| Pairing up: Couples now seek friends online
Chalnick, 33, had the idea for the Web site in 2004, after he and his wife moved from Manhattan to Rockland County in upstate New York. We bought a huge house and realized all our friends were in Manhattan, he said. Both he and his wife worked full-time, each commuting 90 minutes each day, and had no time to meet couples in their new neighborhood. Couplets.com currently has more than 2,000 members in the United States. Sheila Zamel, founder of Couplesworldwide.com, started in much the same way. She remarried and moved from South Africa to Calabasas, Calif. She and her husband were in their 40s and wanted to meet new couples, but they found it surprisingly difficult. Im very active, Zamel said. But its very hard to have time to go out and meet people, and where do you go to meet people? After months of research, Zamel launched Couplesworldwide.com in November 2006.
SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH THE CO-FOUNDERS OF MYSPACE
Anderson: In person I don't have that many friends. I'm a pretty tight-knit guy with the people that I know. Offline, I have no more than four or five friends. SPIEGEL: That doesn't seem to bother your online acquaintances. They comment on your private pictures and leave public messages like "maybe we can hook up later" on your profile. How has becoming an online celebrity as the founder of such a successful company changed your life? Anderson: When I'm on the net, someone always wants to chat with me. But outside of MySpace, it's a completely different world. I don't get recognized that much on the street. SPIEGEL: How did you guys meet? Anderson: I had a temporary job in a product testing company right after college. I only planned to be there for 3 weeks.
New Jersey Lawmakers Pass First-in-the-Nation Bill to Make Online ...
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The search for Mr. or Ms. Right will soon become safer thanks to the passage of new legislation in New Jersey. The "Internet Dating Safety Act," sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein was signed by Governor Jon Corzine yesterday. The legislation (S1977) arms consumers with valuable information by requiring Internet dating companies to disclose the extent of their safety measures, such as if they do or do not conduct background screenings on members who are seeking to date each other. Doing so allows consumers to make more informed decisions regarding the online dating provider they choose to use. "People who turn to the Internet to build new friendships and relationships deserve peace of mind that the person with whom they wish to form a connection is who they claim to be," said Assemblywoman Greenstein (Middlesex/Mercer).
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