October 23, 2006 The online dating scene incorporates about 1500 sites and generates about 1.81% of all web pages served – one in fifty web pages or around 2 percent of the world’s attention while it is online. As this is such a large industry, it is forever trying to come up with more efficient algorithms for putting compatible parties together both time- and cost- efficiently and facilitating effective communication between the parties. Two new web sites named Yesnomayb and eHarmony Marriage joined the ranks recently and both differentiate themselves very effectively in this space. Yesnomayb could be best described as the online equivalent to speed dating – it’s quick and effective and worth a look. Online dating is big business for the major players who have client bases in the ten million range. More people become single every year - 46 percent of all Americans are single, up from just 28% in 1970. Dating site EHarmony focuses on facilitating communication between potential partners and is now extending its relationship skills services to catering to married couples with programmes designed to facilitate a more harmonious marriage. eHarmony’s Marriage program will run a diagnostic personalized assessment of the current state of your marriage, or build a specialised program for you or you and your partner based on your needs (to maintain your level of happiness, get help with minor issues or major problems, to enrich the marriage or to avoid likely divorce). By offering a self-help alternative to marriage counselling, eharmony gets our vote for one of the best product extensions we’ve seen as it targets the other 54% of the population.
A quick look at the online dating scene shows a myriad of systems designed to facilitate a happy ending in brokering short, medium and long term relationships between human beings. The most comprehensive resource seemingly niche area incorporates about 1500 sites and generates about 1.81% of all web pages – one in fifty web pages or around 2 percent of the world’s attention while it is online.
With such a huge share of attention, it’s not surprising that new and interesting contenders should emerge regularly. Dating sites are just one facet of the computer-mediated meeting marketplace which introduces suitable partners for a range of endeavours. Be it business or some other narrowly defined common interest, long term relationship or a sexual partner, the internet is quickly moving forward in its algorithms for putting compatible parties together both time- and cost- efficiently.
Interesting contender number one is Yesnomayb.
It’s not rocket science but it is quick and effective and could be best described as the online equivalent to speed dating. The method of compatibility assessment mimics that of the real world on-line speed dating process in that the yesnomayb judgements used in determining a match are based on attractiveness. Basically, you sort a list of photos and classify the people you see into yes, no and maybe, and your picture is also seeded into the photos seen by potential matches – corresponding yesses puts the respondees in touch.
The market
Currently, Match.com Yahoo Personals, Singlesnet, True.com, Plenty of Fish, Manhunt, Blackpeoplemeet and eHarmony are at the forefront of mass market online dating brokerage practices with client bases in the ten million range.
Each service has its own speciality be it better matching, more choice, strength in a particular ethnic audience, safe methodologies and vetting of partners. EHarmony focuses on facilitating communication between potential partners and is now extending its relationship skills services to catering to married couples with programmes designed to facilitate a more harmonious marriage.
The eHarmony Marriage program will run a diagnostic personalized assessment of the current state of your marriage, or build a specialised program for you or you and your partner based on your needs (to maintain your level of happiness, get help with minor issues or major problems, to enrich the marriage or to avoid likely divorce). By offering a self-help alternative to marriage counselling, eharmony gets our vote for one of the best product extensions we’ve seen.
We warrant that the site will find itself with a whole world of potential clients. The percentage of the American population that is married may be slipping but it’s still more than half of all people at 59% (down from 62% in 1990, 72% in 1970). With a bullet!
