THE
STREET -- Nov 14 -- Troublemakers on the online dating scene may have
met their match in a group of increasingly brand-conscious Internet
giants. Yahoo! Personals and Match.com,
two of the largest Internet dating sites, are stepping up their efforts
to weed their services of abusive, obnoxious or married people. Earlier
this year, Yahoo! instituted a code of conduct for online daters in
which they must swear that they are single and won't be abusive toward
other members. The company also has made it easier for members to
report misbehavior. Match.Com has added additional people to its fraud
and abuse unit. The effort comes as the online dating market
consolidates and surviving services fight off competition for loyal
users from social network sites like Friendster.com and Myspace.com, which also offer free dating, and smaller upstarts such as True.com. "They
have got very significant brands that they have to protect," says Mark
Brooks, who runs the blog onlinepersonalswatch.com. "They can't have
people who are scamming, spamming, being obscene or being obnoxious.
It's very bad for their brand." About 11% of all online
users have a profile on an online dating site, according to Jupiter
Media. "The market is reaching maturity," Jupiter Research analyst Nate
Elliot told the blog onlinepersonalswatch.com in a recent interview. "...there are fewer consumers 'just curious' to have a look. It's no longer the 'new thing.'" FULL ARTICLE @ THE STREET