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Match.com Introduces "Friends" Feature

(onlinedatingmagazine.com - December 19, 2003) Match.com has expanded its offerings to now include friend-based connections. Users of Match.com can now create a new, online profile tailored specifically for friends and search for potential friends who have similar interests and values (a type of social networking).

The new feature allows Match.com members the option of creating a "friends" profile in addition to their dating profile and provides the option of searching by "dating" and/or "friends." Members using thefriends feature can connect with potential tennis dates, poker buddies or parents of similar-age children for play dates. Initially members will be able to invite up to 50 friends to join them on Match.com and become part of their online community of friends, which will be displayed as part of the member profile.

When viewing a profile, Match.com users will be able to view that person's group of friends by clicking on "See my Friends."

"Since Match.com was founded in 1995, our members have been connecting and finding friends on the site. With this new feature we've added more defined functionality to make that easier," said Tim Sullivan, president of Match.com. "We're leveraging our state-of-the art searching technology beyond connecting for romantic purposes to provide for connections on many levels. And we will continue to take the same serious approach to quality on Match.com, reducing the risk of frivolous profiles on the site."

In a December 2003 survey of more than 650 Match.com subscribers, 48% of those surveyed stated that they had formed friendships with people they had met on the site. Match.com has provided features that incorporated friends into the dating process, including a popular feature where members can forward a full page of search results or a particular member profile to a friend. Each week, profiles that have been forwarded to members' friends and social community are viewed more than 100,000 times by these people.

While the friends feature is open to all adults, dating on Match.com will continue to be available to single adults only. Posting a profile and searching on Match.com using the friends or the dating search options is free.

Once a member has become a paid subscriber, then he or she can contact other members using Match.com's anonymous and secure email or instant messaging system.

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