The Evolution of Online Dating
Online dating is a hot industry, one that’s known to generate recurring subscription revenue allowing companies like eHarmony and Match.com to make roughly a million dollars a day. Together, eHarmony and Match.com claim responsibility for over 120,000 marriages since 1995. Call me a cynic (or pragmatist), but how about publishing data on the number of couples who are still together? A study of the endurance of relationships that started online versus offline, and on one site versus another, would be fascinating.
This week Girls in Tech delved into the virtual dating space with a panel on the evolution of online dating featuring three of the hottest online dating sites. Brian Phillips, CEO of Thread, Simon Tisminezky, CEO of SpeedDate.com, and Alex Mehr, Co-CEO and co-founder of Zoosk, exchanged friendly fire as they talked up the advantages of their matchmaking sites.
While Thread is the first dating site built entirely on the Facebook Connect platform, Zoosk boasts the world’s largest social dating community with 40 million users. The three dating sites use a mix of free, freemium, and subscription models, with Zoosk testing the popularity of virtual gifts as a second stream of revenue. Sending a dozen roses for $10 might give users the extra edge they need to make a good impression. Or it might come across as a semi-desperate attempt to buy affection.
Rachel Sarah, author & blogger for Single Mom Seeking and a Match.com contributor, rounded out the panel with her expertise on how to build the perfect Match.com profile. Quick tip: Write a positive profile that leaves out negativity and details about your last relationship!
Throughout the evening it was clear that the big game changer in online dating is the use of social networks to help people find the right match with minimal work. As Brian Phillips noted, two-thirds of all marriages happen between friends of friends, making social networks a natural platform for matchmaking. Across the board, the new online dating sites attract more men than women, partially due to the “hunter” mindset of men. With women as early adopters of social networking, the numbers might start evening out.
I’ll leave you with one final tip from Rachel Sarah, a Match.com profile consultant, who has logged over one hundred Match dates: Don’t dismiss someone right off the bat! A great tip overall, whether or not you’re in the market for a mate.
A big thanks to our panelists for opening up to us about the inner-workings of online dating. And special thanks to Melinda Maximova, founder and matchmaker at Perfect Search, for moderating the event.
If you have online dating experiences or tips to share, feel free to add a comment.
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