Looking for Love

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Looking for Love
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Online Dating A Thorough Overview
Phil Valle, Brennan Marcel, Mark Belluz
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Introduction

• The online dating service is an example of a
  dating system and allows individuals, couples and
  groups to meet online and possibly develop a
  social, romantic or sexual relationship
• Established in the early-to-mid 20th century
• Started to become popular in the 1980s and 1990s
  and by 2000 was a major force
• - video url http//www.youtube.com/watch?vJdis6_
  DWhEM

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General History

• People have been meeting each other through the
  internet for years
• With such tremendous usage these days, chances
  are you or someone you know has met someone
  through an online dating service
• OD is a simple way to meet people, simply fill in
  your interests and match up with people that have
  similar interests that you do
• Then strike up conversation with each other over
  the web and decide if this person is worth
  meeting
• Online dating has even been the subject of
  mainstream movies like Youve Got Mail, starring
  Hollywood heavyweights Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
• The two meet online and find love through their
  interests and conversation with out even knowing
  who each other are.
• this movie from the 90's was largely responsible
  for making online dating as popular as it is
  today
•  

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Some of the First

•  
• Match.com - launched on the Web on April 21, 1995
• considered a pioneer in bringing online dating
  into the mainstream
• Eharmony - was officially founded in 2000 by Neil
  Clark Warren, Ph.D, author of several books on
  dating, love, and marriage
• was more of a website with insight into improving
  marriages and relationships
• Lavalife - officially launched in 2001
• Started out as a free dating service in 1997. It
  has also had success in offering telephone
  services in over 65 markets. Used Interactive
  Voice Response (IVR) telephone technology to
  help singles come together through a voice
  medium.
• Date.com - site was launched on Valentines Day in
  1997
• became a subscription-based service with its
  re-launch in 2000

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Social Networking

• We all do it.
• According to a Microsoft study consumers use it
  for the following reasons
• 1. Keep in touch with family and friends (75)
  part of this is keeping up with the joneses who
  already have one - eg. my mate uses it, so I'll
  get one too
• 2. Being "nosey" - 62
• 3. Express my opinions and views (55)
• 4. Meet people with similar interests (49)
• 5. Specific reason, documenting trip to wedding,
  etc (13)
• 6. It's a good way to date (7)
• Growth of the Industry
• 47 growth 2005-2006
• 45 of active web-users
• Source Neilson/NetRatings

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Popularity Why Online Date?

• Many people dont like pubs/clubs to meet a
  significant other
• Shyness in approaching others
• Not confident expressing feelings/thoughts
• Search for specific characteristics

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So how many people use em?

• About 100m singles in the country
• 40M have looked at dating services, more than 30M
  subscribe/use regularly

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Current Market

• 500M spent on online dating and personals
  Online Publishers Association
• Users
• Ages 18-87
• 35-55 years old highest growth rate
• Equal split of genders
• Many ages, races
• Most earn more than 50K

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Would you use it?

• Our generation adopted MySpace and Facebook
  first
• Match.com - 1
• 15 million registered users
• 240 countries
• 250,000 marriages/year!

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Is Online Dating Usually Successful?

• Depends on your definition
• Cant be tested yet
• Many marriages, divorce rates?
• Increase or decrease the divorce rates?
• Argue both sides
• Sex
• 33 of women engage in coitus on first date (thru
  online dating)
• 75 of those without protection
• According to and Australian research report

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Lies

• 24 think its ok to tell white lies
• 30 of men, 19 of women
• Income, weight, body type, age
• Outdated or touched up photos less tolerable
• True.com criminal marital background checks
• STD Sites

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Growth

• Lately growth has slowed
• Single digit overall 9 04-05
• Ad Spend has been increasing
• Lower margins

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A Bleak Future?

• Many said stagnant growth rates and social
  networking would kill online dating
• Will it go away??
• 1 of users
• Over 1,000 sites
• Both Sides argue
• Niche sites and pioneers have advantage

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Across Borders

• Available all over
• Match.com 240
• Globalladies.com a little more specialized

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Future of Online Dating

• For every 1 match on eHarmony that actually
  resulted in marriage there were 999 compatible
  matches that did not
• Philip Zimbardo

• VOIP
• Video Streamlining
• Required background checks
• Ebay rating structure

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If you are married and representing yourself as
single, or if you are a convicted criminal, be
aware that you could be guilty of fraud and
subject to civil and criminal penalties under
U.S. federal and state law. For example, Title
18, Section 1343 of the U.S. Code authorizes
fines of up to 250,000 and jail sentences of up
to five years for each offense. TRUE reserves the
right to report violators to appropriate law
enforcement authorities and seek prosecution or
civil redress to the fullest extent of the law.
If you are married or a convicted criminal,
please close your browser.
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Specialized Sites

• What are you looking for?

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Same-Sex/Exploratory Sites

• Gay.com
• Transsexual dating
• Adult Friend Finder
• gtLargest sex, swinger, and shemale site on the
  web

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Physically Different Sites

• Dwarf
• http//www.dwarfdate.com/
• Big Women
• http//bbwdatefinder.com/
• Handicapped
• First class dating service and social networking
  website to individuals living with a condition
  that makes it difficult to meet and connect with
  other people www.lovebyrd.com

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Any Other Requests?

• CupidsReviews.com
• Reviews and categorized all sites

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Company Info and the User Experience
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History

• Founder Gary Kremen
• Low level hacker turned student
• Post-college worked on the ARPA NET
• Several Entrepreneurial ventures
• Started an online classifieds biz
• Focused on personal ads
• April 1995 Match.com is Born!
• Quickly grew to 3,000 listings, growing at 10
  per week
• Charged 5 per email inquiry
• Sold in 1997 for 8M
• Kremen received 50K and a lifetime account

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Match.com II

• Couldnt compete with Craigslist
• Sold in 1999 for 50M to Ticketmaster
• 1.8M users at this point
• Continued success, until costs were outpacing
  subscribing growth rates
• 2004 - Changed focusing strategy - older (30)
  users
• Continued success

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Today

• Several subsidiaries, breadth of options
• JDate.com, Chemistry.com, Match.com International
• Dr. Phil, MatchMobile, travel options
• 2005 Numbers
• 250M sales
• 275 employees
• Based out of Atlanta, Georgia

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Will Phil find love using match.com?
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How did I find these special people?