Online Dating Industry Journal

YouTube Exposes Online Dating Stigma

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Every once in awhile you'll hear a news story or see a press release that announces that the stigma associated with online dating no longer exists. Then you see a show where a reporter goes on the street and asks people if they'd date online and virtually all of them say "no" because "it's not safe" or "only desperate people do that".  The fact is that there is still a stigma associated with online dating and more highlights need to be put on the success.

We found one (of many) videos on YouTube that highlight the online dating stigma. This is a video commentary by an 18 year old girl titled, "Online Dating is NOT that Bad". It's an interesting commentary and you learn, from her experience, that "something bad doesn't happen every time" and that not everyone is a fake, phony, rapist, etc.. And it's important to see how people view online dating because if the focus of the media is on the negative then we have a job to highlight the positive aspects (Online Dating Magazine is planning such a positive campaign for early next year). Here's the video...

Online Dating and Selling Soap

(Online Dating Industry Journal Commentary) I was recently watching this video called "How to Sell Soap" (I've posted it below for you to see) and the video reminded me of one area where the majority of online dating services drastically fail - using members to promote the service.

The majority of online daters have a distrust for online dating services. The reason for this is bad customer service experiences, billing issues, negative media attention, high prices, lack of results, and a clear picture that online dating services put money above everything else.  It's no wonder that in the month of July nearly 9 out of every 10 reader reviews of online dating services sent to Online Dating Magazine were negative reviews!

Online Dating Services need to start paying more attention to their customers and court them much like you would someone you really like that you are dating.  I'm working on a much longer project that specifically addresses this issue. 

Simply put, the biggest online dating service pump millions and millions of dollars into advertising every year in order to attract new clients to replace ones that leave the service and never return (whether because of a negative experience, being tired of online dating, or finding success). Could you imagine what would happen if just half of that money was pumped into programs aimed at creating happy users? What would happen to an online dating service is 9 out of every 10 reviews on sites like Online Dating Magazine were positive? The answer is that people would flock to that service in record numbers. Instead, many online dating services keep throwing money at TV and radio to try and replace unhappy consumers and to attempt to overcome negative branding.

Stay tuned for more on this subject and feel free to share your comments below. And before I forget, here's the "How to Sell Soap" video I mentioned. Cheers - Joe Tracy, publisher of Online Dating Magazine.

Ken Donaldson - Online Dating Ineffective

(Online Dating Industry Journal) The author of the book Marry Yourself First, Ken Donaldson, says that while there has been some past success with online dating, that finding the right person via this venue is like "finding a needle in a haystack". He also says that you are likely to find "higher quality people" offline. Donaldson recommends attending events and activities instead of online dating. Here are his comments on the subject:

Allen Hunt on Online Dating

(Online Dating Industry Journal) In the clip below, Christian radio host Allen Hunt (of the Allen Hunt Show) talks about online dating and how the economy plays into online dating.

Major Online Dating Services Compared to Walmart

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Former Down Jones Marketwatch correspondent and columnist, Bambi Francisco, is questioning the existence of mainstream online dating services, asking why they are needed in the era of free social bookmarking Websites that can connect people to each other for free. In a commentary, she's unable to establish the clear (and many) differences between online dating services and social networking sites. Francisco also compares large mainstream online dating services to Walmart and says she is "calling for an end to the Walmart mass market dating services."

Here's the video of her commentary on the subject:

Joe's Comments
Her video kind of reminds me of the Blackbox Republic report, that was filmed at iDate 2009, announcing the "death of Internet dating" and calling it "a thing of the past." It basically shows a lack of educated research on the part of the commentator. The paid online dating model is still growing and the differences between sites like Match.com and MySpace are quite significant. And the differences between mainstream dating services and Walmart are enormous. For one, mainstream online dating services existed well before niche online dating services. Also, the existence of mainstream online dating services isn't putting well run niche services out of business. And third, mainstream online dating services don't offer everyday low bargain prices! :-) 

Is Internet Dating a Thing of the Past?

(Online Dating Industry Journal) While reading Dave Evans excellent recap of iDate 2009, I came across a video from Blackbox Republic giving their view of iDate 2009:

Here's a direct quote from the video:

"Internet Dating has come and gone. It is over. It has jumped the shark. The pay to view another profile model is antiquated at best."

Somewhere along the line, I must have missed the memo. I'm not seeing the mass exodus from dating sites that she talks about. In fact, last I checked, the major Internet Dating sites have all seen growth this year over last year. Is that truly a sign that Internet Dating has come and gone? That it is over?

The simple fact is that Internet Dating is far from gone. Companies that remain stale, don't advertise, and don't listen to feedback (i.e. American Singles) will be a thing of the past, but as a whole the industry is still growing and Internet Dating will grow with it. LavaLife has shown that it wants to keep tuning its model (i.e. adding a Speed Dating option), but it still remains a "pay to use" service and it is seeing a lot of growth. Match.com is growing. eHarmony is growing. PerfectMatch is growing. This is hardly a sign of the industry being dead and having jumped the shark. But then again, maybe it's like the stock market and it will get so big that it just explodes.

I don't think so. What do you think?

Today Contributor Compares Online Dating Services to Lottery

(Online Dating Industry Journal) It's no secret that Today contributor Gail Saltz isn't a big fan of online dating. In her question and answer column, she compares online dating services to the lottery, saying that online dating services sell "dreams". The subtitle of the column is, "Dr. Gail Saltz cautions that meeting romantic partners online is too risky."

In a recent Q&A column, Gail Saltz, who is also author of the book Anatomy of a Secret Life, published a letter from a person who had been scammed out of their life savings from someone they communicated with on an online dating site.  In part, she says:

"...I do think that many advice-givers offer warnings and safety tips, but they are often drowned out by gushy stories of people finding their 'soul mates' and being struck by 'love at first sight.' These success stories make the news because they are so unusual.

Remember: Online dating services are companies selling a product. In some ways, they are like the lottery selling a dream. They promote their successes and not their failures..."

She properly warns people looking for love online to be extra cautious and it's advice that all online daters should heed. However, she fails to put the story into perspective of the success people have had with online dating which is why it continues to be the preferred medium for people to find a date.

Joe's Comments
Overall, it was a good answer by Gail Saltz, however she makes it sound like the news only talks about success stories when it comes to online dating. At Online Dating Magazine, we've found the opposite to be true. The news media focuses most of its time on scams, fraud, crime, etc. related to online dating versus the hundreds of thousands of people who have found their soulmate online.

Onine Dating Service Rankings Not Reliable

(Online Dating Industry Journal Commentary) Some sites put a lot of emphasis on online dating rankings when released by companies like Hitwise, Comscore, or Neilsen. Yet all you have to do is look at how all three companies consistently differ to realize that reporting those stats as fact is only promoting a fictional reality.

Take a close look at these stats for the most visited onilne dating services for the month of September 2008 in the United States:

Hitwise
SinglesNet
PlentyofFish
eHarmony

Comscore
SinglesNet
Yahoo! Personals
True.com

Neilsen
Yahoo! Personals
Match.com
SinglesNet

So who is right and who is wrong? The accuracy of these "rankings" are about as solid as a porcupine snuggling up to a balloon without popping it.

Simply put, there is no way to accurately measure true rankings and visitor counts without services agreeing to place code on their Website for tracking purposes. And to rely on data from Hitwise, Comscore, Neilsen, or Alexa is to rely on methods that are currently flawed. Until there is an increase in the accuracy of the reports, the data is something that should be taken with a grain of salt.

That's how I see it, at least. How about you?

Joe Tracy, Publisher
Online Dating Magazine

More on SinglesNet Exploitation of Women

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Online Dating Magazine has published an editorial regarding SinglesNet controversial advertising to attract new customers. The editorial is titled: "SinglesNet Dating Service Exploiting Women for Profits". Here's an excerpt:

"...One thing we know is that, in general, many more men sign up for online dating services than women. So when a dating service like SinglesNet exploits women sexually for its personal gain, they are running a huge risk of creating a massive unbalance in the ratio of men to women. The smart dating services aim their advertising at attracting women in order to create a better balance. Without balance, you will have a plethora of dissatisfied members..."

Click here to read the entire editorial.

eHarmony Selling User Info for Magazine Subscriptions

(Online Dating Industry Journal Commentary) Online Dating Magazine recently received a reader review from a female upset at magazine subscriptions she was receiving from a company getting her information from eHarmony. In her review, she says:

"The big kicker for me, and the reason I will NEVER subscribe again - eHarmony  sells your info to M2 Mediagroup, a magazine subscription service.  You get 'free' subscriptions (no wonder  eHarmony is so expensive) without notice and when you try to contact M2 Mediagroup, they're only available by email.  I'm still wondering who else has my information now."

Before publishing the review, I decided to do some research on the subject. When you're an online dating service charging the highest fees in the industry, people expect the highest quality of service. Selling their information and providing them with magazine subscriptions they don't want can be very costly from a branding perspective.

So I looked into it and found a press release from M2 Mediagroup from a few days ago that starts by saying, "M2 Media Group, LLC, a leading magazine subscription agency, has launched a reward option with IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)..."

The kicker is further down in the press release where it says:

"M2 operates a variety of magazine programs with brand leaders such as Barnes & Noble, Orbitz, eHarmony, and Choice Hotels."

Further investigation yielded the full press release about eHarmony's relationship with M2 Media Group, which started just over a year ago:

"M2 Media Group, a leading magazine subscription agency, announced today a marketing partnership with eHarmony that provides members of the Internet´s #1 trusted relationship service a selection of top-brand magazine subscriptions. The high-profile Partnership Deductible magazine program utilizes gender-targeting to offer a dynamic list of titles to paying members.

'eHarmony is the leader in online dating and relationship services,' said Michael Borchetta, CEO of M2. 'They are focused on ´relationships´ and not just singles, which opens up a tremendous development opportunity for magazine publishers.' The site has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Entertainment Tonight and frequently appears in national television and radio advertising campaigns. eHarmony is the highest priced among the major dating services, a significant factor contributing to its strong demographics.

The eHarmony magazine program has had immediate success by delivering on high quality, large volume commitments for publishers. The site comprises 14 million registered users and attracts 2-3 million visitors monthly. 'When you require a 250-question profile for membership," said Borchetta, 'you are talking about extremely engaged and committed consumers - the perfect magazine audience.'

If eHarmony was a free service and participated in this program to help keep it free, that's one thing. But when you start forcing magazines onto paying members, you'll upset a lot of people and your brand image decreases.

eHarmony spends millions to keep try and put forth a clean image to the public, even amidst TV commercial attacks by Chemistry.com (Rejected commercials). While those are outside the control of eHarmony, things like partnerships are fully controlled by the company. Magazine subscriptions are being forced on people all the time and its become almost as annoying as telemarketing sales calls. Is that an association eHarmony really wants.... or needs?

Joe Tracy, Publisher
Online Dating Magazine