Free Dating MW

Online dating brands couple-up to safeguard industry reputation.

Leading online dating brands including eHarmony, Match.com and MySingleFriend are holding preliminary talks to establish a code of conduct to distance themselves from less reputable operators in the sector, valued at £170m in the UK last year by Metaflake.
Marketing Week has learned of the pan-industry effort which includes the company behind The Times and The Daily Telegraph’s dating sites – The Dating Lab – and aims to establish an agreed code of conduct, as well as potentially leading to the formation of a new industry working group for the sector.

Also involved in the process are Lovestruck and Christian Connection, other online dating brands are also in discussions but have declined to be publicly associated with the talks at present. Those involved in the discussion aim to address potential concerns over a raft of consumer protection issues highlighted in a November 2012 Channel 4 News investigation into white label dating site Global Personals, which made a host of allegations of duping consumers based on the testimony of former employees.

Global Personals, which powers dating sites including Dating Republic, Love2Meet and FlirtNaughty, claimed it stopped practices such as setting up false profiles prior to the investigation, and the above parties involved in the talks claim they were in discussion prior to its broadcast.

Presently, the talks aim to address how the industry should set standards around specific issues. These include: ensuring the authenticity of user profiles and issues around the removal of online profiles as well as subscription cancellation. Other areas of discussion include protecting members’ data and ensuring appropriate levels of customer service.

A statement issued jointly on behalf of dating sites involved in the process reads: “Online dating has come into its own and is now an entirely normal way for couples to meet.

“As the industry grows and expands, we want to make it as easy as possible for consumers to make informed choices and to identify the providers that are committed to the highest standards.”

It is also understood the long-established Association of British Introduction Agencies (ABIA), whose membership includes Lovestruck and Christian Connection, is also involved in the talks.

The ABIA itself has proposed a code of practice for online introduction service providers, which is scheduled to come into effect this year but was unable to provide comment by time of publication when contacted by Marketing Week.

However, the parties involved have not ruled out the possibility of cooperation and the possible formation of a new working group. “It is too early to get into any details about whether discussion amongst the industry may lead to the formation of a new association with expertise in online dating versus traditional matchmaking agencies, as we first need to ratify what the code should say,” reads the brands’ joint statement.

The discussions are ongoing and no set time frame for an outcome has been established yet.

The Commonwealth of Virginia versus George Huguely V murder trial in Charlottesville (Va.) Circuit Court is underway with Huguely, a 24 year old former University of Virginia lacrosse player charged with the murder of his former girlfriend, Yeardley Love, a women’s lacrosse player on May 2, 2010.

Now in the second week of testimony, it is clear Love was the victim of free dating abuse long before her death.  The defense maintains that Huguely was drunk the night of her death, visited her to “work things out,” did not intend to kill her and left her apartment with no sense she had been badly hurt.

“I do not know what happened on May 2, but I do know dating abuse is happening on every campus in the nation and we could do a better job preventing it,” commented Marjorie Gilberg, Executive Director of Break the Cycle.

Nearly half (43%) of dating college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors. Moreover, college students are not equipped to deal with dating abuse – 57% say it is difficult to identify and 58% say they don’t know how to help someone who is experiencing it.

“We are working to reduce the shocking rates of abuse among college students and we want young adults to know that free dating is here to answer their questions about dating abuse and relationships.  You can connect with a trained peer advocate, 24-hours–a-day, 7-days–a-week, by online chat, phone and now for the first time ever – by text.  “Everyone can play a role in making relationships safer by taking the time to learn how to identify abuse and what to do if you or a friend encounters it.”

Vice President Joe Biden was the first to demonstrate to the country the simplicity and utility of the texting service by sending the first message.  With the innovative structure of the new free dating, teens and young adults can now get immediate help no matter where they are by texting .

In addition to the text feature, the new free dating is engaging young people to take action against abuse.  “Yeardley Love’s peers have testified that they witnessed warning signs and abusive patterns between the couple.  However, they did not effectively intervene, either because they did not understand the seriousness or they did not know how to help,” continued Ms. Gilberg.  “At free dating, we’re training teens, college students, parents, teachers and administrators what to do in this situation.  If we are to prevent senseless tragedies like these, we all need to learn the dynamics, warning signs and best practices for dealing with free dating abuse.  You can start by exploring the content at free dating.”