AnastasiaDate
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Type of site | Online Service |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $110 million USD |
| URL | anastasiasites.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
Anastasia International is a company with several web properties that purport to connect Western men with women from Russia, former Soviet Republics, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.[1] Founded in 1993 by a Russian-American couple.[2]
Corporate structure
Anastasia International is a privately held company that operates online dating portals including AnastasiaDate, AmoLatina, AfricanBeauties, and AsianBeauties. The company operates from Moscow and New York.
History
The company was founded by a Russian-American couple, Elena and David Besuden, in 1993.[2] Elena and David met through an introduction service in 1992 and were married the same year. Initially, AnastasiaDate used catalogs where women listed themselves and were selected by men for marriage. For this reason AnastasiaDate service is often called "mail-order-bride" service. As the company expanded, it introduced a new phone translation service in 2003. Two years later, it introduced a flower and gift delivery service. Then in 2007, AnastasiaWeb re-launched as Anastasia-International.
In 2008, Anastasia-International held the first of a series of beauty contests, Miss Snow Angel. This was followed by the Miss Bikini[3] and Anastasia's Princess contests, which have since become annual events. In 2009, Anastasia-International re-launched as AnastasiaDate.
Controversy
Fortune reporter Anne VanderMey documented that some of AnastasiaDate's online women are paid by local partner agencies to correspond with customers, although the company's Chief Strategy Officer said that this practice was strictly forbidden by the company and that they were working to stamp it out.[4]
Dan Slater included a chapter in his recent book, Love in the Time of Algorithms, focused on Anastasia International. This included research done on the site in Moscow as well as in Colombia, where Slater was invited by Anastasia International to document an AmoLatina tour. Slater's chapter revealed that Anastasia's noble vision is carried out by executives and staff as misfits without integrity, driven by money and sex. He stated that it is common knowledge that profiles on Anastasia's site are created and manned by the staff of bridal agencies in order to increase their profits. It was documented that the men on the tour to Colombia had believed that they would be able to meet website members on the tour (with whom they had paid to correspond in order to build relationships), but they all conveniently disappeared. However, in spite of the obstacles, he did note that at least one couple had met and been married via Anastasia's AmoLatina at some point previous to the tour.[5]
Lawsuit versus EM Online Ltd. dba Elena's Models
Anastasia International on May 1, 2013 filed a suit versus the Australian company EM Online Ltd. dba Elena's Models, in US Federal Court in New York. The complaint resolves around the sites anastasiadatefraud.com and ruadvadventures.com, allegdly owned by Elena's Models, which according to the complaint, have fabricated negative testimonials, and used the trademarked name AnastasiaDate illegally.
"The anastasiadatefraud.com website purports to show extracts from e-mails written by women with profiles on Anastasiadate.com. The e-mail extracts all have a common message - the women featured on Anastasiadate.com are not truly looking for a relationship with United States men, but instead are contract workers paid to correspond with Anastasia customers and break their hearts. These allegations are false, and the emails from the women appear to be fake. Anastasiadate goes to great length to ensure that the women featured on the website are real people who are genuinely interested in dating and marrying United States men."
"The ruadventures.com website, while pretending to be an independently produced forum for the exchange of information about international dating services, in fact is only selecting and publishing negative information about Elena's Models competitors (including Anastasia) and positive reviews about Elena's Models service. The website contains false information about customers' use of the Anastasiadate service which ... has been fabricated by Elena's Models," the complaint states. "CourtHouseNews Service by Rebekah Kearn". Retrieved 2013-05-06."Anastasia International,Inc,. v. EM Online PTY LTD". Retrieved 2013-05-13.
Statistics
- Alexa rank: 6,081 worldwide / 2,726 in the US[6]
References
- ^ Phelan, Amanda (September 8, 2010). "From Ukraine With Love". Retrieved 2013-03-20.
- ^ a b "OPW Interview - AnastasiaWeb - General Director, Alexei Negin". OnlinePersonalsWatch. September 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
- ^ "Ukrainian summer romance tour". January 20, 2012.
- ^ "The Mail Order Bride Boom". April 9, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Love in the Time of Algorithms. penguin.
- ^ "Alexa rankings". February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-21.