Online Dating

Most dating websites have several landing pages for visitors (these are web pages visitors are meant to enter the dating site with). Some are completely dependent on the actual URL while others may take into consideration other criteria like what country the visitor may be coming from. I notice the other day that OkCupid has revamped their homepage. Gone are the featured profiles as seen in the right top photo. It looks like OkCupid decided to simplify things as seen in the bottom left snapshot. On the left column OkCupid has the member signup area along with 4 quotes from leading publications like Time and the New York Post. The main section of the page is reserved as a place for new members to signup. There is a hand drawn image of a woman saying "Welcome to OkCupid! We just need a few things to get started." and she is pointing at the profile questions which ask the Gender, Orientation and your Relationship Status with a Next button which continues the sign up process.

I wonder if this new homepage is converting better for them than the old one. Does straight to the point quotes like "The Google of online dating" and the start of the create a profile form get more people to sign up for the dating service than seeing a bunch of members profiles in a gallery format? It seems like a lot of sites now days have moved away from the show what members we have approach. Most now usually show a stock photo of a couple having fun along with the initial questions for the profile.

To find out more about this dating site, read our OkCupid review.

Some of you may have notice in the last month or so that eHarmony has added a new feature to their dating service called "Something to Talk About". This feature is designed to help break the ice and to get conversations started between matches much easier.

To setup "Something to Talk About" you first need to visit the "My Profile" tab found when you log into eHarmony. Once on the tab, take a look at the "In My Own Words" section. Here you will find the link "Something to Talk About". Currently there are eleven topics that you can answer one or more questions on. Sample topics include sports, Music, Movies and Leisure. Questions under these topics can be as easy to answer by checking off what sports you like, to actually typing in a short answer.

So when does "Something to Talk About" get used? When you are viewing your profile matches and when a match has also filled out "Something to Talk About" you are presented with a nice block on the right side of the page that shows all the things you and your match have in common.

To find out more about this dating site read our eHarmony review.

The Game Show Network has a new dating TV show called Baggage and it is hosted by none other than Jerry Springer. The show first aired on April 19 and runs weeknights at 6:30pm / 5:30pm central time. Perfectmatch.com is a featured partner of the GSN and will be featured on the show as well. So what is the half hour show Baggage about? It involves 3 contestants and one dater. Jerry Springer coaxes the dater to choose among the others who should reveal their hidden flaws, what people would consider relationship baggage and what most would keep hidden well into a relationship.

Here is Jerry explaining in his own words what his new show is all about:

Note: Unfortunately the source to the video and/or image which once was displayed here has since been removed by the authors for an unknown reason.

If you are a fan of the Jerry Springer show (which is in its 19th year by the way and one of the longest running TV shows) you should enjoy Jerry's new show Baggage. For more on this new dating show you can check out the Baggage website on the Game Show Network. For further details about the dating site featured on Baggage you can read our Perfectmatch.com review.

Match.com launched April 21, 1995, this was 15 years ago exactly last Wednesday. They were owned by Electric Classifieds and a membership cost $9.95 per month. In a little over a year they had 100,000 registrations. In 1997 CUC International Inc. acquires Match.com and by the next year a monthly membership rose to $12.95. By 1999 memberships was $16.95 a month and Match.com purchased one of their competitors, the One & Only Network.

In 2000 Match.com had 156,945 paying subscribers and by 2001 they had partnered with AOL and MSN. A membership price at this point was $24.95 a month. In 2002 Match.com was then available in 40 countries thanks to in part by acquiring the international dating site Soulmates.com. In 2003 Match.com entered the cell phone dating market by launching MatchMobile. 2005 was a big year for Match.com when they launched the MindFindBind program. This program was created in part by the famous TV talk show host and relationship expert Dr. Phil. During this year Chemistry.com was launched as well.

In 2009 Match.com sold their European operations to Meetic and buys People Media from American Capital Ltd.. People Media run several niche dating services with the most popular ones being for Seniors, Black Americans and Christians. During this year Match.com also launches Dating Applications on the iPhone, Palm Pre and Palm Pixi cell phones.

In 2010 Match.com releases Dating Apps for the Blackberry and Android mobile phones. Match.com also acquires Singlesnet.com. At this point a monthly membership at Match.com costs $34.99.

The top picture on the right is what Match.com looked like in 2000 (thanks to the WayBackMachine). The bottom right photo is a snapshot of what Match.com looked like in 2009.

For a more detailed timeline visit Fox Business or read our own recorded history of Match.com. To find more information on this dating site, read out review of Match.com.

We got word of some new features at Perfectmatch.com.

The first one is called "Like It" and it allows members to tell other members if they liked one or more of their photos, personal statements, and the "In My Words" content section. What makes "Like it" personal is the ability to tell the member why you liked the photo or other statements. For example with photos you can select from 6 preselected answers which include telling them you liked the energy of the photo, too their eyes or smile. Once you tell someone you have liked a part of their profile an email message will be sent to them, informing them of this connection.

Another new feature is a quick compare tool. When you click on "Compare Us" when looking at a profile you will be presented with a 2 column layout showing on the left the person you are interested in and on the right your own profile details. This includes a photo, the Duet Analysis showing the Similarity Factors as well as the main parts of the profile that can often be deal breakers in a relationship. Some examples include smoking, drinking and food preferences.

Perfectmatch.com also launched a revamped dating guide called "Life, Love and Dr. Schwartz" which offers a column from their relationship expert, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, as well as content from members including dating disaster stories and their favorite date night recipes. This is also where you go to find the latest Polls and Quizzes on love and relationships. Online safety tips and advice is also available from here as well.

To find out more information about this dating site, read our review of PerfectMatch.com.

I notice the other day that the ChristianCafe is having a sale on their memberships. This sale can save you over 20 percent based on regular membership prices. This offer is for a limited time only, so if you are interested in this dating site you should give their 10 day free trial a try. Their free trial includes email which enables you to communicate with members fully. This combined with searching should give you a good idea if there are plenty of active members living in your area.

Term	Regular Price	Sale Price	Cost Per Day
1 Month	$34.95	NA	$1.17
3 Months	$49.95	$39.95	$0.44
6 Months	$79.95	$59.95	$0.33
1 Year	$109.95	$89.95	$0.25

For more information on this dating service, read our review of ChristianCafe for more information.