A Kiss-Off to Online Dating

According to Sarah Lacy from BusinessWeek the era of Web 1.0 is over, online dating is dead. Going on sites like Facebook or MySpace it's like going to a bar with your friends, whereas a dating site is like walking past a bunch of animals in cages at the zoo. According to comScore, the number of people visiting online dating sites dropped 6% in September. Unique visitors to Yahoo Personals and eHarmony fell 21%, Match.com had a 16% drop, and True.com's visitors plummeted 46%. ComScore does show some names like Plentyoffish.com growing, but these are new sites with far smaller user bases.

here is her funny fictitious letter to the online dating sites:
"Dear Online Dating Sites,
I am writing to tell you it's over between us. It's not you. You've been great. You've helped me connect millions of happy couples and no one can take that away.
It's just that—well, I've changed. My needs and users are different now. And you were right when you asked about my relationship with MySpace and Facebook. I can't ignore the feelings I have for them any longer. Please don't be hurt. We had a good run, and you'll always be a part of me. But I'm moving on. I hope we can still be friends.
Love always,
The Internet "

I agree with here , I don't know if online dating will vanish but we cant ignore the recent statistics showing that the younger generation are using social networks to meet new friends and not using online dating sites.
Although many users use social networks for dating purposes, the social network user experience is not suited for this purpose.
We predicted this trend two years ago when we initiate Copenda ,
Copenda is a revolutionary social people search engine that allows people to search for their soul mate or new friends in social networks and dating web sites. Our complex algorithms crawl semi-structured data from multiple social networks and online dating sites.
Copenda will bridge the gap between social networks and online dating sites by integrating an innovative user interface with dating site features such as personality search and social network features such as ranking, comments and tagging.

See the full article

Windows Live™ Messenger IM Control

I have just found a very cool control from Microsoft , Windows Live™ Messenger IM Control lets people on the Web reach you in Messenger by showing your Messenger status on your web site, blog, or social networking profile. The Windows Live™ Messenger IM Control runs in the browser and lets site visitors message you without installing Messenger first.
Yahoo has a similar presence control , but unlike the MS control when you want to contact the person you are redirected to yahoo web site.

For more details check the folowing post.

I had this IM control to our blog so you can now use it whenever you want to contact us.

Google OpenSocial - new opportunities

Last week Google launched OpenSocial a new set of javascript API's adopted by the industry leaders. these set of API's will enable the development of cross platform applications.
So far the following websites have committed to the new initiative: Engage.com, Friendster, hi5, Hyves, imeem, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Oracle, orkut, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, Six Apart, Tianji, Viadeo, and XING.
From our side it is a very good news , developing Copenda application for the leading social networks in on our roadmap and the new initiative will enable us to expose our app to broader audience.

Read more here

Myspace has been spammed

Today I have found a very odd thing when I browsed Myspce profiles , hundreds (maybe more) of fake profiles , all of them contain some general information and a link to an adult web site.

I cant understand how web site like Myspace can allow such a thing...

If you want to see it yourself just click "browse" on Myspace and browse for women in the US.

Beware , online dating scams

An online dating scam is when a scammer, male or female, creates a false personal profile and makes contact with you via an online dating agency or even a specialized chat room. The scammer says that they are seeking romance or a soul mate but are really out to steal not only your heart but your cash too.Scammers can sign up to online dating agencies or chat rooms just like anyone else. Many online dating sites allow anyone to join for free, and they usually do not screen their members. Scammers take advantage of the anonymity of the internet to create the profile of your perfect match and make any number of promises to attract you and cause you to let your defenses down.
How do I know it is a scam?
The scammer will ask for your money! This will not happen immediately - however, before long the scammer will ask for financial help for any number of reasons. Almost always, they will ask you to send money using an untraceable source such as a telegraphic money transfer. Some of the most common reasons they give for why they need your help include:
• I want to meet you but I don't have enough money to travel to see you
• I have been robbed and beaten, I require urgent surgery or treatment for a serious illness or me or my family member has been a victim of a serious or fatal accident and you are the only person who can help
• I am stranded abroad and I don't have money for travel or visa costs. • I want to purchase a home or property with you
• I need your bank account for help in depositing cheques, money orders, drafts…
Other signs are:
• your new date looks like a model - this is probably because the scammer has used a stolen or a magazine picture
• your new date only gives you a post office address and/or a phone number which he or she never answers and which does not have voicemail
• your date talks a lot about herself or himself and does not answer your questions - probably because they are sending standard emails to hundreds of people. What can I do to protect myself?
• only use a reputable online dating or chat service and follow the basic safety tips for online dating
• be skeptical and ask yourself simple questions like, 'why am I the only person who can help them but I have just met them?'
• test your date - ask them lots of questions, try to phone them or post them something or possibly suggest meeting them. If all attempts fail, you are probably dealing with a scammer. What can I do if I have already lost money?If you have already sent money there is little chance of you ever recovering it from them. However what you can do is:
• report the scam to the dating or chat room site where you met the person.
• contact your local police and report the matter or to obtain more information
Source : soonews

More statistics - Consumer trends in social networking

ComScore analyst Gian Fulgoni has shared some interesting findings on social networking abroad. These findings were very surprising , at least for me , For example, it’s commonly thought that with the success of sites like MySpace and Facebook, the U.S. is the hub of social networking activity. However, Asia is not only the fastest-growing region for social networking, it is also the largest: By contrast, fewer Latin Americans visit social networking sites, but are much more engaged:

You can find more statistics regarding leading social networks share on each region here.

Copenda is just around the corner

As we promised Copenda will be ready very soon.

We finished the development of 95% of the modules planed for the beta and we already crawling profiles from 5 sites: Myspace,Match,Friendster,Plentyoffish and Hi5.

In the next few weeks I will update you with the Beta launch date.

In the meantime here are some screenshots:

More info here