New Opinion Poll Benchmarks the State of Online Dating

A very intersting finding: Market research report finds nearly 50% participation in online dating: many looking, some leaping.

Vizu Corporation, the company democratizing market research, and OkCupid, America's fastest growing free online dating company, today co-released a benchmark survey of current online dating attitudes and behaviors. Results showed that roughly half of all Internet users have partaken of an online dating Web site in one form or another. (See full market research report)

Of the 49 percent of survey respondents who claimed to have interacted with an online dating Web site, more than 20 percent were committed users, either by paying for a subscription or using a free service. Another 29 percent admit to at least browsing profiles, even if they don't take that final step of signing up and making a connection. Those who do commit tend to stick around - 62 percent trying their luck for two months or longer.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents prefer services that provide personality questionnaires, analyze compatibility and offer matchmaking recommendations. And users want that service for free, too. Free sites are preferred over subscription services at a ratio of five-to-one.

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The Serial Dating Phenomenon

Generally, serial daters tend to measure relationships in weeks or months instead of the “traditional” method: years. The concept of exclusivity on a short or long-term basis is a relatively foreign one, to the consummate serial dater. It often isn’t because they don’t desire it, but rather, because it simply never seems to materialize as an option for them.
Serial daters often continue along the same vein, because, in reality, they are just not ready for any type of commitment. Some are so focused on what it is that they think they should have in their “perfect” relationship model, that they cannot see good opportunities right in front of them. Still others, insist upon “having it all,” and when one component is missing, use it as an opportunity to “discard” someone and move on.
For career serial daters, they all seem to have justifications for why they continue to indulge in the lifestyle of serial dating. Here are a few issues that you may find it useful to be aware of:
1 – When serial dating, there is never a danger of being alone. Because there is always a pool of people at the ready, and there is almost a system in place of social networking to replace any who drop off.
2 – Most often, a serial dater usually doesn’t have to deal with “testing” or manipulative behavior -- because there is always a backup person (or two, or three). This makes it even easier to walk away from any dating situation.
3 – Oftentimes, dating someone that seems ostensibly unavailable (as serial daters often appear to be) - becomes a challenge to attempt to “win over” the person.
4 – Casual, immediate intimacy is justifiable. The serial dater usually enjoys several casual relationships at the same time, on the rare occasion, while “working” on a serious one. In this way, there is no time “wasted” if a situation doesn’t work out.

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by Susan S. Davis

Adsense for Video

Google has announced a closed beta test of Adsense for Video.
According to the post on Inside Adsense, Adsense for Video consists of “in-stream” advertisements. Publishers define at what point the advertisements will appear for each video.
Adsense for Video, as it is currently explained lacks contextual delivery. Allowing publishers to select where a video is played may empower content creators, but it does nothing in terms of automatically optimizing advertising for the viewer.

Source : Techcrunch

Top 10 Strangest Profile Header Messages

Online Dating Magazine -- Some people say a lot of strange and weird things in their profile headers. This is Online Dating Magazine's fifth installment of strange opening lines. These are headers that people have actually used on sites like Match.com, Date.com, and LavaLife in their quest to find love online...
And the winners of the fifth installment of the Top 10 Strangest Profile Header Messages are...
10) It says, 'I Choo-choo-choose You,' and there's a picture of a train!
9) Life is like a can of corn...
8) Fuzzy inside out
7) Did you buy that at the dollar store?
6) Just because you put wheels on my grandmother, does not make her a bus.
5) I feel you dancing in my chest!
4) Looking for the female version of yourself?
3) Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
2) I could drink a case of you... and still I'd be on my feet.
and the number one strangest profile header we found...
1) Are you wearing space pants, cuz your butt is outta this world!

States Fault MySpace on Predator Issues

The NewYork times --- Law enforcement officials are charging that the online social network MySpace has discovered thousands of known sex offenders using its service, but has failed to act on the information. So much for the Sentinel Sentry sex offender database.

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Social Network Marketing to Reach $2.5 Billion in 2011

NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- Social network marketing is a powerful concept that will not go away. The underlying idea has had a profound impact on the way people use the Internet, heralding the rise of user-generated content as a buzzword. Social network marketing will have a similar profound impact on advertising, both online and offline.
eMarketer has increased its estimate of US ad spending on social networks to $900 million in 2007. The increase comes from two factors: increased revenue projections for Facebook and additional spending on niche and marketer-sponsored social networks. Between 2007 and 2011, US ad spending on social networks will grow 180% to $2.5 billion.
MySpace, still the largest player by far, is estimated to generate $525 million in the US this year. Facebook is expected to generate $125 million and both should continue to see healthy revenue increases. Combined, the two account for 72% of US social network ad spending in 2007 and 75% in 2008.
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Community Sites and Online Personals Gain

WEB HOST DIRECTORY -- With a 24% increase versus March, the gay/lesbian community sites ranked as the top-gaining category overall for the month, led by Planetout.com with 767,000 visitors (up 17%), Adam4Adam.com with 348,000 visitors, and BigMuscle.com with 238,000 visitors (up 92%). Women’s sites enjoyed a 7% increase in April, led by iVillage.com (17 million visitors, up 9%). Personals sites gained in April (up 5% versus March), led by True.com with 4.9 million visitors (up 10%), Yahoo! Personals with 4.8 million visitors (up 14%), and Singlesnet.com with 3.9 million visitors (up 23%)

People Search

Big statistics are thrown around when people talk about people search. Around 30% of searches are people-related. 2 billion searches per month are on people (Facebook data tends to suggest this is probably vastly underestimated).

Michael Arrington recently posted an interesting article (War Of The People Search) about 4 differnet start-ups each have very different products, reflecting their different philosophies on business models, target markets, and control over information.

When Copenda.com is now around the corner (scheduled for June) I think we have a different, more visionary people search engine. In the next few weeks I'll publish some sneekpeeks to the upcoming Copenda.

First "dating street"

According to a report by Wuhan Morning Post, Wuhan has set up the first dating street in China.
The dating street will be open to the general public on May 1, but its signs were put up on April 28.
Many people have already come to the street to satisfy their curiosity.
The service of the shops on the street will be free of charge, when the information of candidates will be put on bulletin boards along the street (300 candidates at a time). One who is interested can fill a card printed with the name of the person of one's choice, and wait and see if luck will be with him/her.

150 people have handed in their applications, most being in their 30s, including college teachers, scientists and public servants. Interestingly, there are more women candidates than men. Wuhan is planning to set up another 4 to 9 dating streets like this one in the next 12 months.

Source: China Daily

The perfect honeymoon - Costa Rica

The Demi Moore Effect

A study of over 50,000 women daters aged thirty and over on PlentyofFish.com from April19th-25th, 2007 reveals that 35% contacted men 5 or more years younger thanthemselves.
In the USA, of the 23,024 women who initiated contact with men, 38% sought out men at least 5 years younger than themselves and 10% messaged men at least 10 years younger. North of the border, in Canada, the resultswere similar. Of the 17,684 women who participated, 31% emailed men atleast 5 years younger and 8% sent messages to men at least 10 yearsyounger.
The results held up internationally as well. In the UK, of the 7,511 women who initiated contact with men, 41% contacted men at least 5 yearsyounger and 11% messaged men at least 10 years younger. The trend was eventhe same in Australia, where 1,974 women participated in the study. 31% ofthe women there approached men at least 5 years younger and 8% chatted with men at least 10 years younger.
Worldwide, in total, 35% of the women involved in the study were likelyto initiate contact with men at least 5 years younger than themselves.
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