2023-11-09 22:30:24
It’s the end of an era: dating website Réseau Contact will cease operations at the end of the month. Despite the increasingly fierce competition in the field, the company explains that it is not because the members were not there.
The 115,000 members of Réseau Contact received an email in the last few days, informing them that the site founded in 1996 would cease its activities on November 30.
“After more than 25 years of existence, it is with a heavy heart that we must announce the closure of Réseau Contact. Please know that this decision was not easy to make. It is the result of a reflection which took place following various circumstances beyond our control,” specifies the company on its website, thanking its members for their loyalty. “And what pride to see the countless marriages, children and beautiful love stories coming from our platform!” she adds.
In a written statement sent to TVA Nouvelles, the company that owns Réseau Contact, MDF commerce, explains that Réseau Contact […] did not show any disappointing results. Nevertheless, investments would have been necessary, among other things to adjust in order to comply with the new privacy laws in Canada relating to the protection of personal information (for example Bill 25 in Quebec).
For the host of the digital news podcast “Mon Carnet”, Bruno Guglielminetti, this closure is not surprising. “Réseau Contact, they still renewed and reinvented themselves. I think in particular in 2016 where they carried out an operation to refurbish their presence, they had an application, except that the competition is fierce in this area, and the Tinders of this world really have a big part of the walk. It’s a bit difficult to compete with the Americans,” he explains.
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Is the Act modernizing legislative provisions regarding the protection of personal information in the private sector (Bill 25) too harsh? No, rather necessary, believes the expert.
“From the citizen’s point of view, this is good news and it is an important law, because it empowers citizens to be reassured of the good management of information that concerns them in companies, but “It’s certain that for businesses, it’s laborious and requires investments in time and money,” says M Guglielminetti.
On Réseau Contact, members are on average between 50 and 55 years old, and more than 70% are aged 40 and over. It is now impossible to subscribe, and those who had taken out a subscription will be reimbursed, assures the company.
More and more choices to meet
Beyond well-known apps like Tinder or Bumble, for example, more and more amateur groups exist to meet in 2023, first online, then in person.
This is the case of the Outdoors & Singles Facebook group, launched in May 2021. Already happy to have 500 members in a short time, the administrators now have more than 24,000 subscribers across the province.
Volunteers, members organize outdoor activities that allow people to meet and create bonds of friendship, sometimes more.
It was truly created for those looking for serious relationships, and it works. A first couple formed thanks to the page also had a baby in recent months.
“It’s the possibility of meeting people who have the same interests as us,” explains an administrator for Plein air & singles, Sophie Gougeon, who herself found love thanks to the page. “Our members are outdoor enthusiasts, people who love hiking, paddleboarding in the summer, skiing, camping. When we want to be in a relationship, we often look for someone who likes the same things as us and we want to share them with our loved one. That’s the beauty of our group,” she concludes.
Facebook screenshot: Sophie Gougeon
Other platforms, such as the “GoSeeYou” application, have chosen a paid model, in particular to better sort fake accounts. “And that makes a huge difference in terms of customer quality, really!” assures founder Mélanie Trudel. “I lost all the “lousy” and unserious people,” she adds.
On its application, there is really everything, for all tastes. “There is also the part of the Olé universe, which is really aimed at libertine couples, because it is a demand that we also saw,” explains the founder.
Any advice for singles? Don’t be discouraged and check the applications used often. “It’s like a night out on the town. We come one evening, no one might like us, we come back 2-3 days later and boom, that’s it! You should never doubt the effectiveness of a dating app, I think there can always be hope!”
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