Comments for eHarmony Launches Gay Dating Site

eHarmony Launches Gay Dating Site | 1 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Gay Niche Dating

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Tuesday, April 07 2009 @ 08:54 pm

We are here, we are queer...and yes, we are different. To ignore the differences between gay daters and that of heterosexual daters is just, well, ignorant. There are sites like ManHunt.net that serve a particular need for the gay male community, and there are also sites like myPartner.com that serve a different need. In both cases, we are both designed to cater to what gay men are specifically looking for in a partnership. I don't think lesbian women would want to use either of the sites mentioned, and if they did, I know myPartner.com's matching system wouldn't work to provide compatible matches the way it is currently designed. They are a different segment of the population with different needs and wants.

Whether one agrees with fundamentalist Christians or not (even though I believe Harmony has stepped away from this association) they are a niche population that deserves to be catered to as well. The straight demographic just happens to be the popular majority...but that doesn't mean it's not a distinctively different niche.

By eHarmony.com choosing to avoid, or simply not acknowledging, the differences between gay and straight daters on their new site they are essentially homogenizing distinctively different populations of people, which can be (and definitely will be by some) perceived as being offensive.

Niche products, as Mark Brooks stated in his LA Time interview, are those that "serve it specifically". I think the disclaimer on Compatible Partners says it all:

"The Company's patented Compatibility Matching System was developed on the basis of research involving married heterosexual couples. The Company has not conducted similar research on same-sex relationships."

While I believe their methodology to be sound for heterosexual daters, their disclaimer won’t simply “make it work”, just as our matching system on www.myPartner.com would be flawed for lesbian or straight daters. myPartner.com's matching system was designed by gay men, for gay men, and addresses areas of importance to the gay dater in a way that eHarmony’s does not (ex: gender roles, past relationship experiences, sexual preferences, relationship dynamics and partner roles, comfort with one’s own sexuality and how it manifests in their ability to establish a relationship, etc).

Partner selection is not a one size fits all! We launched myPartner.com almost two years ago because so many gay men were looking for a comprehensive service similar to that of eHarmony's. One that catered to them specifically. While eHarmony is one of the elephants in the room, patronizing the community with a "gay" branded copy of itself will most likely not win the gay and lesbian population over. And I am not sure it should as we are not the population their methodology is intended to serve...

Patrick Perrine

Search

Topics

Resources

Quick Search

Reviews

All Dating Sites & Apps

Free Dating Sites & Apps

Mainstream Dating

Million Plus Members

Dating Over 50

♀️Female Friendly Dating

🕯️Religious Dating

Ethnic Dating

Plus-Size Dating

Dating for Professionals

Single Parents Dating

🌈Gay & Lesbian

Canadian Dating

UK Dating

💋Hook Up Dating

Alternative Dating

💲Wealthy Singles

🏆2023 Awards

📘Dating Help Products and Services