True is an online dating service established in 2003 by businessman Herb Vest. True.com is no longer an online dating site.
His real name is TrueBeginnings.com, but the company feels that this name is too limiting, because the company's head wants to expand the company into another market someday. In 2004, the True.com domain name was purchased and the company changed its name. True is known for its strict policy on background checks, which is used to ensure that members are not criminals or married. Vest reported 16 million total members, as of May 2007, but it is unclear how many of them are paying actual or active members. From that, independent analysis shows about 3.8 million unique visits to the site per month.
Video True (dating service)
Ads
Properly advertised online aggressively and spending $ 52.2 million in online advertising from January to November 2006, more than any other online dating service. True Ads vary in themes and often feature women who dress with provocative sex-themed slogans such as "It's good to be naughty." These ads are very prevalent on MySpace. Partly because of its advertising campaign, True became, in just four years since its inception, one of the most visited sites in the online dating industry, according to The New York Times.
On September 14, 2007, the New York Times blog "Bits" reported that an executive at a major Internet company said that True was overwiring payment of advertising on his and other sites and had to cut back on advertising as a result. On April 1, 2007, LiveJournal parodied the True Ads campaign on their website. In 2008 they increased their marketing spending 70 percent to $ 75 million.
Maps True (dating service)
Attempt to lobby
It's true to lobby lawmakers who support laws that require online dating services to reveal whether they are doing background checks or not. It currently supports the bills considered in Texas, Michigan, and Florida. CEO Herb Vest has expressed a preference for pursuing the bill at the state level, saying "the state legislature is particularly vulnerable to the influence of special interest groups because they are less in the media spotlight than the national Congress."
Difference point
It is well known that it requires a criminal background and a marriage screening for all members of its communications. It will properly cancel the account of someone found to be married, split or have pending divorce without warning, and also report it to the Internet Crime Handling Center (IC3). Criminals who are executed will not only cancel their accounts, but also be reported to IC3 and local authorities.
The company has even filed lawsuits against individuals for misrepresenting themselves on its website, under the premise that doing so is a wire fraud. In particular, he sued Robert Wells, a 66-year-old criminal and torturer convicted of Walnut Creek, California. He was able to avoid detection because California did not provide criminal data for the business. Another True member finds Wells' criminal history and warns the company. Wells and True reached a settlement where Wells agreed to pay monetary damages to True, do community service and never use online dating services again. The latest lawsuit was filed in March 2007 against a convicted convict and registered sex offender from Florida who tried to communicate with his members.
Criticism
Blogger David Evans was quoted in The New York Times as saying that True's competitors were upset about the True sex-themed ad campaign, saying that "they are working hard to overcome the stigma in providing this service, [a] and True come, prospects in page views and raise the cost of dating keywords in search engines for others. "
The New York Times and Online Dating Magazines have recorded examples of customers experiencing frustrating experiences trying to cancel their services, including services failing to honor their cancellation requests and charging them for several more months.
It's true to use an optional "wink" auto for members that seem to come from other members, without the last knowledge. This feature can be disabled at any time, and True maintains that this feature encourages communication between members. However, it is the subject of much controversy, because members have no way of knowing whether the flicker is automatic or manual, and thus creates confusion. Some people ask in their profile not to blink for this exact reason.
Lay off
According to CEO of Dallas , "True is having initial financial problems, including dismissal in 2004, around the same time Match.com cuts its own workforce." True has had two rounds of layoffs since 2004. In 2013, the domain was sold to TrueCar.com
Classroom action suits
The lawsuit seeking classroom action status was filed against True.com on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, alleging fraudulent billing practices, particularly charging members after they canceled their service. The suit, titled "Wong v. True Beginnings, LLC", was filed in Dallas County, Texas on behalf of Thomas Wong who lived in Washington and was a True.com member in August 2006. Wong accused him of continuing to be charged for several months after he canceled its membership with True.com. Mr. Wong is represented by Tycko & amp; Zavareei LLP in Washington, D.C.; and Crews, Shepherd & amp; McCarty LLP in Dallas, Texas.
See also
- List of online dating websites
References
External links
- True (official website)
- New York Times profile (Hot but Virtuous is an Unlikely Game for Online Dating Service)
- Online Dating Magazine , 'True Women Exploitation for Profits Walks Away with Real Ads'
- Forbes interview with Herb Vest
- True.com Quantcast Ratings
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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