Dating Services

If you think online dating is the domain of the young, think again.

IBISWorld and the U.S. Census Bureau estimate that approximately 37% of men and women over 50 are unmarried. With so many people entering their later years unattached, and more and more older Americans becoming comfortable using the Internet, turning to cyberspace has become an increasingly popular option for senior singles.

The percentage of over-55s logging on for love has increased 39% in the last 3 years according to Experian Hitwise, a leading Internet research firm. Singles in the 55+ age bracket are now visiting dating sites more than any other age group, with the #2 spot currently being occupied by singles aged 45-54.

Online dating has proved to be a major advantage for many older singles. Niche dating sites like SilverSingles and SeniorPeopleMeet go above and beyond the offerings of other dating sites by helping members navigate the brave new world of senior dating. Some stress the importance of safety when dating online, some offer tutorials on creating an online dating profile, and others post articles with tips for those who have taken an extended leave of absence from the dating game.

Their work has paid off - some experts even believe that online dating has more potential for older singles than younger singles, citing their superior knowledge of what they're looking for in a partner as the primary source of their success. Younger singles are often focused on marriage and children while older singles, many of whom have been married before and have learned from the mistakes of past relationships, take a more logical approach to dating that focuses on shared interests and long-term compatibility.

For silver surfers looking to get back into the dating game, love gurus offer the following advice:

• Take as much time as you need to recover from a previous relationship, but don't feel that there is a predetermined mourning period that must be observed following a divorce or breakup. Move on whenever you feel ready to explore something new.

• Reflect on what you've learned from your relationships so far. What went wrong? What went right? What do you want? What don't you want? What knowledge can you take into your next relationship that will make it the best one yet?

• Look to the future and think positively. Don't dwell on the past or get caught up in the quicksand of negativity.

• Make the first move. Finding a match online requires a proactive plan of attack, not a passive approach. Don't wait to get lucky - make love come to you.

I am not sure if I missed this before when PlentyOfFish starting offering a new paid membership but I noticed today this statement from their upgrade page:

PlentyOfFish will automatically continue your subscription for the same period and amount as your current upgrade.

PlentyOfFish previous memberships never automatically renewed, so it looks like PlentyOfFish changed their position on this point.

For more on this dating site you can go ahead and read our Plenty Of Fish review.

The online dating site Christian Cafe has received a lot of media attention lately. Sam Moorcroft, the founder of ChristianCafe.com, was first on the radio for the Boundless Show as an online dating expert. This episode of the show took a look at behind the scenes of online dating. Sam and his wife Polly was part of a round table discussion in which a panel of online daters got to ask him a number of questions. You can find a pod cast of the show here on iTunes.

Next, Sam was on a Canadian Christian TV show called Full Circle. He appears around the 6:00 minute mark and discusses the history of Christian Cafe and how to best succeed in online dating. A former host, Denise, was also on the show with her husband whom she met on Christian Cafe. To view a video of the show you can visit Full Circle.

For more information on this online dating service please check out our review of ChristianCafe.com.

Match.com (Match.ca in Canada) is now powering online dating at Yahoo! Canada. Yahoo in the United States has been using Match.com since May of 2010 (see Story). Previously Lavalife had partnered with Yahoo! Canada to provide online dating to their visitors (see Story).

To find out more about this dating site you can check out our Match.com review.

The Jewish New Year just happened and I noticed that JDate has more to celebrate than Rosh Hashanah. They just released the results from a survey by ResearchNow (an independent research company) which shows that JDate is responsible for 52 percent of all Jewish marriages that started online. From the survey of 948 married Jewish internet users they also concluded that 63 percent of the online dates originated at JDate, this is many times more than the leading competing dating services. The survey also showed that 76 percent of Jewish internet users who used an online dating site to find love, became a member of JDate.

For more information and statistics you can read this post from the JDate blog. To find out if this dating service is something you would be interested in you can also check out our review of JDate.

FriendFinder Networks announced September 12th that they have acquired BDM Global Ventures which owns JigoCity. JigoCity is similar to the popular Groupon website which offers visitors local daily deals. JigoCity has about 150 employees and has offices in China, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and the US (Los Angeles). JigoCity has about 1 million members. Revenue in July for JigoCity was $600,000 and in August it was $1.1 million.

The acquisition cost FriendFinder 1.6 million in shares and about 6.4 million in warrants with exercise prices ranging from $5 to $18 per share.

For more on the story you can read the press release.