Online Dating Industry Journal

Do's and Dont's of Online Dating

(Online Dating Industry Journal) The Huffington Post has posted and interesting / entertaining article about the do's and dont's of online dating. Here's an excerpt:

"DO learn the lingo of dating profiles. For instance:

    * He describes himself as 'cuddly.'

     Translation:  chubby.

    * He writes, 'I've been told I'm very handsome.'

     Translation:  by his mother.

* He's 'Executive Vice-President of Strategic Planning for a Major Corporation.' Translation: he's self-employed in some cockamamie business, headquartered in his basement..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Online Daters Fall For Witty Lines

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Rosemary Desmond, of the AAP news service, has written an article about research indicating the danger and ease of which women fall for witty lines online.

From the article:

"Internet daters beware - witty emails don't lead to love, an Australian researcher says.

Too many people, particularly women, who go online in search of relationships fall for a clever line, said Queensland University of Technology (QUT) relationships psychologist Matthew Bambling.

They quickly formed emotional attachments to unsuitable people they had not even met in real life..."

Click here to read the full article.

Joe's Comments
It's easy to form attachments online before you meet someone when you've been communicating with them for awhile. This researcher recommends only a couple of emails before you meet for coffee to determine compatibility. It kind of flies in the face of what many online daters practice - getting to know someone in-depth online before meeting. There seems to be pros and cons to both, but as this article points out, waiting longer only sets you up for a bigger disappointment. Not everyone I know would agree with that.

Online Dating Happiness and Headaches

(Online Dating Industry Journal) WTNH has published an article about the experience of two online daters that met via eHarmony and how the process of online dating leads to both happiness and headaches.

The article also addresses the growing dissatisfaction of online daters with online dating services, quoting Howard Schwartz from the Better Business Bureau. From the article:

"Schwartz says the Better Business Bureau has been processing a skyrocketing number of complaints. Some people are unhappy with the results.   

'They're being matched with people that are inappropriate -- not even close to their criteria,' Schwartz said.

Many are unhappy with the process such as 'automatically renewing the membership when people think they're only signing up for a month, rude customer service,  difficulty in obtaining the so-called fine-print,' Schwartz concluded..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Joe's Comments
The industry can't keep ignoring consumer complaints. It will reach a breaking point if not addressed or drive more people to free online dating services.

Jewish Online Dating in Australia

(Online Dating Industry Journal) The Australian Jewish News has published an article about Jewish online dating, complete with recommendations like "don't act desperate" when contacted by someone. It also addresses the Jewish online dating scene in Australia.

From the article:

"...there are thousands of Jewish singles in Australia who are looking for Mr or Miss Right.

At the moment, Australian Jewish dating website J-Junction has 920 people on its books. J-Date, an American-based dating website, has a significant number of Australian Jews signed up and there are also Jewish singles who advertise on secular dating sites..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Joe's Comments
The article says J-Junction has... uh... 920 people on its books. But their Website says quite a few more...

Rabbi Promotes Online Dating

(Online Dating Industry Journal) A Rabbi is playing cupid to his congregation by handing out free memberships to the Jewish online dating service, JDate. The Arizona Republic wrote an article about the Rabbi's new matchmaking skills. As the article points out, he's not the first Rabbi to do so.

From the article:

"In October, a New Jersey rabbi was the first to order JDate memberships in bulk. He was concerned about the rate of intermarriage and wanted to make sure his single followers were able to meet other Jewish singles. Then another rabbi in Oregon did the same thing. Seven months later, 10 rabbis have joined the trend..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Brits Embrace Overseas Relationships

(Online Dating Industry Journal) According to The Sun, more British people are embracing the notion of International long-distance relationships. Sometimes the relationship is started online and other times from a chance encounter during a vacation. It is then fostered online.

From the article:

"So, what’s driving this new trend? In short, cheap flights and easy communication.With email, text and Skype, love can travel to you..."

Click here to read the article.

Inc.com's Article About Sam Yagan

(Online Dating Industry Journal) OKcupid's Sam Yagan got some nice press from Inc.com in an in-depth article about his initial struggles with competition and how he came up with an idea (Crazy Blind Date) to generate mass amounts of publicity.

From the article:

"As various promotional options were exhausted, Yagan found his thoughts turning back to a wacky idea he and Coyne had once tossed around: a dating site with "a blind-date button." What had been little more than a running joke suddenly seemed like a way to stand out from the crowd. At best, the novelty of instantaneous, face-to-face blind dates might catch on among users inundated with e-mails, phone calls, and IMs; at worst, it might at least generate buzz for OkCupid..."

The article even quotes a former Match.com CEO about CrazyBlindDate.com.

Click here to read the entire article.

Ireland's Maybe Friends Sees 80th Marriage

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Ireland online dating service MaybeFriends.com has seen its 80th marriage as a result of people who met through its service. The Ireland Independent wrote an article about the 80th couple to tie the knot. From the article:

"Two weeks after their first online introduction, the pair met in Dublin's Cafe en Seine for their first date. The sparks flew, and the rest, as they   say, is history. Tim was also a huge hit with Jenny’s eight-year-old   daughter who already calls him 'daddy'.   She and Tim, a chef, will be celebrating their honeymoon..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Related Links
MaybeFriends.com Acquired

NASA Breach Caused by Online Dating Scammer

(Online Dating Industry Journal) NASA isn't identifying an employee who caused a breach on NASA's computers when the employee opened an email attachment from an online dating scammer. The scammer had communicated with the employee via an online dating service and they started emailing each other. The scammer was caught and sentenced in Nigeria.

According to DarkReading.com:

"The perpetrator, Akeem Abejumo, who was arrested last week, allegedly sent an email attachment to the victim that contained malware that captured and stole the victim’s personal information from the NASA computer..."

Click here to read the entire article.

Older Japanese Go Online in Search of Love

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Reuters has published an article on how older Japanese are finding love online. From the article:

"Launched in Japan in 2004 and now boasting about 840,000 members, Match.com began targeting the mature market after seeing the fastest growth in membership among the over-50 set, an age group once thought over the hill when it came to romance.     Although nearly half of Match.com members in Japan are aged 30-39, another 9 percent are aged 50 and over..."

Click here to read the entire article.