Contact Information: Media Contact: Gail Laguna 323-658-3000 x4402
Daters Find "Spark" With Niche Online Communities
Research by Spark Networks(R), Inc. Reveals More Daters Are Turning to the Web to Find Love
| Source: Spark Networks
BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwire - December 5, 2007) - Daters of all religious backgrounds,
races, ages, and sizes turn to specialized dating Web sites such as
JDate®.com, ChristianMingle®.com, BlackSingles.com®,
PrimeSingles®.net, and BBWPersonalsPlus®.com to find love, according to
a 2007 trend report released by Spark Networks, Inc. (AMEX : LOV ), the
leading online personals provider with online communities.
A majority of users believe their use of personals sites helps them to find
a better match. Some 31 percent of American adults say they know someone
who has used a dating website and 15 percent of American adults -- about 30
million people -- say they know someone who has been in a long-term
relationship or married someone he or she met online (Source: Pew Internet
Research).
"People know what they're looking for in a significant other. Sites
targeted toward specific affinity groups provide an ideal forum for singles
looking to meet like-minded individuals," says Greg Liberman, president and
chief operating officer of Spark Networks, Inc. "We expect to see
continued segmentation of this market to satisfy the varied and
ever-changing tastes of today's daters."
In fact, 58 percent of JDate (the premier online community for Jewish
singles) members polled say the most important criteria for a life partner
is to have similar lifestyle preferences and values, while 35 percent cite
physical chemistry, four percent declare shared goals, and only three
percent admit professional stability.
This year also saw a significant push toward offline extension events, with
online daters looking to extend their experience beyond the browser. In
order to meet user demand, JDate held 55 offline events in 2007, including
a trip to Cancun, bungee jumping and skydiving excursions, and weekend wine
tastings. An additional 200 speed dating events in partnership with
HurryDate®.com were also orchestrated, totaling more than five times the
amount of events offered in 2006.
Another online dating trend of 2007 was an increased subscriber base of
single parents. On any given day in the United States, about 397,000
people who are the single parent of a child in their household have used
online dating within the last 30 days (Source: Mediamark). This statistic,
coupled with the fact that single parents represent more than 44 percent of
ChristianMingle's member base, spurred Spark Networks, Inc. to create
SingleParentsMingle®.com, a site exclusively dedicated to this emerging
demographic.
Looking ahead to 2008, online daters can expect to get luckier in love by
further personalizing their profiles, video blogging and podcasting, using
mobile dating applications on their cell phones, and taking advantage of
community-building features, according to a recent 2008 forecast report
released by Spark Networks.
"User-generated content will continue to play a large role in the online
dating sphere," says Liberman. "JDate, for example, has created an
exclusive channel on YouTube called JDate Video, which will feature video
profiles and other member generated content."
Just as sites like BlackSingles.com and ChristianMingle.com launched their
mobile counterparts this year, more dating sites will follow suit in 2008.
Daters can expect to have complete and total access to member profiles and
social networking features, thereby increasing their chances of meeting Mr.
or Ms. Right. In fact, the number of users utilizing mobile chat and dating
services is expected to rise from 40 million in 2007 to 260 million by 2012
(Source: Jupiter Research).
Based on the success of community-centric features on dating sites
(JDate.com received nearly 800,000 posts on its message board in 2007), a
greater emphasis on interactive features will also be a focus in 2008.
Online personals sites will continue to build out these capabilities, as
online journals, message boards, and instant messaging continue to be the
fastest, most convenient ways to communicate and build relationships.
Finally, as marketers continue to utilize online communities as an
effective source of word-of-mouth advertising, advertisers will seek
content-safe, niche environments to provide a more targeted, inexpensive
and effective alternative to mass market websites.
About Spark Networks, Inc.
The Spark Networks portfolio of online personals communities includes,
among others, JDate.com (www.jdate.com), AmericanSingles®.com
(www.americansingles.com), BlackSingles.com (www.blacksingles.com), and
ChristianMingle.com (www.christianmingle.com). More information can be
found on the Company's website at: www.spark.net.