FriendFinder, Inc., the online social and community network, has recently completed a decade of online business.
FriendFinder was founded in 1996 by Andrew Conru. Conru developed a system that allows individuals, couples and groups to meet and possibly develop a social, romantic or sexual relationship online. Thirteen years earlier, Conru had success with his cyber-hookup site, WebPersonals.com.
In the past 10 years FriendFinder has registered over 130,000,000 people, and a FriendFinder representative said that many of those who have registered over the past 10 years are still active members and visit FriendFinder and its network sites on a regular basis.
“On some of our sites, more than 40 percent of all those who have registered remain on our active file,” said Conru, the CEO of Various Inc., parent company of the FriendFinder network.
“Members stay active because they have built strong relationship with fellow members and because they enjoy the community and social networking features offered by the sites, such as blogs, interest groups, chat rooms, advice lines and the like.”
FriendFinder has developed numerous spin-offs over the last decade: Passion.com for those interested in “spicy” romantic liaisons and the main site, AdultFriendfinder.com, as well as, GayFriendFinder.com, Bigchurch.com, Amigos.com, FilipinoFriendfinder, AsiaFriendfinder, among others.
“The future for FriendFinder and its network of sites has never been brighter,” continued Conru. “We are rapidly moving into the mobile phone arena, upgrading payment systems to make it easier for people to purchase our premium products directly through their mobile phone carriers, and we are launching more sites that meet the needs of specific groups.
“We live in an era where people are very comfortable using advanced technology to become familiar with a potential partner before their first meeting, and it sure beats most blind dates or bar room hook-ups.”
