Online Dating Industry Journal

Major New Study To Take Closer Look at Online Dating vs. Offline Dating

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Online Dating Magazine announced today that it is sponsoring a major new study, called The Modern Love Study, that analyzes offline relationships versus online relationships and the factors that make them successful. The study is being carried out by is being conducted by renowned compatibility and testing experts Dr. James Houran and Dr. Rense Lange.

Because of the stigma attached to online dating, one of the many areas of the study will examine crucial differences between relationships that start online versus offline. It will also look at the variables that define stable relationships of a romantic and committed nature, taking into account the overt and subtle influences of key demographic factors like age, country, sexual orientation and how the couple met.

The link below will take you directly to the study questionnaire and it is a link you may share with your readers:

http://lovestudy.yolasite.com/

You can also read (or republish) the official press release on the study here.

The Science Behind eHarmony.com

(Online Dating Industry Journal) ABC News recently did a very interesting story on eHarmony and the science that goes behind its matchmaking. eHarmony has its own Love Lab where it conducts studies and research to help improve the service. Here's the video...

Click here to visit eHarmony.com

Research: Banner Ads Deliver More than Clicks

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Research into banner ad advertising shows that banner ads are an important element of brand awareness and brand building and that too much emphasis by online advertisers is put on clicks, ignoring important long-term success.

You can read the article at the newly relaunched Online Dating Advertising Website, which also tells you what those ads on TV and online with the 23 and a picture of a plug on a green background mean...

Dr. Jennifer Gibbs Online Dating Research

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Dr. Jennifer Gibbs is a researcher who recently did an in-depth analysis into how people present themselves in online contexts. In the below video she discusses her findings. At the two minute and 57 second mark she begins to talk about online dating and how people present their optimal self via online dating profiles. She talks about how many times people will post what they'd like to do or like to be versus the reality of what they are. Here's the video:

Secret of a Happy Relationship

(Online Dating Industry Journal) BBC News has published an article that contains research about online dating and the secret to a happy relationship. The article is titled, "How to Live and Love Online"

From the article:

"In the US, couples put more focus on the interpersonal facets of their relationships, reporting that they laugh together, exchange ideas, kiss, and confide in each other more often. However, they also have more arguments and are more likely to report that their partners annoy them.

In Australia, couples put a lot of stock in working on projects together, and it is the country where couples are least likely to be concerned that their spouse doesn't show enough love and affection."

The article also points out that research shows that many married couples grow apart in the US after the birth of their first child, while in China, such an event make married couples grow closer.

Click here to read the entire article.

Online Dating Empowers Women

According to an article in the Globe and Mail, online dating is allowing many women to become less shy and more confident in themselves. The article contains new research from the University of Manitoba.

From the article, titled "Online Dating Gives Women New Approach to Sexuality"...

The study "found that dating sites are an important social tool by which women reshape their sexual desires, identity and experiences - often well beyond their initial expectations.

'They use the Internet to find what they were looking for,' said Susan Frohlick, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Manitoba who co-authored the study. 'There's a lot of savvy that goes into it'..."

Click here to read the entire article

The Science Behind eHarmony

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Every day, eHarmony Labs is researching body language of people while doing research into what makes them click with members of the opposite sex. eHarmony's goal is to help find that "spark" that leads to great relationships and work it into their relationship dating service.

A couple of months ago, Good Morning America cameras were the first to be allowed into eHarmony Labs to see what the team was doing to increase the effectiveness of eHarmony's compatibility test and algorithm for true love.

Click here to see the video.

Joe's Comment
eHarmony was always the most successful dating service that I personally used. I consistently met people where there was a mutual attraction and a lot in common. I didn't always find that with other services. But Online Dating Magazine readers have a strongly mixed feeling of eHarmony. Many complain about billing practices, some about lack of matches, and some about receiving no matches at all. So like with any service, your mileage may vary.

Deceipt by Online Daters on the Rise

(Online Dating Industry Journal) A year ago, a study published in the Proceedings of Computer/Human Interaction journal found that the majority of online daters lie about at least one thing in their online dating profile. For women, more than 60% lied about their weight. For men, more than 50% lied about their height. The research suggested that the lies were "strategic" (in order to get dates).

As online daters become more comfortable with lying online, the length they go to in order to deceive others is also growing.

New services that touch up  photos are reporting that one of the growing segments of their clientèle are online daters who have the services remove moles, freckles, whiten teeth, and even remove "love handles" or weight from a photo. The photo is then posted online as a true representation of the person.

Several months ago, the New York Times took the street, via their Freakanomics column, to ask people what they would lie about on their online dating profile. The answers ranged from the obvious (age, weight) to the not-so-obvious (intentions, profession). It seems some people are more honest to a reporter than to someone they might eventually marry.

As people become more comfortable with lying online, the deception methods are likely to become more bold. 

Joe's Comments
The industry needs to come together to help discourage this practice. It only contributes to the negative online dating stigma. The importance of honesty needs to be stressed to online daters. Do we really live in a world where the majority of people think it is OK to outright lie and deceive others? I sure hope not.

Flirting Hard and Looks Important Online

(Online Dating Industry Journal) A survey commissioned by online speed dating site WooMe has found that most adults think flirting online is more difficult than flirting offline. The survey also found that the most important factor in online dating is how the other person looks.

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive among 2,363 adults, 800 whom were single. Here are some of the key findings:

- 72% of adults who use the Internet say it is more difficult to flirt online than it is offline because you don't have that instant in-person interaction important to flirting (body language, chemistry, etc.)

- 61% say looks are most important when it comes to online dating. Only 17% thought the person having a great sense of humor was most important.

- Only 31% of online daters update the photo on their profile regularly.

Joe's Comments
When WooMe put out a press release about the survey, they kept trying to refer to themselves as a "live introductions platform" versus the more simplified and correct term, "online speed dating service".  It's interesting to see some companies try to create new terminology for an already established venue that they fit into. A "live introductions platform" sounds like a wooden stage set up in a bar on a Tuesday during Karaoke night that patrons can jump (or stumble) onto while introducing themselves to other patrons in an attempt to win a free drink. :-)

In regards to the survey, I was a little surprised by people saying it is easier to flirt offline than online. The reason why is because I think the online environment empowers more people to flirt who might not do so offline (i.e. shy people). I would think that it would be easier to flirt online, however more difficult to gauge the results of the flirting than it would be offline.

Study Addresses Failure of Online Dating Services

(Online Dating Industry Journal) A study titled "Improving Online Dating with Virtual Dates" is addressing some of the major failures with online dating services, particularly when it comes to attributes people want to search for versus attributes the online dating service targets in profiles.

From the study:

"We suggest that the failure of online dating sites to live up to user expectations is due in part to a fundamental gap between the kinds of information people both want and need to determine whether someone is a good romantic match and the kind of information available on online dating profiles... Most online dating sites use a 'shopping' interface like that used by other commercial sites, in which people are classified much like any commodity, by different searchable attributes (e.g., height, weight, income), which can be filtered in any way the shopper desires (see Bellman, Johnson, Lohse, & Mandel, 2006). Because determining whether or not one likes someone romantically requires subjective knowledge about experiential attributes such as rapport or sense of humor, it is perhaps not surprising that online daters might be disappointed when they are forced to screen potential partners using objective searchable attributes such as income and religion..."

The research paper, which you can read here, was conducted by Jeana H. Frost, Zoe Chance, Michael I. Norton, and Dan Ariely.