Site that will be around for a while, but how good are they when it comes to getting yourself off the dating market? Fads people, fads.
Measuring Dating Site Success By Active Users: Markus says that of the top 50 dating sites there are only three free sites? This bears looking into, difficult to believe. Let’s talk metrics. How about the number of active users logged into the website, averaged month-to-month. Now if we can get other large-scale sites to measure the same way we may have something along the lines of apples-to-apples comparison. For niche sites this won’t work. How to measure their success?
Look at JD Power and Associates. Sterling brand, highly respected, solid results. Why can’t we get this level of accuracy and truth when it comes to measuring website attributes?
Bill Tancer (blog) @ Hitwise, stats gurus at Comscore and Alexa. Go take a vacation together for two weeks somewhere with limited cell service and lots of umbrella drinks and figure out a decent measurement algorithm.
I”m beginning to like what I see from some Keynote more and more, although even they have troubles with rankings (LoveHappens as the “darling of the online dating industry?). Clearly no one system is enough. To that end, I propose a mashup of Hitwise for real-time data, Keynote for customer satisfaction rankings, Comscore for deeper five-figure research papers, and either Google Toolbar or some other equivalent for user tracking.
Social software coverage at the Social Software Blog has moved to the Download Squad. Looks like that’s the end of that.
Mark Brooks is starting a site for internet dating affiliates. While I question the need for yet another site dedicated to educating affiliates, my hat goes off to anyone who can raise the clue density amongst affiliate managers and the countless lazyweb people who throw up affiliate-driven dating site review. Almost every one I’ve ever seen has been awful. Weak category structure (don’t put eHarmony in every category for crying out loud), bad UI and cheesy Adwords.
Dating site affiliate marketing is in a sad state of affairs on both ends. How about raising the bar with well-designed websites, helpful content and edutainment for consumers? One last thing, if you are an affiliate with a few dating sites, don’t just list the ones that make you money. That’s not a directory it’s a waste of people’s time.
True is touting the fact that Hitwise calls them the #1 dating site. Nice marketing exercise if it were remotely True.
Webdate Desktop Application: Actually, it’s an Agent. Message, Instant Message, & Search other singles in your area. I’m glad it “Sits snugly in your windows taskbar.” Download.
Hottest Dating Sites Based on Religion, Ethnicity: MarketingVox says some niche dating like JDate, Shaadi.com or Naseeb.com are thriving.
I was featured in a English as Second Language DVD last year, just put the clip up on Youtube. I will probably regret posting this link but I’ve been quiet all week and you need something to laugh at. Talk about a bad hair day.
Technorati Tags: affiliate marketing, online dating, social software
Category:Dating Sites, Finance, Innovation, Legal, Marketing, Niche, Research, Traffic Tags: Dating-Site - Finance - Innovation - Legal - Marketing - Niche - Research - TrafficBlog reactions
3 responses so far ↓
1
Andy Arnott (Check me out!)
// Aug 10, 2006 at 1:15 pm
“Markus says that of the top 50 dating sites there are only three free sites? This bears looking into, difficult to believe.”
I am not sure this is true or not, but I deffinately think there is room for a few more quality free sites. As we test our technology, we will slowly gain market share, but when we roll out the new site I think people will be very surprised at what we have to offer.
2
markus (Check me out!)
// Aug 10, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Whats so hard to believe about it?
The only dating sites that are free and get over 1,000 visitors a day are plentyoffish and bookofmatches.
Okcupid.com and matchdoctor are semi free, but offer subscriptions for advanced features. Other then that there aren’t any other free sites. Plentyoffish is about 5 times bigger then all free sites combined.
3
minoo (Check me out!)
// Nov 27, 2006 at 1:50 am
Tips and tricks for online dating.
Many people are now looking at online dating or matchmaking as an easy and comfortable way to find their perfect match and expand their horizons. In this article I am going to try to give some help and advice to make your experience positive and safe.
I have spoken to many people about online dating. I get responses from “it does not work” to “I got married to someone I met online!” Having co-managed a successful online match making website http://www.shadi.com for the last 9 years, I hope I can help put you on the path of a productive and safe online experience.
Pre-start preparation:
1. Go online and find 2 or three online matrimonial websites that you like. You need to become a member of at least two. There are websites targeting all populations. Try to get one closest to your background and preferences. Most websites have a free search or a sampling of members that gives you an idea.
2. Make sure you have a nice picture of yourself scanned and ready to be uploaded. The picture should not be over 200 k in size. No Arm length mobile phone pictures please!
3. Make an email address specially to receive correspondence from the matrimonial websites (hotmail, Yahoo etc). Most good matrimonial websites produce a lot of mail and you don’t want your regular mail to get lost in the matrimonial mail. Also if you are like me, a relative or friend is always in and out of my mailbox. Don’t want them seeing all the horrible mismatches that are being generated.
4. Inform a friend/relative that you are pursuing this, as you will need their input/help later. This is a critically important step in insuring your safety.
Filling the form:
There is always a needlessly detailed and complicated form to be filled before you can become a member. Take your time and fill all information accurately. If you feel uncomfortable about reviling personal information, please read their privacy policy. Most good websites have one. (I feel sites based in the USA and UK would logically worry more about any legal issues from revealing private data than South Asia based websites.)
Honesty is the best way forward. Remember this is a chance to find someone who will accept you as you are. Better to get it all out in the open right from the get go. This way whoever likes your profile has already accepted that you are divorced, or left handed or slightly balding or whatever it is that you think is your bad side. Don’t go overboard just mention it. Remember to tell your good side as well.
The “About myself” text box needs special attention. As it is normally at the end of the form, most people will hurry up and fill in what ever it takes to get the minimum number of words. The “About myself” is the second most important feature in your profile after your photograph. Take your time and come back later and look at it again. Look at other profiles and take hints from the way they have filled this section.
The search begins:
Once you are a member the next step is to find the right partner. This is not the place to be a wall flower. You need to contact members. Look for profiles that are interesting and send them a note. New members keep joining so keep logging in and writing. Remember newer profiles will answer contacts faster than older profiles. However everyone is looking for a match or they would not be on the site.
For some reason, one of the most off putting aspects of matrimonial websites is their inability to get members to answer mail. So you need to write to several members who seem to be perfect matches. Website owners are getting strict and are starting to remove non performing profiles. For now, writing to many matches seems to be the answer.
OK so someone nice finally replies. What next?
1. Online chat is a good start. Nice and safe and does not expose you to any more risk than you should be taking at this time. This is not the time to give personally identifiable information. By this I mean your address, home/cell number, etc. If someone is insisting on having this information, you need to review all that has been said so far and decide if you really want to go further.
2. Telephone conversation. Again safety is very important. A lot of chat programs have the ability to speak to the person you are chatting with. I would suggest this as the best way to the next step. A voice chat can really give you a clear insight about the person you are speaking to. If you like what you hear, setup the first meeting.
3. First Date: No its not a date. Lets meet for coffee/tea at a public place. Take your friend along to sit at a separate table. At the very least, inform a friend/family member where you are going and when you will call again. Also the person you are going to meet is xxx who you met through such and such website. Never agree to meet for the first time in a place you are not comfortable with.
4. Keep the conversation general. Ask about interests, family, background. This is not the time to ask for or give personally identifiable information. Finish the meeting within an hour. Now you are free to think if you would like this to go further or let him/her know that you are not interested.
It is very important to let the other party know either way. Some people take a rejection badly. This is where you will be thankful you did not reveal your contact details. However leaving someone hanging is also not acceptable.
So far all I have told you works for all cultures and religions. A special note for people of South Asian Origin. Some of this will sound ultra conversative. My experience is that success demands the following:
1. You must involve your close relative before you become a member at a website. South Asian culture requires agreement of the parents and involvement of both sets of parents in the marriage.
2. Marriage is a family affair. At all steps it is important to involve the family.
3 Once you are both interested in each other, it is paramount that the family get involved. There is no need for a long dating ritual. One or two visits is enough to get an idea. Its now time for cooler heads to get involved. Once the families have met, it will be easier and a lot more fun to meet each other. Also you could be saved from a dreadful mistake.
Last note:
Ever look for a job? you send out tons of resumes, interview at many places but end up with one job. Same thing. you need to write to many profiles, meet with a few people and then hopefully you will get one permanent position.
Marriages are made in heaven. However the homework has to be done here. Get started today!
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