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Internet dating is big business
Online dating.
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TEXT OF STORY
BOB MOON: When you hear the words, "internet dating conference," you might expect the people who attend to be experts at finding love. Well, in this case, the attendees are experts at finding customers -- as reporter Karen Burkett tells us from WLRN in Miami.
KAREN BURKETT: The online dating industry is a lucrative one. Revenue has been flat in recent years, but the industry still generates over a billion dollars annually in the U.S. Attendees of the iDate 2011 conference included entrepreneurs, programmers, sales reps. These experts are involved in millions of people's love lives.
KAREN BURKETT: What does your company know about the love?
REPRESENTATIVE: What do we know about love? We're behind the scenes. We're a back office solution.
The matches made at this conference are about the business side of Internet dating. A programmer might find that one true investor. If things work out, a company will be launched.
David Evans writes an industry blog called Online Dating Insider.
DAVID EVANS: They will put that site up on the Internet much faster than it took to start one even five or ten years ago.
A number of other companies that have nothing to do with romance were here to woo clients. Iovation is a small firm that provides security for 22 dating websites, blocking identity thieves, spammers and online predators. Royal Caribbean is trying to sell singles' and couples' cruises. Google wants dating websites to advertise with them, and not their main competitor.
EVANS: Well, Google is scared right now because they're seeing a lot of their advertising revenue going over to Facebook.
Paul Carrick Brunson was a conference panelist. With all the talk of deals, he wonders if industry growth is flat because online dating isn't giving customers what their hearts desire.
PAUL CARRICK BRUNSON: I think a challenge that this industry faces is that it is a love industry and I just wonder how many of us are in it for the love and the connection versus the bottom line.
In this industry it seems, there ain't no romance, without finance.
From Miami Beach, I'm Karen Burkett for Marketplace.
As the owner and organizer of the internet dating conference ( http://www.idate2011.com ), WLRN got the event's personality pretty correct. Speakers and topics do focus on the bottom line for the love industry. We have some esoteric items covered, but they represent about 5-10% of the total topics.
The industry is well over a US $1 Billion Dollars a year. And it is a business. For those seeking to network in the industry, we have a free virtual event this Thursday. http://www.HVC.com is the virtual event software platform being used for it.
I disagree about the comment of Google losing ad revenues for dating to Facebook. Google's ad revenues for online dating are up something like 22%, meanwhile Facebook has instituted new rules for advertising making it harder for new dating websites to advertise. Facebook's new rules has also made it virtually impossible for dating affiliates to advertise on their network.
There are 3 events a year, the next event is in Los Angeles. That spends more time discussing Online Dating Mobile technologies, which is the next wave for the business. WLRN's affiliate station KCRW in Los Angeles is welcome to attend, just please let me know.
Also, the event isn't a cold potato discussing numbers. We do have lots of fun too. You can see that at the parties and awards ceremony from our photos on the site. (See http://idate2011.com/T/21.php )
Marc Lesnick
Conference Organizer
Internet Dating Conference
Reality speaks that people do not have enough time to find Mr. Perfect or Ms. Dream Girl. Online dating seemed to be the fastest way to hook up...no wonder the industry is booming! This post will help men to embrace online dating http://www.edatingtalk.com/the-essential-dating-advice-for-men.html
I would like to point out that online dating is big business as a result of the busy daily lives we all seem to have. With the high rate of divorce and separation, people are more selective than ever in choosing the right partners. With limited time on their hands online dating seems to fit the bill rather well.
http://www.jumpdates.com/blog/
