And we’re back. I converted the blog to WordPress Multiuser so I can run about a dozen other sites under one roof. Had some issues along the way and a bit of a steep learning curve but things are smoothing out and I’m looking forward to more regular posting.
Cupid PLC is *the* dating site company of the moment. Revenue going up up up, founders cashing out, lots of acquisitions, sketchy media attention, obvious attempts at stock price pumping, huge primarily adult-based revenue, white label services, and on and on. The company has all its bases covered in terms of making the most noise in the industry right now. A few weeks ago, private equity fund Financiere PES sold several French dating sites to Cupid for around $4.5 million. You know there is a bubble coming when private equity companies start owning dating sites. And no, Match isn’t going to buy Cupid.
This press release was tl;dr (too long didn’t read), but it says something about a company that is selling a patent portfolio covering “Disruptive 2.0 Mobile Social Networking Technology Platforms: Social, Dating, Employment, Business, Enterprise, Public Figure (tweet), Video Chat & Social Gaming.” Gotta love patent trolls.
Pinstant Karma raised a seed round. Nice looking site, decent idea, exactly what big dating sites should be doing. Match and everyone else is looking at doing more gallery/graphic-based profiles. Who wants to read that you are “Just as comfortable in a little black dress as in jeans” or “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this” or “Looking for an honest man”. I can tell that from looking at a few photos of you and I don’t have to suffer through your third-grade level essay that sounds just like everyone else.
Online Dating Summit Conference has changed its date and location to compete directly with iDate, which has moved to Las Vegas. It will be interesting to see who goes to either conference. I’ll be speaking at the Online Dating Summit in January. I haven’t been to Miami in a few years and after my first winter in Vermont I’m sure I’ll be ready for some sun and fun and networking.
Vindicia launches CashBox Select. Vindicia is offering a complimentary trial of CashBox Select for qualified companies whereby Vindicia will process up to three days of recently declined transactions and deposit the rescued revenues into the business’s account automatically. This free, one-time offer captures as much as 40 percent of declined transactions for most online businesses.
Are women really using dating sites to find platonic friends? HuffPo thinks so. I call that a slow news day.
10 Dating Apps to Help You Find True Love and Facebook Dating: This Site Rounds Up Single Friends of Friends, both via Mashable.
Facebook Launches “Weddings and Celebrations” Feature.
I love how the failed gay socializing site FAB pivoted into a design-oriented flash sales site. They now have $160 million in funding and are crushing it in the sector.
The Match.com Dating Championships. U.S. singles are going on more dates than singles in any of the other participating nations. Thats right, there is some sort of competition about feats of strength and endurance going on this week.
Ben’s at Home is a romantic comedy that looks at Ben’s unusual way of dealing with a breakup by deciding to never leave the house. Thanks to websites like POF and OKCupid Ben is able to date, and thanks to online delivery services he can get food delivered to his door. Then, as it always does, love and life get in the way. Wait, thats how I live my life, why can’t I be in a movie?
Actually, I auditioned for a new dating series this week. Fingers crossed that you don’t have to watch me go head-to-head with matchmakers, coaches and singles on tv every week.
New study links social anxiety and dating aggression.
“When Strangers Click” nominated for an Emmy. Congrats to Marc Weiss and his team.
SamePlate.com is the first and only dating site in the U.S. that matches couples based on the food they eat (or don’t eat), as well as the diet they follow. Founded by Emmy Award Winning writer and producer and CookingCaveman.com blogger, Jeff Nimoy, SamePlate.com helps singles to find successful relationships through the one thing we all have in common…food. I usually don’t warm up to food-based matchups, but the press release was perfect, which is more than I can say for most dating site startups, who write like Adderral-fueled 4-year-olds.
Silly dating site idea of the week: IDreamofU lets you “Create a Person For Fun.”
www.dating-vergleich.de has published a mobile dating study and market analysis of that kind in Europe, first with figures for German market. http://www.dating-vergleich.
WhatsYourPrice Leaves Amazon. Claims Amazon’s failure has negatively affected our website’s reputation as a reliable online dating destination. If a tree falls in the forest…
