Eons, Inc. Launches Meetcha, Offering A New Twist on Single for the Over 40 Crowd

    BOSTON, MA, April 13, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Eons, Inc., the Boston, MA-based company that incubates and launches digital products targeting adults over 40, today announced the launch of Meetcha (www.meetcha.com) in Greater Boston, the first market in its national roll-out. By combining one-on-one matching with local, group meet-up opportunities based on members' shared interests, Meetcha offers the growing number of singles over 40 a more fun, less-pressured way to meet new people.

Eons, Inc.'s experience with Meetcha sister site, eons.com -- the first baby boomer social network -- revealed that this demographic values getting to know others around a broad array of shared interests and experiences. These online friendships, in many cases, have led to offline friendships, romances and even marriages. It was this observation that sparked the company to consider the online dating space.

Jeff Taylor, CEO of Eons, Inc. speaking about the genesis of Meetcha said, "As we observed members of our eons.com community interacting, we discovered the need for a new way to find romance that isn't solely based on standard matching, but rather is based on shared passions and meeting up in 'real life'. We've gotten great interest in this concept as we've talked with singles across the nation, especially those who are recently divorced or widowed and seek an easy, more natural way to get back out there."

Meetcha, which already has 2,000 registered members, launches at a critical time. Not only is the online dating industry gaining acceptance among the masses, but it is rapidly expanding to include innovative social solutions that challenge traditional dating models. According to Jaffray Investment Research, annual revenues for online dating will grow from $1.2 billion in 2008 to $1.7 billion by 2013. A sizable portion of that growth will come from the nation's 40 million single, older Americans, many of whom have not yet tried online dating, but are Internet users.

Meetcha offers a "freemium" model in which users can gain access to a limited set of features free of charge, or purchase a premium, monthly plan for full access to the site, including:

- Two-way compatibility matching based on members' interests as expressed through Meetcha's proprietary Interest app.
- Simple, intuitive profile apps, including Top 8 Dates, Interests, favorite nights of the week to go out and more, that let members customize a profile in minutes.
- PODS - People Out Doing Stuff: Offline gatherings at great places where members with common interests get to know each other. The Meetcha platform creates groups of invitees who can RSVP online, see who is attending and (coming soon) nudge people to attend they find interesting. PODS can be shared across other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Community-powered help, including direct access to the Meetcha team: Members can access Meetcha's feedback system, powered by Get Satisfaction, to find answers, share ideas, connect with each other and communicate with The Meetcha Team in a transparent, simple way.
- Get started videos: Since many members have never tried online dating or even social media, Meetcha offers introductory videos that show everything from how to load a photo to what PODS are and how to use the Interest app.
- MeetchaLive! blog (blog.meetcha.com): With contributions from The Meetcha Team and experts, Meetcha's blog features information about the site and buzz on the 40+ dating scene including stories from the front line, tips, trends, how-tos and more.

To celebrate its launch, Meetcha has teamed up with Comcast channel NECN to host three special V.I.P kickoff PODS with TV Diner's Billy Costa. The events, which begin on April 29th at The Fairmont Battery Wharf in Boston, include dinner, dancing (Meetcha CEO Jeff Taylor will DJ the night) and a glimpse into the making of Meetcha. More information about the events can be found at Meetcha.com/TVDiner. Jeff Taylor said, "We were able to create great value for our members by working with the Fairmont, and we encourage other businesses in the area that want exposure to our members and foot traffic from our PODS to contact us."

Singles who live outside the Greater Boston area can join Meetcha as part of a National Ambassadors Program. For a limited time, new users who are the first to join in their markets will receive a free, six-month premium membership to Meetcha.

When asked the difference between eons.com and Meetcha, Taylor said, "We love being able to offer two great solutions in the marketplace created specifically for people over 40: www.eons.com which is our free, community site where members meet based on shared a wide variety of interests and experiences, and now Meetcha with a premium set of features developed specifically for dating, companionship and getting out on the town."

Meetcha is part of the Eons, Inc. family of sites created by Jeff Taylor, founder and former CEO of Monster (monster.com). Eons, Inc. companies include eons.com (the first baby boomer social network); Eons BOOM Media (the first online advertising network focused on reaching 4m+ boomers across the mid- and long tail of the web); and Tributes.com (national and local obituary news platform partnering with 1000s of funeral homes across the U.S.)

Contact:
Linda Natansohn, COO
[email protected]
(617) 337-9419 (direct)
(617) 337-9400 (main number)

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