Beyond The Net
Looking for love in online places
By Janine Warner
You may not be able to buy or sell love, but you can make money selling personal ads online.
According to a new study sponsored by the Online Publishers Association, personal ads on the Internet now account for the largest share of spending for online content.
That means that people are paying more to use online matchmaking sites than they are to use any other sites on the Web. They spent more on personals than on business and investment sites, which came in second, and more than they spent on entertainment, which came in third.
The success of online dating demonstrates many of the most compelling elements of the Internet, and the business models and features that make these matchmaking sites work provide potentially great lessons for other businesses.
Since the beginning of the Net, the killer application has always been e-mail. So it should not come as a big surprise that sites that make it easy to meet other people are attracting a big audience: Online matchmaking sites are successful because what people most want to do on the Internet is communicate with each other.
Another lesson from online personal sites is the value of privacy. Match.com, the oldest and most popular such site, built its audience by assuring anonymity to its members -- even from each other. Today, nearly all personal sites follow this model.
Members hide their identities behind a special user name, and personal sites use a proprietary communication system that forwards messages to the member's real e-mail address without informing the sender.
Participants control how much information they reveal and only offer additional data, such as their real name or phone number, if they choose to share this information through the anonymous e-mail system.
Convenience is also important. The fact that you can search for a date at any hour of the day or night is definitely a factor in this success story.
SOMETHING FOR ALL
Also impressive is the range of matchmaking websites today. You'll find one for virtually anyone looking for a date, evidence of the value of targeting niche audiences online.
Although Match.com and Yahoo personals are the top two U.S. sites in terms of overall use, there are literally hundreds of websites dedicated to connecting people online. Specialized personal sites range from JDate.com, for Jewish singles, to sites for Christians and followers of other religions. GoodGenes.com is a site for Ivy League graduates that claims to accept only profiles from those who meet those universities' academic standards.
Then there's the Fetish Network. It got its start as a bulletin board in 1988 and has evolved into one of the largest communities for those who with a taste for the wilder side. Privacy is the rule on this site.
THE POWER OF TYPED WORDS
One of the best examples of the niche possibilities offered by online matchmaking is DeafDates.com. Dedicated to those whose hearing is impaired, DeafDates serves a community that has not always found it easy to meet each other offline. The site also enjoys a special advantage in a world where the typed word rules.
Another model is to base matchmaking on online tests and psychological profiles. At emode.com you'll find personality-assessment tests, career-assessment tests and, yes, even an IQ test. Users decide which test results they want to make available to potential matches and can take any of several dozens of tests available.
Emode also enjoys a secondary revenue opportunity by charging extra should members want more detailed assessments of their own online exams. And, of course, members can choose whether the results of their tests are included in their posted profile.
Matchmaking sites demonstrate the value of giving away information to get people interested enough to pay for more. On nearly every personal website, you can search the site and receive a list of profiles of eligible singles who meet your criteria without paying or even registering. On many, you can even post your own profile for free. But if you want to contact someone after reading their profile, or if you want to respond to a message from someone who might read your profile, then you have to pay the site to gain access.
About 20 percent of the Internet population participates in online dating sites -- and some 2.5 million people have paid to place online personal ads -- according to Jupiter Research. Experts expect that number to more than double by 2006, according to the research firm.
Whether you're looking for true love online or just trying to run a business there, the success of matchmaking sites provides great lessons in what does and doesn't work when you're flirting with the Web today.
First publication, The Miami Herald, Mon, Mar. 24, 2003
