The OPW/iDate Weekly News Summary.

Upcoming Events:
- iDate PID Conference in Odessa May 24-25, 2018
- iDate Dating Industry Conference in Los Angeles June 12-13, 2018

http://idate2018.com
- Stay informed. http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com
_________________________________________________________________

:~ TOP ONLINE PERSONALS WATCH NEWS ~:


Spark Networks Financial Results: SilverSingles Launch, More M&A Expected

SEEKING ALPHA - Apr 25 - Spark Networks full year revenue increased 16.5% to €85.6M due to the 20% growth in paying subscribers as well as marketing efforts in North America and the Affinitas-Spark merger in Nov 2017. For the full year 2017 adjusted EBITDA was €6.6M, a YOY increase from €5.9M. It includes €509K of post merger adjusted EBITDA from Spark. The company ended the year with ~465K paying subscribers. (158K in North America and 307K international).


DateCoin (DTC) And DeHedge Sign Hedge Agreement

CRYPTONINJAS - Apr 25 - DateCoin (DTC) and DeHedge, the cryptocurrency hedging platform signed agreement to hedge a limited volume (2M) of DTC tokens. The hedged DTC tokens will soon be available on the DeHedge platform. The founders of DateCoin aim to employ cutting-edge technologies for intelligent dating. It is about artificial intelligence and big data processing. The AI will analyze user preferences, contact history, etc and provide a pool of the best-matching partners. The blockchain is used to create a trusting environment and to solve user identification and verification problems.
_______________________________________________________________

Moderation Gets a Boost Through Artificial Intelligence - Besedo provides highly accurate AI moderation for some of the biggest dating sites in the world. Using state of the art machine earning Besedo helps clients improve moderation while cutting the cost of moderation by over 50%. Available both with generic and custom models.
Please email lucas.jakobsson@besedo.com
_________________________________________________________________

Jdate And ChristianMingle To Expand Globally

SPARK.NET - Apr 24 - Jdate and Christian Mingle have both expanded services, languages, and local market support throughout Europe. Originally available in English, Hebrew and French, Jdate is now also available in German and Spanish. Christian Mingle is now available in French, German and Spanish, in addition to English. Both Jdate and Christian Mingle will be rolling out Russian and Polish language and local support in the coming months.


How Virtual Dating Assistant Works

QUARTZ - Apr 26 - There are two main types of writers at Virtual Dating Assistants: "Profile Writers," who create profiles based on facts their clients have supplied about themselves, and "Closers," who log in to clients' accounts at least twice a day to respond to messages from matches. Profile Writers follow strict guidelines, often recycling the same half-dozen clichés over and over again. The process for Closers is a bit more complicated. The initial training period lasts several weeks before they're given access to clients' accounts, during which they must read several training manuals and submit draft responses to fake matches. A third type of employee, "Matchmakers," send out opening messages en masse across every dating platform. Originally a sales guy with no time for "real dates," Scott Valdez grew ViDA's brand out of his own experiences in the dating world. "I found myself wishing there were two of me," he continued. "I thought, 'Why couldn't I just take what I had developed, and train someone else to sound like me, and outsource my online dating to him?'" The company's practices may be unethical - but they're not illegal. Once the company obtains the client's permission to impersonate them online, there are no laws against what Closers do.
_________________________________________________________________

GetRealGifts.com - Need more premium users? This free Gifts plugin is driving measurable
results when the feature is used as an incentive for users to upgrade to a paid membership
so that they can receive gifts. Email info@GetRealGifts.com to get this award-winning plugin.
_________________________________________________________________

Ponder: A Trusted Referral Dating App On The Blockchain

GLOBAL COIN REPORT - Apr 25 - The importance of the blockchain is that it reduces the reliance on a third-party to verify transactions. Ponder uses blockchain and gamification techniques to both generate trust among the participants and to make the process more enjoyable. The first segment Ponder targets is online dating. The Ponder App is already in beta and is a game for playing matchmaker where users can earn real money by making successful matches. The app already has over 70k registered users in the US. With the app, users earn $10 if the couple that they recommend to each other become a match. If the couple marries, the matchmaker receives $1K.


Bumble Donates To Planned Parenthood

NEWBUSTERS - Apr 23 - Planned Parenthood is raising money on Bumble again. For every "match" someone made with the Planned Parenthood profile, Bumble would donate 25 cents to the organization. Bumble donated $50K for Planned Parenthood in 2017 in similar effort. In October 2016, Bumble also donated $1 to Planned Parenthood for every like it received on an Instagram photo. Bumble said it raised $29K.
_________________________________________________________________

*Courtland Brooks* helps Internet dating companies grow with strategic advisory from seasoned professionals, business development, marketing and media relations services. For the price of a marketing manager you get access to a team of seasoned Internet dating professionals. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com for more info.
___________________________________________________________________

POF Study: Great Conversation & Grammar Are The Sexiest & Most Sought After Elements In Dating

PR NEWSWIRE - Apr 24 - The Plenty of Fish Conversation Nation 2018 survey reveals singles are more turned off by bad grammar than bad sex. The study, which surveyed 2K US singles 18+, revealed conversation as the benchmark for chemistry and compatibility. 74% of singles say conversation is the #1 indicator of chemistry, even over physical attraction. 58% of singles say bad grammar is a bigger turn off. 59% won't start talking to someone whose dating profile promotes a political opinion opposite of theirs. Across party lines, 52 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats won't start a conversation with a political opposite.


Dating App Transdr Aims To Be A Tinder For Trans People

HUFFINGTON POST - Apr 24 - The app, which launched last month and is currently free, operates just like Tinder. Transdr's co-founder Sean Kennedy described the app as "a new place for trans people who are looking for serious relationships." Transdr arrives at a time when existing apps have already expanded their services to include trans users. In 2016, Tinder announced an update that made it possible for users to specify gender identities like "transgender," "trans man," "trans woman," and "gender queer." Grindr followed suit last November, offering users customizable gender identity and pronoun fields.
_____________________________________________________________________

The OPW/iDate Dating Business Insider is first and the largest weekly news summary
in the dating industry. Since 2004.

Get the app: http://idate2018.com/idate-industry-app.php