Bone Fish White Label Dating Affiliate Programme

Newsletter: May 8th, 2009

2009-05-14T09:52:00.008+02:00

All Hands On Deck

Summer is very nearly here and as the tourists cram into Gibraltar`s narrow streets like sardines in a tin, we ask ourselves if we`re really going to be able to work with the glorious sunshine that everyone else seems to be basking in - well, everyone but us. But have no fear - the answer is, of course, still yes.

This is most certainly the busiest time of the year for the Bone Fish team with all hands on deck to ensure that the launch of the new and fantastic service will happen as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

This week has seen the transformation of some of our super affiliate sites - we won`t tell you which ones until they are 110% completed and ready to be showcased - and next week and the following week we should start to see the rest of you sport your new makeovers too. We`re sure you can understand that we must ask for your patience in this matter, because with 15,000 sites, we have a relatively slow road ahead of us that we need to move steadily and surely along.

However, we remind you that the wait will certainly be worth it. Not only will your websites look fantastically fresh and funky, but everything - and we mean EVERYTHING - will work better and faster than ever before. Members will find their way around your sites with ease, and searching and matching will be more accurate than it`s ever been.

That`s all for this week - for now, it`s time for us to get back to the grindestone and hang in there until the end. However, if you do have any questions regarding the change over of services, please don`t hesitate to drop us a line: affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Kind regards,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

Pay Day

Bone Fish anticipates shouts of relief - today is PAY DAY for affiliates around the world. All BACS payments have gone through, and will be followed shortly by PayPal payments and the postage of cheques. Taking a look at the commissions, Bone Fish has to once again applaud its affiliates for all their hard work and numerous sales for yet another month! Good on you!!!

Happy Birthday Hampson

Graham Hampson, director and co-founder of Bone Fish Ltd who last month took part in Barcelona`s 10km run, can finally feel his legs ease up after darting around the Spanish city. Thankfully, this week he`s been back on form and was ready to celebrate his birthday in style. Wednesday saw Graham turn another year older and (as he thinks, anyway) another year wiser.

Anyway, the team at Bone Fish would like to once again wish him a very Happy Birthday and all hope that this year brings him as much fun and laughter as last year.

Happy Birthday Graham!

Publicity: How to promote dating sponsors on blogs

2009-04-30T10:05:00.014+02:00

Publicity: Article published by PIXIE PROMOTIONS 2009

How to promote dating sponsors on blogs or.....
Why, who, where, when & how?

Why do you want to promote dating sponsors??

Well presumably to make money!! The average length of time a person signs up to an adult dating site is between 3 and 4 months so you should be looking to make £30+ on each upgrade. This figure is based upon you using the sponsor I recommend.

If you use a different sponsor this figure will vary. In locating a reliable dating sponsor for long term income growth ensure you find one that pays on a rev share basis not pps, pays on time & has an efficient affiliate team ready to deal with any queries you may have quickly.

Who should I promote?

There are lots of dating sponsors out there but to maximise your returns you need to go nichey!! So if you are promoting swinger sites you want to point your surfers to a swinger dating site which matches their needs. If you promote fat women you want to direct your surfers to a bbw dating site which is size positive. Give your surfer what they want!!! Niche can be broken down into micro niches which can include geographical break downs for greater relevancy so swingers can break down into countries e.g. UK swingers or smaller areas such as Lancashire swingers. For rev share I recommend Bone Fish as being the most flexible for blogging use.

Where should I promote my dating sponsor??

On your blogs of course!!! Blogs are a great way of generating traffic to dating sponsors. Remember a blog does not have to be aimed specifically at dating to convert well with dating sponsors. You can add banners in your sidebars, details of dating profiles as blog posts and as permanent stickies on your blog. Make sure you place banners in areas which will generate good click throughs such as top right hand positioning.

When should I start promoting a dating sponsor?

The answer has to be now!!! There has never been a better time to profit from promoting online dating sites.Online dating truly is a recession proof income with sign ups and upgrades booming at a time the economy is struggling. For more in depth analysis of this global phenomena see Online Dating websites prosper in the recession , Internet Dating Boom and recession & The Romance of Recession.

How should I promote my dating sponsor?

As a practical example to show you what I mean I have made a quick blog at free host Thumblogger with an amateur UK type theme called UK Wives. I have linked the blog to adult blog directories & created a quick banner (so quick it took under 3 minutes to make) to link the blog to amateur adult toplists. For this blog I'll be targeting UK toplists where possible.
Always promote the sites that your dating sponsor offers ready made that matches your blog's content most closely to maximise your chnaces of a sale.

Take a look at UK Wives now and see what I mean. As UK Wives is an amateur UK themed site I have also added links to UK adult dating sites from UK Swingers Cash & Easy Date. You'll also see I've added links to toplists at dating sites I operate with DIY Dating who provide free dating templates & a free toplist on their hosting for you to customise. If you quickly scan through the blog posts on UK Wives you'll find a blog post to another dating site too.

The sticky at the top of UK Wives contains a text link to Housewife Sex Dates as well as 3 images taken from member's profiles from this site. Take a look at Housewife Sex Dates. You'll see the index page is a simple splash page leading to a customised Bone Fish template site. By signing up to your own dating site you can get a feel for how members are treated when they join aswell as finding interesting profiles with images to use for new blog posts.

Sounds great but I need lots of traffic, right??

NO!!!! Whilst having lots of traffic would be nice you can make a healthy four figure sum each month just with Bone Fish by making your own personalised dating sites and sending them relatively small amounts of traffic (about 150 uniques a day) provided your traffic is highly targeted. And the best way to get good quality targeted traffic to your dating sites is using blogs.

Newsletter: April 17th, 2009

2009-04-20T10:40:00.013+02:00

New Site Templates Now Completed

In line with our company policy of always keeping our affiliates informed as to what`s going on behind the scenes, last week`s newsletter filled you in on some very fundamental new aspects of the Bone Fish service.

Aside from having recently spent a five-figure sum to ensure that our reputation stays 100% clean with white lister Habeas, we have now also put into place a new, centralised source named "Match Mailer" from which we will be sending out all member mails. In this manner - and through the use of our novel and funky emails - we can now more or less ensure that we always break through the barriers that the likes of AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo have been putting up to prevent us from getting in touch with their users. (See last week`s newsletter or the Bone Fish Blog for more details: http://blog.bone-fish.com/).

And this week, we have even more news for you. Having revealed the new designs for the member emails, we`re now bringing to light other new features of the affiliate admin centre. Today, we`d like to bring to your attention our new website templates.

Below, are a few examples of how your dating sites could look, should you wish to either change your design and style, or set up brand new sites on the Bone Fish service - plus, a reminder of how our new member emails will look before being branded to work hand-in hand with your corporate identity.

Even if we`re blowing our own trumpet, we have to say that in our eyes, everything looks fantastic. Fresh, modern and upbeat, these dating templates are set to knock the socks off other competitor styles and will hopefully bring in new members by their thousands. In fact, let`s not use the word "hopefully" - because in our opinion, there`s no doubt that these designs will rock daters world`s around the globe.

That`s about it for this week - so for now, we`ll leave you in suspense and anticipating what more we could possibly surprise you with next week. Because at Bone Fish, we believe that change and innovation is the only way forward and we only ever look in one direction. Upwards and onwards!

Kind regards,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

Reminder to all affiliates

Regarding the Match Mailer system, affiliates are not required to make any changes to their sites. However, we remind those that are new to service and are setting up a site for the first time or those that are setting up additional sites or sub sites, now need to ensure that the title of the "Group Name" is not the same as the URL.

NB: Existing live sites do not need to make any changes to this section at all.

Run Forest, Run

After weeks of shouts across the office of "Run Graham, Run!", this week we`d like to give a special mention and five minutes of fame to one of the founders of Bone Fish`s brilliant service.

Graham Hampson who partners Mike Fitzgerald in the running and directorship of the company, set off for Barcelona last weekend with only one aim - to run like hell in the Cursa Bombers Marathon around the beautiful Spanish city and make it to the finishing line before keeling over.

Having watched his tummy grow and dig deeper into his desk over the past few months, Graham felt the need to get into shape before the summer season and as such, set himself the target of running 10km to once again get fit, alongside another 15,000-odd crazy individuals.

Sponsored by Nike, this annual race saw a multitude of nationalities unite in a carnival atmosphere. Some made it to the finishing line, and some didn`t. And despite the general office consensus the previous week, Graham - our programming guru - not only crossed the finishing line, but completed his 10km in a record 49 minutes 50 seconds. Not bad, not bad at all.

As such, we would like we congratulate him on his personal achievement and warn him that we`re entering him into the Great North Run this September. He`ll need to train like never before, but he`s bound to get there in the end.

And just to help him along the way, we`ve decided to integrate his fitness programme into his office regime - he`ll be running up and down making the teas, jogging to the sandwich shop to pick up the rolls, and darting round the programming department to ensure that all the new features that we`ve promised our affiliates happen in no time at all.

So Graham... tea, no sugar... pleaseeee!

Newsletter: April 03, 2009

2009-04-06T13:59:00.008+02:00

Important News - New Mail System

With so many white label providers out there, you have to sometimes ask yourself if you`ve made the right decision by choosing Bone Fish. Well, we`re sure that if you were 99% sure before, then this week you`ll be 110% confident that we are the provider for you. Why? You may ask! Because we`re ALWAYS one step ahead of the rest - not only with the Bone Fish service and site innovations, but also with security and ensuring that we reach all members time and time again.

As you may or may not be aware, AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo have tightened the reigns and are making it increasingly difficult for companies such as ourselves to reach their users.

This is due to a combination of factors: bounces, complaints, spam traps... the list goes on and on. So, in an attempt to always ensure that Bone Fish`s members receive any and all of our communications - and in the same manner ensure that the Bone Fish reputation stays intact - we have recently taken a variety of measures.

Aside from having spent a five-figure sum to ensure that our reputation stays 100% clean with white lister Habeas, (which, in our eyes is the only viable long-term solution considering as more and more ISPs are following in Hotmail`s footsteps) - we have produced a brand solely for member emails and one that will ensure we remain "well-reputed" on the net.

Match Mailer

The brand, which should sound familiar due to being used in various member emails in the past, will be known as "MATCH MAILER". Match Mailer will be used to send out all member communications and will act as a new centralised source to help us remain clean with the likes of Habeas, etc.

Without going into the intricacies of the matter, having a centralised source of this nature will not affect anything from the affiliate`s point of view but will instead help to sustain the confidence in your brand and ours.

By taking a look at the Match Mailer website: http://www.matchmailer.com/, you will notice other novel features that will benefit members too. For example, members who are unable to remember which sites they have joined can enter their email address and will subsequently receive a verification mail. This feature does actually already exist on the Bone Fish corporate site, however, we felt it appropriate for members to have easier access to information such as this. (Besides, the corporate site is essentially aimed at affiliates where as Match Mailer has been designed to be more member centric).

What do Bone Fish affiliates have to do?

Essentially, Bone Fish affiliates do not have to do anything at all to continue running as smoothly as they have been. However, you do all need to be aware of one small issue. When setting up new sites, sub sites or modifying either of the two, the title of the "Group Name" can no longer be the same as the URL. For example, if the URL is http://www.somethingcupid.com/, the title cannot be the same but should instead be "Something Cupid".

The reason behind this is that having the title the same as the URL could potentially be classified as phishing - and as such and if this occurs, then not only will Bone Fish`s reputation be in jeopardy, but that of the site as well.

Please bear this in mind when setting up or modifying sites, and if you need further help on this matter, then please don`t hesitate to contact the affiliate department: affiliates@bone-fish.com.
NB: Existing affiliate site owners do not have to do anything as this change-over will be executed in house. This will only affect affiliates when they set up new sites through the admin centre.

When will Match Mailer go live?

Bone Fish has spent the past week putting Match Mailer through its paces and rigorously testing all aspects, and shall spend next week further ensuring that everything is tip top and running as it should be. As such, we expect that Match Mailer will hit the ground running the week after next.

That`s all for this week, but please feel free to contact us should you have any queries regarding Match Mailer and the intricacies behind it.

Press Release: BBW Partners has been launched; March 09

2009-04-03T10:57:00.004+02:00

Large love for big beautiful women at www.bbwpartners.net

This week, Bone Fish Ltd – the world’s first ever FREE white label dating provider with an affiliate portfolio of over 15,000 sites and a membership base of 4 million – has launched BBW Partners; a niche dating site that helps plus-sized individuals find love on the net.

March, 2009

Bone Fish Ltd, the white label provider that runs one of the most successful affiliate dating schemes out there, has launched a singles romance site at http://www.bbwpartners.net/. However, due to the recent emergence of numerous sites of this nature, Bone Fish has this time opted for a very specific niche market to satisfy the growing demand for a safe online haven where large individuals can search for a match on the internet.

Since the mid 1980s, the percentage of UK adults that have been suffering from obesity has approximately doubled and today, some 46% of men and 32% of women are classified as clinically overweight. Statistics for the United States and the rest of the world are even worse still. The US houses approximately 127 million horizontally-challenged adults and worldwide, more than one billion men and women are tipping the scales.

As such – and considering the substantial increase in obesity across all countries in the past few years – Bone Fish has ingeniously identified a gap in the market whereby those that are overweight can search for other individuals of a similar size for friendship, love, romance or more.

Mike Fitzgerald, director of Bone Fish Ltd, believes: “Many of our larger members, typically women, often find the dating world a very daunting place and are often afraid that their large size may be a cause of rejection when courting. However, with our new and targeted site http://www.bbwpartners.net/, they are likely to be persuaded otherwise. Why? Because overweight daters can be confident that those that are contacting them on BBW Partners are actually attracted to plumper partners and desire portly ladies for friendship or romance. With BBW Partners the fear of rejection is cut to a minimum.”

BBW Partners is now live and offers individuals a basic subscription at no cost and the chance to browse the site and its members at the touch of a button. It currently has nearly 2 million individuals from countries as far reaching as the Australia, Canada, UK and USA, and provides an integral dating service of the highest standards. Security is also of utmost important to both BBW Partners and Bone Fish Ltd, and as such, this very promising dating site complies with all data protection laws to protect members’ at all times.

About the company

Bone Fish Ltd is the world’s first-ever free provider of white label dating solutions. Since 1999 the company has consistently developed a high specification application in conjunction with the ever-changing technological world, and today, boasts over 15,000 affiliate sites and 4 million members.

The Bone Fish service allows its associates to create comprehensive, fully customisable and manageable dating or social networking sites in minutes that are already pre-populated with millions of members to enable them to be entirely operational at the touch of a button. It also allows affiliates to integrate an online dating site into an active site, whilst adhering to existing brand specifications and identity.

In the past decade Bone Fish Ltd has gained itself a solid positioning in the marketplace and a reputation that precedes its ethics of honesty, openness and personalised professionalism. For more information on this matter, please contact the Bone Fish Press Department.

For further information:
Bone Fish Ltd,
Press Department
3rd Floor International House
Bell Lane
Gibraltar

Tel: 40335 / Fax: 40513
Email: pr@bone-fish.com
www.bone-fish.com

Newsletter: March 20th, 2009

2009-03-23T09:49:00.006+01:00

Time to Twitter

Bone Fish Twitter Page Bone Fish Facebook Group

Another productive week has passed and as 2009 draws on, Bone Fish continues to make its mark in the ever-competitive world. In an attempt to stay at the forefront of the industry, not only is Bone Fish constantly striving to devise and implement ways to knowlegeably ensure that it stands out against the rest in terms of service, but lately it is also placing great emphasis on brand awareness and publicity.

And in the online world this is not necessarily a difficult feat. Better late than never, this week Bone Fish finally got up to scratch with its online social networking, and wholly embraced the latest internet phenomenon, "Twitter".

Bone Fish Facebook Group

Twitter is essentially a real time `micro-blogging` system. In English, this means that we (or you) can keep whoever we like informed regarding WHATEVER we want. New sites, new members, new affiliates... you name it, we can tell the world about it through Twitter. In fact, with Twitter it`s even possible to post specifics, such as social gatherings, dating news or even how we`re all feeling, and can ultimately quote and communicate to the world whatever we like.
What`s more, this brilliant tool is absolutely free and can only help to raise ones profile and that of their brand/site/company etc. It`s all very promising. I mean, everywhere you go the word on everyone`s lips is TWEETING!

But do you know exactly how it works? Well, there are 4 simple rules that we advise our affiliates follow when twittering with Bone Fish or anyone else:

Rule 1: Make your "tweets" interesting. Seek out like-minded parties and share real news.
Rule 2: Make your "tweets" brief but yet informative - tweets are actually limited to 140 characters ONLY.
Rule 3: Don`t embed HTML apart from hyperlinks.
Rule 4: Don`t overdo it - tweeting more than once a day could make it a `none event`. Unless something truly amazing happens that will captivate your audience, we advise that you keep it to yourself. You need to keep on-lookers interested and without a doubt, this won`t happen if you only tweet garbage.

To see how it all works why not visit us at: twitter.com/bonefish. Here you`ll be able to see what we`re up to, where Bone Fish is at, and see how we`re planning on progressing. What`s more, you should find that you can get a good feel for Twitter and its interface in a single session.

Admittedly, there are other copycat sites out there that can do pretty much the same thing as Twitter, but as yet, none are as popular. However, if you do fancy checking out what else is around, we advise that you scan through the likes of Pownce, Plurk, Plaxo and Jaiku. Be careful though, some sound like tropical diseases. But at least you`ll be pleased to know that at Bone Fish Towers we`re fully vaccinated against all of the above.

Until next week...

Kind regards

The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

Facing up to social networking

It`s not just "Twitter" that has enticed Bone Fish this week, but the popular and very widely used "Facebook" too. Since it`s opening to the general public in 2006, users have been able to join networks categorised by city, workplace, school and region to connect and interact with people from all four corners of the world.

Bone Fish Facebook Group

And now Bone Fish has it`s very own group on Facebook that - although at present is by invitation only - invites and encourages affiliates to post pretty much everything and anything they like, and interact with the team here in Gibraltar.

On our Facebook page we will also be looking at posting useful information and news, as well as images of what`s going on with the service and the staff, marketing videos and much more. Our new Facebook group is to be an extension of our new blog (found at http://blog.bone-fish.com/), and has been set up to let you have your say.

Did you get your FREE Traffic, Cash and Much More?

Last week we jogged your memory regarding Dating Ad Network http://www.datingadnetwork.com/. But for those of you that didn`t take heed of our tips for free traffic, cash and more, this week we`re going to tell you again.

Dating Ad Network is a top notch banner exchange network for dating websites that has recently launched a fantastic new platform for selling, buying and exchanging Dating Advertising.

Launched in May 2008, Dating Ad Network is a free and robust online advertising engine for companies and webmasters who run dating and singles matchmaking websites. It uses a state-of-the-art banner exchange system that offers a multitude of benefits, and really stands out against other exchange services of its kind. Because essentially, with these guys you should obtain a healthy exchange rate of 5:4 and will be given access to detailed traffic stats to help you keep tabs on how everything is coming along.

Based on the same proven ad-serving technology and run by the same dating advertising experts as Romance-Net, Dating Ad Network really is worth considering!

Because, with Dating Ad Network if you...

a) Need cash? Sell your ad spots at CPM rates!
b) Need traffic? Buy as much as you want!
c) Want FREE traffic? Then simply exchange your banner spots for free traffic.

What`s more, supported ad spots are available too (sizes: 468x60, 728x60 and 160x600), so come on - why not find out more at: http://www.datingadnetwork.com/.

Come on... what are you waiting for?

Newsletter: March 6th, 2009

2009-03-10T10:20:00.011+01:00

Special Offers for Affiliates

It`s Friday again and boy has this week`s newsletter got some treats in store for you - two fantastic offers that should help to not only drum up copious amounts of traffic, but also offers that will guarantee that your sites gain the reputation and prestige that they deserve.

As usual, this week has flown by in the Bone Fish offices. More and more affiliates have been signing up and more and more members have joined the service and are now taking advantage of all that we have to offer. Free registrations are up, as is the conversion rate for just about all networks - and so it`s a job-well-done all round!

As such, and nearly being payday, you`ll be excited to know that this month`s figures are looking good and that there`ll be a wad in your wallet by mid week.

Monday will see all BACS payments go through, and payments by PayPal will take effect on Tuesday. Non-UK payments will also be processed to the bank on Tuesday, and - as with every month - cheques will unfortunately be dependant on little old Postman Pat (or for all of us in Gibraltar, Postman Pedro). But don`t despair, your commissions are very, very nearly there.

That`s about it for this week. But do keep reading. The offers below are a great way for you to move forward and we really can highly recommend both entities and promotions to all our affiliates. So go on, take a look for yourself and give some thought to giving them a shot.

Until next week...

Kind regards

The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

Trust Sells: Free WebSafe Shield Seal

Running a membership-based business in the online dating industry comes with its own unique set of rewards. But, although there is a surprising ease of entry into the market when working with Bone Fish Ltd (not to mention a massive appeal and our rewarding business model), some challenges do present themselves:

1. Differentiation from competitors.

2. Turning more of your site traffic into money.

Why do big companies spend so much on TV advertising that doesn`t deliver measurable results like the web does? It has a lot to do with brand perception and trust. Building brand trust with the customer is a major priority as it`s what keeps established brands on supermarket shelves year in, year out. Why is eHarmony so popular? It`s probably not because they have a better site or a better user base, it`s because they are known and trusted. They spend their money to appear larger than life. They pay their dues!

Great - but how does that help you?

The secret is to appear larger than you are, to appear trusted by outside authorities and to have good strong principals, ethics and transparency.

Bone Fish Ltd has organised a special deal with web trust and security company WebSafe Shield that will make your site appear larger and more trusted, immediately! As such - and as an affiliate of our programme - you are eligible to receive a FREE trust seal of your choice, FREE FOR 2 YEARS! No credit card required. Just select which one you like best from five options.
This is only for Bone Fish affiliates, and will be open only until Friday 13th of March. Get FREE web trust seal here.

Get FREE Traffic, Cash and Much More

Do you remember a few months backs we introduced you to Dating Ad Network: http://www.datingadnetwork.com/? Well, this top notch banner exchange network for dating websites has launched a fantastic new platform for selling, buying and exchanging Dating Advertising.

Launched in May 2008, Dating Ad Network is a free and robust online advertising engine for companies and webmasters who run dating and singles matchmaking websites. It uses a state-of-the-art banner exchange system that offers a multitude of benefits, and really stands out against other exchange services of its kind. Because essentially, with these guys you should obtain a healthy exchange rate of 5:4 and will be given access to detailed traffic stats to help you keep tabs on how everything is coming along.

Based on the same proven ad-serving technology and run by the same dating advertising experts as Romance-Net, for many of you out there Dating Ad Network really is worth considering!

Because, with Dating Ad Network if you...

a) Need cash? Sell your ad spots at CPM rates!
b) Need traffic? Buy as much as you want!
c) Want FREE traffic? Then simply exchange your banner spots for free traffic.

What`s more, supported ad spots are available too (sizes: 468x60, 728x60 and 160x600), so come on - why not find out more at: http://www.datingadnetwork.com/.

You certainly won`t regret it!

Promo: Make Money During the Credit Crunch - 23/02/2009

2009-02-23T10:14:00.011+01:00

Feeling the pinch from the credit crunch? Looking for an industry that'll actually benefit from the recession? Then sign up with BONE FISH – the world's first ever FREE white label dating affiliate programme with recurring income month after month and a referral rate of 90%

With Bone Fish you can be the proud owner of a site of this nature in under 24 hours. What's more, with Bone Fish you get the use of a complete customer services and accounts department, access to a database of over 3.7 MILLION MEMBERS, PLUS, you can earn yourself a minimum of 50% TAX FREE COMMISSION on all sales and rebills. What's more, you don't have to pay out a penny either!

Simply sign up with Bone Fish; select a niche market, use the template provided to fully brand the site, and get marketing to make some mega money.

Expand your affiliate portfolio by integrating an online personals site into an existing site or by running your very own dating site from scratch now!

Visit http://www.bone-fish.com/ or email affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Sign up here

Newsletter: February 20th, 2009

2009-02-20T11:27:00.005+01:00

Speedy Conversions for Speedy Dating

The hard times are continuing but the dating industry is still going strong. Well, it is for Bone Fish affiliates anyway. Conversion rates are up and member accounts are being activated by the thousands. In fact, we`ve just passed the FOUR MILLION member mark which - as far as we`re aware - knocks the socks off our main competitors.

The country that houses the most Bone Fish members is without a doubt, the UK - followed closely by the USA. Canada, India, Ireland and Australia are next in line, with Malta being the least-targeted country out there in the world.

Our home country, Gibraltar, is on the rise too - although this is thanks to two of our latest affiliates, Theresa and Carla. Pioneering event and party planner agents, these two female entrepreneurs set up their speed dating agency "One 2 One" after identifying a huge demand for a space where men and women could hook up with serious daters in a social environment that wasn`t centred around bars, pubs and clubs.

Although new to the industry, One 2 One took off at the end of last year with astounding success and as such, Theresa and Carla decided to take things one step further by teaming up with Bone Fish. After all, some daters do prefer to ease themselves into a meeting rather than jump head-first into a nerve wrecking evening. And Bone Fish, aside from its location close to home, seemed the ideal provider to work with - Theresa and Carla could have the best of both worlds by running two parallel dating services hand-in-hand on their very own door step.

And so at the very end of January, One 2 One integrated a dating site into its existing portal (http://www.one2one.gi/), and off it went. And boy has it taken off! In such a short space of time, One 2 One has seen active members convert into paying members at an incredible rate, and the dating site - backed by its speed dating sister - really is starting to gain the reputation it deserves.

With this in mind, Bone Fish Ltd would like to welcome Theresa and Carla aboard, and wishes them the very best of luck with both the speed dating events and the dating site. In many aspects, Gibraltar and its culture can be a little behind the times and so it`s great to see two determined locals open up the country`s dating arena and change its attitude towards new and innovate dating methods.

Until next week...

Did you know...

Speed dating began back in the 1990`s. Its origins are credited to Rabbi Yaacov Deyo as a way to help Jewish singles meet other Jewish singles so as to prevent them from marrying outside their faith. However, it very quickly caught on and proved a huge success in the States where it flourished amongst Jewish and other secular communities everywhere.

For tips and advice on speed dating or for speed dating in Gibraltar, check out http://www.one2one.gi/.
The fact of the matter is...

The fact of the matter is...

In a constant attempt for Bone Fish to really get to know its target market, it`s still taking the time to analyse its members, their traits and dating habits. However, whilst researching these issues, the Bone Fish team has also stumbled upon some useless - but amusing - other facts.
And these we just HAVE TO share with you. As such, hold onto your hats and keep reading...

* The most common male`s name on the Bone Fish service is JOHN, followed by PAUL and STEVE. Bone Fish has 33,127 JOHN`s looking for "this, that or the other".

* Female names on the Bone Fish service are much more varied - SARAH is the most popular name but there are only 3,214 Sarah`s signed up.

* GLASGOW is the area where Bone Fish has the most single (or married but looking) people seeking a partner - a whopping 11,876 members, followed by BRISTOL with 9,422 and LIVERPOOL with 8,526. (Los Angeles has the most "seekers" for the States). Chester, Berkshire and Lothian (in Scotland) have the least.

* The most commonly used member passwords are 1111 and 1234. Bone Fish constantly reiterates to its members the risks of passwords such as these, but unfortunately little notice is taken of our warnings.

*When it comes to worded-passwords, right up the top are "anfield", "panties", "private" and "scoobydoo". Funny how the mind works, isn`t it?

Newsletter, February 6th 2009

2009-02-09T10:52:00.002+01:00

Sexy Statistics at Bone Fish

In an economic downturn such what we find ourselves in today, it`s of utmost importance to really pinpoint our target audience, our strengths and our weaknesses to be able to advance and make comprehensive marketing decisions throughout these tough times.

As such, this week we`ve taken the time to find out as much as we can about our members and their preferences, and have looked into factors that play a large role in converting free members to subscribing members across the whole spectrum.

And we have certainly come across some interesting findings. Just looking at how the year`s begun, we can already see that the depression is certainly not affecting the number of individuals around the world that are signing up to our service. As we stated last week, even though we are going through a recession, most people are adamant not to give up the basics features in life that keep them happy. So, although there may not be the money to spend in watering holes whilst looking for a perfect match, people are still very much willing to hand over their hard-earned cash to find a partner online - after all, it costs a tenth of the price (take into account the petrol to the pub, the obscenely over-priced beverages, etc) to effectively date in the comfort of their own homes.

What else can we see from the stats? The average age across all online dating networks is 35, and the network that finds itself right up the top for new sign-ups is the swinger network.
Our oldest members tend to opt for the naturist niche (followed closely by the disabled network), with 20-30 somethings housing the youngest individuals on the service.

The fastest converting network is - without a doubt - the adult network (some members are taking as little as 3 hours between joining and activating), not forgetting that the lesbian network is still converting at the highest rate of all, and the black network is still showing the greatest promise for the year ahead.

With this in mind, and taking heed of the information above, we`d like to encourage you to keep at it - to set up new sites and really make the most of the recession. Because the public is still signing up to online dating sites and our figures don`t lie!

On that note, we`ll leave you too it. Hopefully you won`t get too snowed under (especially those that live in the UK), and the team at Bone Fish in Gibraltar will do their best not to get too bogged down in the torrential downpours that just don`t seem to stop.

Have a fantastic weekend and hopefully, with Valentine`s Day and the week of lurve approaching fast, you`ll see profitable sales during the next seven days too.
Until then...

Kind regards
The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

Affiliate Spotlight: Peter F from Middlesex

We like to reward good work and give praise where it`s due. And this time we`d like to give a pat on the back to one of our longest standing affiliates (in fact, he`s now a Super Affiliate) - Peter F.
Peter joined the Bone Fish programme with his first site http://www.ideal%20romances.com/ at the end of May 2001. Since then, he`s put more than 20 sites live - largely disabled dating sites and more recently adult dating sites - and has since become one of most successful affiliates of all time.

As such, we would like to wish Peter the very best of luck for the year 2009 and ask him to keep up the good work. He`s got his sites down to a fine art and his marketing is pretty much spot-on. Peter is the prime example that with hard work, dedication and a small touch of marketing, you can indeed become very successful with Bone Fish Ltd.

Campaign: Affiliates 4 U (Feb 09)

2009-02-03T14:07:00.004+01:00

Take a Bite Out of the Credit Crunch

... and savour one of the only industries thats guaranteed to survive the crash

Whilst most sectors are being crushed by the global credit crunch, the online dating industry keeps on thriving. As although the world is in the grip of a depression, no one wants to give up the simple pleasures in life such as love, sex and dating. The online adult/dating sector is a BILLION POUND industry a year. Over 20 million visit a match-making site each month (70 million on an adult site), paying on average £20-£30 a hit for a minimum period of three months.

Knowing this aren't you tempted to take a bite of the industry and savour the good side of the recession?

With Bone Fish you can be the proud owner of a site of this nature in under 24 hours. What's more, with Bone Fish you get the use of a complete customer services and accounts department, access to a database of over 3.7 MILLION MEMBERS, PLUS, you can earn yourself a minimum of 50% TAX FREE COMMISSION on all sales and rebills. What's more, you don't have to pay out a penny either! Simply sign up with Bone Fish; select a niche market, use the template provided to fully brand the site, and get marketing to make some mega money.

Expand your affiliate portfolio by integrating an online personals site into an existing site or by running your very own dating site from scratch now! Visit www.bone-fish.com or email affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Sign up here!

Newsletter: January 23rd, 2008

2009-01-23T11:00:00.003+01:00

Surviving the Credit Crunch with Bone Fish

Another week is over and despite the world`s economic crisis, it seems that Bone Fish is still living up to all expectations and is continuing to push itself through the credit crunch with a spring in its step. In fact, of late, Bone Fish has become unstoppable. This week alone over 100 applications have made their way to the affiliate department and enquiries have been piling in by the thousand. Without a doubt, this pretty much confirms that the online dating industry is unlikely to be affected negatively by the recession, but instead could actually thrive as a result of it. Fingers crossed.

Taking a look at the press this month, you may have have noticed that the economic downturn has also been affecting another area that indirectly relates to the dating industry. A recent survey by the Mirror has shown that since the start of the credit crunch, marriage break-ups have rocketed by some 50 per cent, and in turn, have boosted - at an alarming rate - business for divorce lawyers. (It seems that partners of high-flyers have been rushing to secure financial settlements in case the looming recession results in a reduced sum).

Don`t you think it would be interesting to see whether with more and more people looking to save money by dating and socialising in a cheaper manner, it has any bearing on the online dating industry? After all, with the unprecedented increase over the past month of new member sign ups and a rapidly increasing number of singles that are ready for round two of love, it wouldn`t be unreasonable for us to believe that these two issues could maybe start to work hand in hand. (Not that we wish a divorce on anyone!).

And when we say that sales are on the rise we really do mean it. In only 22 days, 2009 sales at Bone Fish have gone up by 10% - and with so many conversions taking place and recurring memberships too, not only are our affiliates happy little bunnies but they are now really starting to see the benefits of working with a white label provider such as ourselves.

The year 2008 saw another 15 affiliates go full-time with the BF programme (we believe that we now have around 60), and this year (so far) an additional three affiliates have jumped on the bandwagon too. More and more partners are seeing that with Bone Fish, a bit of hard work and some comprehensive marketing knowledge, it IS possible. What`s more, many more affiliates are realising that in a short space of time they could actually throw in the towel at their regular workplaces in favour of a better life. Working hours to suit - in pyjamas or on the beach, setting own targets and deadlines, and being their own boss. If you would like to discuss the possibility of working for yourself on a full-time basis, feel free to get in touch with Mike Fitzgerald.

Gee, right now we doubt that nothing would make them happier...

On that note we`ll leave you to your own devices and to get back to your sites. But as a final thought, we`d like to ask that you remember that NOW IS THE TIME to work as hard as possible to make things work - because although we may be in the grip of a depression, no one wants to give up the simple pleasures in life and as an affiliate of the Bone Fish programme, you really can benefit from the dooming times ahead.

Until next week....
The Bone Fish Affiliate Team

More News: Promotional Campaigns

Bone Fish is currently in the process of putting together a series of promotional offers for members on all sites in an attempt to really exploit the current economic climate. For more information on this matter, keep watching this space.

More News: It`s a Dog`s Life

This week we`d like to give a special mention to the most unlucky member of our team. Technical Author and avid doggie lover, Gareth Beckley, discovered that not all four-legged mutts can be considered "man`s best friend". One afternoon whilst out walking his two black Labs, he came into close contact with a very vicious German with large, sharp fangs and an even larger mouth. The result - two severed tendons and a minimum of six weeks without exercise or the use of his right hand. This incident follows many others - being towed away on his first day at work, a nasty motorbike fall in the pouring rain, a prang in the car only this morning... and many, many more. As such, we`d like to wish Gareth the best of luck for 2009 and hope that he gets the use of his hand back soon. He`s looking very frustrated of late and just can`t function without it!

Moral of the story: Stay away from bitches; they`re not all as friendly as you think.

Newsletter: January 13th, 2008

2009-01-09T10:14:00.001+01:00

Positive Beginnings

Bone Fish would like to wish you a very happy new year and welcome you to 2009 - a year that we feel is going to be prosperous and very fruitful despite the economic doom and gloom.
Professionals in the industry predict that the recession will actually boost the online dating industry and the team at Bone Fish are not only in positive agreement, but are also almost certain that nearly all sites across the board will rocket to a great height over the next twelve months. But we suppose only time will tell...

If you`ve stepped into January with a heavy heart, you`ll be overjoyed to hear that even though Christmas has only just turned the corner, December`s commissions and bonuses have already been paid and as such, that ever-enlarging hole in your festive pocket should start to heal very shortly.

Remember, if at any time you wish to change the way in which you receive your commissions or if you wish to speed payments up, you can drop us a line (as always) at: affiliates@bone-fish.com.

What else? This month Bone Fish was over the moon with a number of affiliates for their efforts. Nearly all smashed their bonus targets in the "100% Scheme", and some - such as Paul S and Peter F - absolutely hammered their December goals without barely lifting a finger. Well done!!!

And this is not the only piece of good news that`s come to light lately. Here at Bone Fish we couldn`t believe our eyes when we watched in absolute amazement at how the Christmas and New Year period brought in a giant wave of new applications. Not only that, but an incredible amount of existing affiliates took the opportunity to set up even more sites via the Bone Fish service, affirming that our brand is indeed more trusted than ever before.

Of course, this influx of interest in the affiliate programme does mean that we do have a slight backlog of work, but we would like to reassure you that we`re ploughing through it as quickly as possible and will hopefully be back on track by the end of next week.

And so with a proud tear in our eye we say goodbye for this week and encourage all affiliates to keep up the effort and high standard that they maintained in 2008 so that 2009 can be their best year yet.

Until next week...

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

New Recurring Payment System

Bone Fish would like to inform you that it now processes all recurring transactions in-house. Since December 10th, all rebills have been completely controlled by the new BF platform to ensure more control over refunds, rebill attempts and also times/dates of processing (particularly for payments made over the weekends and during holiday times).

In effect, this new system means that rebills can be processed on a daily basis and in a much more efficient manner. What`s more, taking a look at the past month we can already see a 40% increase - and we`re pretty sure that this percentage will increase even further.

Nevertheless, please be informed that when looking at the commission/rebill page in the admin centre, at present daily rebills for those that make a large number of sales will look different to normal. This is nothing to worry about as it is merely an indication that rebill figures are not as consistent as they were due to now being processed on a daily basis.

Christmas wishes from Bone Fish

2008-12-08T09:37:00.001+01:00

A very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Bone Fish Ltd

It may only be December 2nd but with Christmas trees and festive lights adorning the streets, catchy carols bursting ear drums and impatient people pushing past each other in busy shops, you can hardly help but think that Santa must already be halfway down the chimney and well on his way to taking a big swig of sherry. A very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Bone Fish Ltd.

Yes, its that time of the year again when everything starts to wind down; the staff start turning up the volume on the radio and slowing the pace at work, and our affiliates start taking advantage of the fantastic Christmas marketing offers that give them targeted traffic for much less!!!

Its all positive and is certainly busy, busy, busy! As such, this will be the last time you'll be hearing from us before the New Year as we're going to leave you in peace to get on with your sites and the odd spot of seasonal shopping.

And talking of earning and spending, you'll be glad to know that payday is just around the corner on December 5th. (Well, it is for those that normally receive their commissions via BACS or PayPal). Those that have opted to be paid by cheque however, will have to wait a while longer. The accounts department at Bone Fish is scheduled to post commission cheques on December 2nd, so it's really up to Postman Pat and his black and white cat to decide when it arrives in your letterbox.

As for the rest of the departments here at Bone Fish, we'll all be off from December 19th to January 5th for a nice, relaxing break. As such, during this period our offices will be officially closed but any incidents or queries can be reported to either Mike or Andrea via the following email addresses:

mike.fitzgerald@bone-fish.com

andrea.white@bone-fish.com

And please don't feel as though we've abandoned the whole operation - because customer services will continue to be fully operational to ensure 24/7 assistance to all members too. Just because it's Christmas, business doesn't stop - and here at Bone Fish we want you to know that no matter what day of the year it is, we'll always be here to cater to your every need!

As a final thought we'd like to remind all those that want to take part in the 2009 "100% Bonus Scheme" to contact us now. Remember, this scheme allows you to earn up to 100% commission on all new sales that are made over-and-above an individual monthly target and to take home much, much more. Targets are very realistic and very attainable, so there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to smash them month after month, and make 2009 your best year yet.

The deadline to sign up to the scheme is December 10th -so hurry before it's too late.

That's about it. All that's left to say is to have an absolutely fantastic Christmas and an even more fabulous New Year. We have a lot in store in the coming year for both our members and our affiliates, and are determined to work with all of you to take the world of online dating to another level. Just you wait and see!!!

Best wishes and sensational season's greetings to all,

Mike Fitzgerald (and the rest of the team at Bone Fish Ltd)

Newsletter: November 21, 2008

2008-11-21T14:51:00.002+01:00

Putting up a defence

Every single day there are many things that take place behind the scenes at Bone Fish that you are probably unaware of. Revamps to member sites, developments on the service and programme, the updating of software and vast security improvements. And it is the latter that we are proud to be highlighting today.

In an increasingly-frustrating attempt to combat the likes of hackers and scammers, Bone Fish has taken security measures one step further and has developed its very own bespoke "Anti-Scammer and Hacker Defence System (Version II)".

With nearly ten years experience in dealing with hacker and scammer systems, Bone Fish has designed this new model with more knowledge under its wing than ever before, and this time feels that it may have hit the proverbial nail right on the head.

Launched on November 3rd 2008, Bone Fish is already seeing absolutely fantastic results. In less than a month there has already been a dramatic 86% drop in scammer activity on the service, and the new system is proving to be beneficial to Bone Fish, its affiliates and members alike.

What`s more, this system has helped to eliminate the problem that some affiliates - particularly those from Eastern Europe and North America - were experiencing upon trying to access the admin centre. There is now no problem at all and those mentioned above should be pleasantly surprised when they attempt to access their accounts without a hitch.

We won`t say that "time will tell" because this new Anti-Scammer and Hacker Defence System has already been tried and tested for about a month and so far, it has most definitely been living up to all expectations. However, if you would like to find out more or if you have any other questions regarding this matter then please feel free to email us at: mailto:affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Until next week,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Spruce up your site

Over the past few months we`ve been showcasing a number of new sites that - even if we do say so ourselves - really do look top-notch. This has prompted many of you to write in and request assistance with sprucing up your tired and weary websites so that you can stand out against the rest - and time and time again Bone Fish has, of course, obliged.

So to be fair to the rest of you, Bone Fish is now opening its doors and is welcoming all other affiliates to write in if they feel that their site is not up to scratch and therefore not making what it should.

However, we would like to point out that most sites have been designed by the affiliates themselves and not Bone Fish, and that there is a growing waiting list for the re-designing of headers, etc.

But if you do feel like giving your site a mini makeover for the new year and sprucing up its style - oh, and you have an ounce of creativity and handful of patience - then simply click the button below and wait approximately 2 working days for the Design Department to get in touch with you.

Click here to spruce up your site

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

SEO for Firefox

This week we`ve found two videos on SEO for Firefox - a free Firefox extension that adds many search engine optimization data points into Google and Yahoo`s SERPs. Ultimately, it helps you get a grip on your marketing and shows important competitive research and search engine marketing data directly inside Google and Yahoo`s search results.

Already over 130,000 webmasters use SEO for Firefox, so we do highly suggest that you try it out and see what you think. In our opinion it does pull together many useful marketing data points and as such, makes it relatively easy to obtain a holistic view of the competitive landscape in the search results.

Let us know what you think!

How to use SEO for Firefox:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kc4NiQDkjQ&feature=related

Google Rank Checker Tool:
http://blog.jumpfly.com/public/item/google-advertising-google-adwords-launches-improvements-to-ads-quality-0211

Newsletter: November 14th 2008

2008-11-17T10:42:00.002+01:00

88 reasons why Bone Fish is the best

This week we would like congratulate a very special Bone Fish affiliate. However, unlike other weeks when we`ve merely praised an affiliate for his/her enthusiasm and creativity, this week our reason is very different. We would like to bring Colin (from the UK) into the limelight for being the first affiliate to set-up an astounding 88 sites in just over a month. Yes, that`s right - 88 SITES.

According to our files and considering that all 88 sites have been completed from start to finish FROM SCRATCH, this is most certainly a record and feat that Colin should indeed be very proud of.

Upon purchasing a number of varying domain names, this affiliate proceeded to work with Bone Fish Ltd to produce a comprehensive portfolio of sites that would pretty much cover each and every niche market out there. And he has certainly achieved it.

To give you a rough idea of what Colin is capable of, take a look at one of the following sites: www.idesirepassion.com, www.pixel-partners.com, www.blackloving.co.uk www.adulterate.co.uk and www.someone4everyone.net, or any of his other 83 Bone Fish portals.
Colin tells us: "I was looking at creating a number of affiliation sites across a broad spectrum and seeing how they performed. I could see that online dating was likely to be a growth area because it is an industry whose main aim is to make people happy. I searched online and found that Bone Fish Ltd offered a white label option that I liked the sound of because I could add my own branding. Also, the site looked good and some of its portfolio and user sites looked very impressive.

"I myself have a large portfolio of domain names and wanted to create a network of dating sites. Then, when I was online looking at the affiliate control panel with a view to cracking on, I got a call from Mike and we had a long chat about my plans. I have found Mike to be extremely helpful, communicative and good humoured, and have found over the last couple of months that the affiliate support that is given is second to none."

One site in the portfolio that particularly stands out is Colin`s www.findalesbiandate.com. Aimed at the exceptionally-converting niche network, "Lesbians" (12.5%), this elegantly designed portal is set to be one of the most popular lesbian services on the Bone Fish programme. Take a look and see for yourself.

In the meantime, Bone Fish would like to give Colin a big "thumbs up" - he`s done a truly fantastic job with getting EIGHTY EIGHT SITES off the ground in such a short space of time, and we really do very much appreciate his ability to look outside of the box and see the larger picture. These qualities are bound to help him succeed.

Until next time....

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Employee Spotlight: Suzi Langley

Who are you and where do you come from?
My name`s Suzi. I was born in Essex, raised between Gibraltar and Spain, and am now living in Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol. As you`ve probably guessed, I cross the border every day to come to work, and (depending on how lazy I`m feeling), walk to Gibraltar`s town centre where I reunite with the rest of the Bone Fish team. I can be contacted during normal working hours at: suzi.langley@bone-fish.com.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
Here at Bone Fish I look after any marketing, PR and content issues. My job is to spread the good word about Bone Fish and it`s services, ensure that it receives good press coverage, market the company and its products to the rest of the world, and create any and all content for both the corporate and the member sides of the business.

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
Due to my love of writing and the fact that my career has always been heavily-based on the written word (editing, subbing, copy writing and magazine editorial), if I wasn`t working in the online dating industry I would be a full-time novelist, trying to complete my first bestseller so that I could become a lady of extreme luxury and leisure.

What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish?
Working at Bone Fish Ltd has allowed me to immerse myself in an industry that is not only extremely lucrative, but also a lot of good fun too. At this moment in time it`s extremely big business and as such, it`s great to be part of such a buzzing market that just keeps sprouting out in all directions.

Aside from this, I would like to point out that Bone Fish is a hip, young company with a strong vision and great determination to succeed. The team behind it is made up of very different individuals who have completely different personalities, turning Bone Fish into a mini microcosm of the world.

What are boss Mike`s good and bad points?
Given their young age (10 brownie points achieved with just four words), I have to say that I admire both Mike and his partner Graham for what they have achieved over the last few years - and all from scratch.

In my opinion, their success should be put down to their personalities. Both have a fantastic sense of humour and know exactly what they want and just how to get it. They are determined to succeed and never let anyone or anything get in their way. This, I find impressive.
In terms of qualms, the only real derogatory issue I have to say about Mike is that standing beside him makes me feel rather insignificant. With his 10-foot presence, my 3-foot excuse-for-human-height, my seemingly lack of vision and my refusal to wear specs, only a step ladder would ever place me on his level.

Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!
Think about it - 15,000 affiliates can`t all be wrong!!!
And with a 90% referral rate, 28 niche networks, 4 million members and tax-free commissions, why would any of our affiliates ever want to work with anyone else?

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

How to go about adding a sub domain to your site

Regardless of whether you`re a newbie on the Bone Fish programme or an affiliate that`s been around for quite some time, why not take a look at the two videos that we`ve found on You Tube regarding setting up sub domains.

Hopefully these videos should be good guides on how to go about setting up sub domains for Bone Fish brand sites, and should help to get affiliates moving all on their own.

However, if you do need a helping hand or would rather be assisted by an actual member of the affiliate team, then simply let us know by emailing affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Sub Domains with Go Daddy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5mi8ihA5A

Creating a Sub Domain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJBwD-K64sI

Press: Lesbian sites lead the way in the online dating industry

2008-11-12T12:02:00.002+01:00

PRESS RELEASE

Lesbian sites lead the way in the online dating industry

This month, Bone Fish Ltd – the world’s first ever FREE white label dating provider with an affiliate portfolio of over 14,000 sites and a membership base of 3.7 million – reveals a significant rise in lesbian online dating and hails it as the network with the highest conversation rate to date.

November, 2008

Bone Fish Ltd, the white label dating provider that is approaching its tenth year in the industry, today revealed that gay networking and lesbian dating is on the rise and at present, is the strongest converting niche network in the online dating sector.

Following a recent and very exhaustive study by Bone Fish Ltd at the end of last month, it became evident that although still very much predominant in the networking arena, the traditional markets of generic romance and adult dating are no longer the highest converting networks in the online dating industry, and have – in fact – been now surpassed by the lesbian network that currently boasts an outstanding 12.5% conversion rate.

Bone Fish Ltd is a white label dating provider that runs a highly acclaimed revenue share scheme with a 90% referral rate. Its reputable programme and service enables registered affiliates to set up, execute and monitor completely pre-populated and fully branded dating and adult sites, and provides those that wish to tap into the highly lucrative world of online dating with the necessary platform and virtual infrastructure to successfully do so.

Ever since it's inception in 1999, Bone Fish Ltd has gained vast experience in operating sites for the gay community. In total, it now boasts over 1,500 homosexual sites (out of a total of 14,000 dating/adult portals across all platforms), and 501 sites that are specifically aimed at the lesbian market.

Always at the vanguard of white label dating, in 2003 Bone Fish divided its homosexual niche into specific gay and lesbian networks, offering affiliates the opportunity to tap into this previously untargeted resource at an exciting and very early stage.

In its tri-annual report that was completed late last month, it became evident that the lesbian niche has since grown at an extremely alarming rate and Bone Fish affiliates – who, in the past were predominantly drawn to the Generic Romance and Adult Dating networks believing them to be more profitable than the other networks – had begun to seize the opportunity to increase subscriptions and therefore profits.

Without a doubt the past year has seen an influx of gay and lesbian sites on the Bone Fish Programme, resulting in homosexual portals making up some 10% of the affiliate base and homosexual members accounting for 1 million individuals (550,000 lesbians and 600,000 gay men). Overall, this reflects a 30% growth in the Bone Fish homosexual market in the past year alone.

Conversion rates are hitting an all time high too. Surpassing the adult network that has been converting at a staggering 9.8% and the romance network at 8.8%, the lesbian network has this month taken the industry by storm with a staggering 12.5% conversion rate – the highest rate ever on the Bone Fish programme.

Mike Fitzgerald, director of the white label provider, comments: “Over the past year we’ve seen the online dating industry grow in leaps and bounds with new sites coming on the scene that offer more and more specialised niche networking. However, the niche that has surprised us the most has been the lesbian network – a relatively untapped market that has knocked the likes of generic online dating, adult dating and even gay dating off the top spot. At this moment in time the lesbian market is the best converting network on the Bone Fish system and has proven to be more profitable than any other theme on our service.”

“This, of course, is great news for the owners of Bone Fish lesbian sites. Because whilst many of the big players in the online dating industry disregarded the lesbian niche and pleas from Gay Rights Groups to create virtual spaces where lesbians and gays could date and network online, Bone Fish went ahead and created specialised niches to cater to this sector.”

Bone Fish Ltd operates a total of 28 different networks and has 3.7 million members on its service across the board. By Christmas, this figure is expected to reach the 4 million-mark and the conversion rate of the lesbian network is predicted to rise to 14% by the end of the first quarter of 2009.

“Since the year 2003 we have offered our affiliates the chance to delve into this untapped market, and today - only 5 years later - they are enjoying the highest conversion rate of our whole spectrum. This is very surprising indeed and a business opportunity that should not go amiss.”

Newsletter: November 11th 2008

2008-11-11T10:24:00.002+01:00

Members Area Scheduled for Testing

Doesn`t time fly? Friday`s here again and in no time at all it`ll be Christmas and expenses will be flowing faster than a running tap. Thankfully though, pay day is just around the corner - so you`re probably still in time to save a few pennies and closet some commissions before the Christmas season really kicks in.

This month, those that are normally paid by a BACS bank transfer will receive their monies after the weekend (on Monday 10th), and those that receive their monies through PayPal should get hold of their funds on Wednesday 13th. However, those that receive their commissions and bonuses by cheque are unfortunately in the hands of Postman Pat and the local postal service. (Remember, if you want to change this option and speed up the way in which you receive your commissions each month, email us at: affiliates@bone-fish.com).

This week we have another piece of good news for you. After months and months of waiting with anticipation, Bone Fish`s new members` area is now scheduled for live beta pre-launch testing (phase II).

Fresh, funky, functional and fabulously fantastic, the new members` area will be open for testing between Friday and Sunday of next week. Essentially, that`s a whole weekend for you, our affiliates, to pull it to pieces or praise us for all our hard work over the past year.

Those that have volunteered to give us a hand with the testing of the new system will be contacted shortly, and those that would like to join in the fun can request the necessary testing documentation as from today.

And that`s about it. All that`s left to say is keep watching this space because next week we`ll be announcing how to access our fantastic new member`s area that will revolutionise the world of online dating. (Well, at least we hope it will).

Until next week....

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Employee Spotlight: Charlie Thompson

Who are you and where do you come from?
My name is Charlie and I come from sunny Scarborough.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
I am a web developer who is responsible for the maintenance and upgrading of the Bone Fish online dating service. So, any queries of this nature can be directed to me at: CharlieT@bone-fish.com.

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
Fighting for Queen and Country in Her Majesty`s Finest.

What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish?
Looking at babes at 8:30 on a Monday morning - it`s even better than coffee and wakes me up much faster!

What are boss Graham`s good and bad points?
Graham is essentially one of the lads - a real man`s man, he loves camping, hates drinking aromatic teas and never eats salad!

Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!
Slick code and tons of women. Plus, even if someone hits every branch of the ugly tree on the way down, Bone Fish can still find them someone to give them a taste of their dream!

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

Google Tools

For the past month we`ve been providing you with top quality videos to help you with your SEO and online marketing techniques. However, some of you out there are still very much geared towards reading the written-word to help you get that much further. As such, this week we`ve found three very interesting articles that are all related to Google.

The first article discusses some surprising new features on Google Analytics (for example, advanced segmentation and custom reports); the second link takes you to an article on how Google has changed the way that it calculates quality score and ranks ads; and the third discusses search result lockdowns.

All three are well-worth a read and may just help you with the way you approach your marketing strategies.

Google Analytics Update:
http://analytics.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-enterprise-class-features-added-to.html

Google Changes its PPC Algorythm:
http://blog.jumpfly.com/public/item/google-advertising-google-adwords-launches-improvements-to-ads-quality-0211

Google Search Result Lockdown:
http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/google-search-result-lockdown/1486/

Newsletter: Friday 31st October, 2008

2008-10-31T14:36:00.001+01:00

88 Reasons Why Bone Fish is the Best

This week we would like congratulate a very special Bone Fish affiliate. However, unlike other weeks when we`ve merely praised an affiliate for his/her enthusiasm and creativity, this week our reason is very different. We would like to bring Colin (from the UK) into the limelight for being the first affiliate to set-up an astounding 88 sites in just over a month. Yes, that`s right - 88 SITES.

According to our files and considering that all 88 sites have been completed from start to finish FROM SCRATCH, this is most certainly a record and feat that Colin should be very proud of indeed.

Upon purchasing a number of varying domain names, this affiliate proceeded to work with Bone Fish Ltd to produce a comprehensive portfolio of sites that would pretty much cover each and every niche market out there. And he has certainly achieved it.

To give you a rough idea of what Colin is capable of, take a look at one of the following sites: http://www.idesirepassion.com/, http://www.pixel-partners.com/, http://www.blackloving.co.uk/ http://www.adulterate.co.uk/ and http://www.someone4everyone.net/, or any of his other 83 Bone Fish portals.
Colin tells us: "I was looking at creating a number of affiliation sites across a broad spectrum and seeing how they performed. I could see that online dating was likely to be a growth area because it is an industry whose main aim is to make people happy. I searched online and found that Bone Fish Ltd offered a white label option that I liked the sound of because I could add my own branding. Also, the site looked good and some of its portfolio and user sites looked very impressive.

"I myself have a large portfolio of domain names and wanted to create a network of dating sites. Then, when I was online looking at the affiliate control panel with a view to cracking on, I got a call from Mike and had a long chat about my plans. I have found Mike to be extremely helpful, communicative and good humoured, and have found over the last couple of months that the affiliate support that is given is second to none".

One site in the portfolio that particularly stands out is Colin`s http://www.findalesbiandate.com/. Aimed at the exceptionally-converting niche network, "Lesbians" (12.5%), this elegantly designed portal is set to be one of the most popular lesbian services on the Bone Fish programme. Take a look and see for yourself.

In the meantime, Bone Fish would like to give Colin a big "thumbs up" - he`s done a truly fantastic job with getting EIGHTY EIGHT SITES off the ground in such a short space of time, and we really do very much appreciate his ability to look outside of the box and see the larger picture. These qualities are bound to help him succeed.

Until next time....

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Employee Spotlight: Suzi Langley

Who are you and where do you come from?
My name`s Suzi. I was born in Essex, raised between Gibraltar and Spain, and am now living in Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol. As you`ve probably guessed, I cross the border every day to come to work, and (depending on how lazy I`m feeling), walk to Gibraltar`s town centre where I reunite with the rest of the Bone Fish team. I can be contacted during normal working hours at: suzi.langley@bone-fish.com.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
Here at Bone Fish I look after any marketing, PR and content issues. My job is to spread the good word about Bone Fish and it`s services, ensure that it receives good press coverage, market the company and its products to the rest of the world and create any and all content for both the corporate and the member sides of the business.

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
Due to my love of writing and the fact that my career has always been heavily-based on the written word (editing, subbing, copy writing and magazine editorial), if I wasn`t working in the online dating industry I would be a full-time novelist, trying to complete my first bestseller so that I could become a lady of extreme luxury and leisure.

What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish?
Working at Bone Fish Ltd has allowed me to immerse myself in an industry that is not only extremely lucrative, but also a lot of good fun too. At this moment in time it`s extremely big business and as such, it`s great to be part of such a buzzing market that just keeps sprouting out in all directions.

Aside from this, I would like to point out that Bone Fish is a hip, young company with a strong vision and great determination to succeed. The team behind it is made up of very different individuals who have completely different personalities, turning Bone Fish into a mini microcosm of the world. Working here certainly makes life a little more interesting!

What are boss Mike`s good and bad points?
Given his young age (10 brownie points achieved with just four words), I have to say that I admire both Mike and his partner Graham for what they have achieved over the last few years - and all from scratch.

In my opinion, their success should be put down to their personalities. Both have a fantastic sense of humour and know exactly what they want and just how to get it. They are determined to succeed and never let anyone or anything get in their way. This, I find impressive.
In terms of qualms, the only real derogatory issue I have to say about Mike is that standing beside him makes me feel rather insignificant. With his 10-foot presence, my 3-foot excuse-for-human-height, my seemingly lack of vision and my refusal to wear specs, only a step ladder would ever place me on his level.

Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!
Think about it - 15,000 affiliates can`t all be wrong!!!

And with a 90% referral rate, 28 niche networks, 4 million members and tax-free commissions, why would any of our affiliates want to ever work with anyone else?

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

How to go about adding a sub domain to your site

Regardless of whether you`re a newbie on the Bone Fish programme or an affiliate that`s been around for quite some time, why not take a look at the two videos that we`ve found on You Tube regarding setting up sub domains.

Hopefully these videos should be good guides on how to go about setting up sub domains for Bone Fish brand sites, and should help to get affiliates moving all on their own. However, if you do need a helping hand or would rather be assisted by an actual member of the affiliate team, then simply let us know by emailing affiliates@bone-fish.com.

*Sub Domains with Go Daddy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5mi8ihA5A

*Creating a Sub Domain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJBwD-K64sI

PR: Interview with David Evans - Online Dating Post

2008-10-29T09:40:00.002+01:00

October 28th, 2008, David Evans

Bonefish is the oldest white label dating provider. Online Personals Watch talked to Bonefish CEO Mike Fitzgerald about online dating scammers. About 90% of the scamming on Bone Fish’s sites has come from Russian and African scammers and they have had only one affiliate scammer.

.....Many a time I’ve looked on the internet for places that work like a “scammer central”. I’ve managed to find a few websites that list 5,000-7,000 members who are known scammers. However, I do not think that this is the right approach as it lists the names of the individual members (the scammers) that are contacting the members – not where they come from!.......

This is a topic I have discussed with many online dating executives over the years. iovation has a massive database of scammers and I’m working with a company that’s going to add additional layers of protection that can be integrated with a centralized database.

DatingAdNetwork interviewed Bonefish as well, going into much greater detail about how Bonefish operates. The Bonefish affiliate program is mentioned, specifically it’s ability to address very specific niches, something Mike says other white label providers are not as good at.

...…with Bone Fish all affiliates can benefit from our complete customization tools too. Each and every site can be fully branded to suit an affiliate’s needs, and when we perform a site integration (where an affiliate integrates a dating site into their existing site), we adhere 100% to their brand and identity. Perhaps this is why we have a 90% referral rate from our affiliates…...

Mike makes a good point about new webmasters spending too much time tweaking the site and not enough on marketing. I spend a great deal of time talking to dating startups with tiny marketing budgets, helping them to devise plans for driving traffic without breaking the bank. These days, traditional banner advertising is out of reach from almost all dating sites. Widgets, affiliates, banner exchanges and social networking apps seem to be driving the lions share of traffic these days.

Bonefish offers a 50% tax-free commission. 15,000 live sites, 4,000 webmasters.

http://onlinedatingpost.com/archives/2008/10/bonefish-interviews/

Newsletter: October 24th, 2008

2008-10-24T10:39:00.001+02:00

Happy Friday from all of us here at Bone Fish!

With some 46% of men and 32% of women classified as clinically obese in the UK, without a doubt there is a huge untapped market for plump-ish people looking for love. However, the majority of BBW sites out there are adult-orientated and not romance-based, hence why there is a huge gap in the market right at this moment in time.

But not for long. This week sees the launch of a new affiliate site, BBW Partners - a premier portal that`s aimed at those looking for big beautiful women for friendship, romance and sometimes something more. Targeted at English-speaking men and women of all ages and from all around the world, this is one of the few BBW romance sites on the Bone Fish service, and one that looks set to flourish and blossom in a very short space of time.

Why not take a look for yourself and see how it`s all coming together at www.bbwpartners.net. Essentially, those behind this project see it as an ideal hub for larger ladies and fun feeders that find the real dating world a little too daunting for their size, and hope that it will thus fill a much-needed gap in the BBW sector.

We would like to wish both the site and the affiliate the very best of luck, and hope that they can both achieve their targets and goals.

Until next time....

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Getting us down

Admittedly it`s been a long week and unfortunately, not an easy week. As many of you will have noticed on the night of Tuesday 14th October, Bone Fish experienced some significant downtime, causing great disruption to the service and admin centre.

Due to a serious technical issue with our ISP, we lost connectivity between our database rack and data storage devices. Unfortunately, this was completely out of our control and although our network team worked tirelessly throughout the night to get the system back up-and-running, it didn`t happen quite as fast as we`d have liked.

As such, this week we`d like to apologize profusely for this downtime, and reassure you that measures are being taken - as we speak - to ensure that we have a productive and efficient solution should this ever happen again. All we ask is that you be patient with us as sometimes, matters such as these are out of our hands. Nevertheless, whether this is the case or not, you should know that Bone Fish always endeavors to resolve any issues as soon as possible. Let`s hope this doesn`t happen again - or at least, not for quite some time.

Employee Spotlight: Maxfield Pierce

Who are you and where do you come from?
My name is Maxfield J. Pierce and I was born and raised in Luxemburg.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
I work in the web/graphical department, creating websites to promote Bone Fish and all of its services, plus other promo material such as online marketing amongst others.

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
I`m not too sure. I suppose I`ve always wanted to be a designer of some sort, and if not, some type of car sales man.

What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish?
The people here at Bone Fish are not only extremely professional at their jobs, but they are also some of the nicest people I have ever worked with! We all work hard and always achieve our goals - but at the same time we also have a lot of fun along the way. Really, we all get a long great and so I wouldn`t change a thing!

What are boss Mike`s good and bad points?
Mike is truly a great guy and a great boss to work for - and I`m not just saying that because he`s my boss, because in the past I`ve worked with some really horrible people who were always fuelled by the power that their directorship gave them, talking down to staff and treating people like scum. But with Mike it`s not like that at all. He`s very down to earth and always helps you out if you get stuck with something. He`s very funny and always makes us laugh. He understands exactly what everyone does here at Bone Fish, and never disrespects anyone - EVER. And he`s very understanding as a person. In fact, whenever you need to talk to Mike on a personal level, he`s always there for you and is ready to listen and help.

Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!
When it comes to white label dating providers, you need to look for a service that you can trust and rely on. Bone Fish has a great team of experts working non-stop to get the "best of the best" out there to its affiliates. And here, we`re constantly working on improving what we have and getting new features added along the way.

So if you`re looking for a company that`s reliable and has a very successful commission turnover, look no further than Bone Fish!

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing: YouTube Overlay Ads

Need New Ideas? Try Advertising on Videos

About a year back Google made two big video-related announcements: that they were going to begin including videos in Google News content, and more importantly, that it was finally time to roll out their overlay ads on YouTube. And it is the second of the two that we would like to draw your attention to.

Google`s overlay video ads work by displaying a semi-transparent ad on the bottom fifth of videos, 15 seconds in. The ads animate for up to 10 seconds, and when clicked, launch a video advertisement inside the player (pausing the video the user was originally watching).

With this in mind, and if you`re comfortable with managing your own ad campaigns on AdWords and AdSense, then in Bone Fish`s opinion the CPC model for YouTube`s video ads could be for you.

Granted, creating video ads is not as simple as creating text ads, but YouTube proves that 1) amateur videos can be entertaining/worthwhile forms of advertising and 2) people are more than willing to make and watch them.

Why not give it a go!

To find about more, take a look at the article and video below:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-art-of-creating-youtube-free-website-traffic.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWFE9UDCPEE

Newsletter: October 3rd, 2008

2008-10-03T15:36:00.001+02:00

Comissions are Coming

As we move out of summer and dare I say, into autumn, the memberships are heating up again and new affiliates are signing up by the dozen. When it comes to applications and sales, this month has been very positive indeed - as you`ll soon see when you receive your commissions shortly - and so we certainly can`t grumble.

This month, we`re once again pleased to inform you that commissions are going to be paid relatively early. Those that receive their monies via a BACS transfer should find their accounts replenished on October 8th, those that normally receive their commissions via PayPal, on the 10th, and those that prefer to be paid by cheque, on the 16th.

Once again we remind you that the fastest way to receive your commissions and bonuses is via a BACS transfer - however, if you aren`t receiving your monies in this manner and want to, you still can. All our accounts department needs to perform an immediate payment via BACS are your UK account number and sort code. And remember, if you haven`t got your own bank account, we can always transfer funds into a family member`s, close friend`s or associate`s account instead. Simply send us through the details to affiliates@bone-fish.com.

WANTED:
And finally this week, those of you that are pondering on the where-abouts of Mike (the director of Bone Fish Ltd), will be delighted to know that he is very much safe and well and has merely gone into hibernation for the start of the autumn season. He shall be back with a vengeance on October 14th, ready to assist you with all your queries and needs as usual.

In the meantime, his right-hand woman - Andrea White - will be holding the fort and can be contacted at andrea.white@bone-fish.com. To find out more about her and to see why she`s stepping into Mike`s shoes over the next two weeks, keep reading. Because this week, despite her pleas to remain anonymous (and with very clear instructions that under NO circumstances are we to publish her photograph), she`s this week`s employee spotlight.

Enjoy!

Kind regards,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Employee Spotlight: Andrea White

Andrea joined the Bone Fish Team in 2006 as a Fraud Operations Manager and as such, she oversees all risk elements of the business. Her main priority is to keep the chargeback rate down in order to maintain a good working relationship and reputation with the banks, affiliates and members. If you wish to get in touch with Andrea regarding this matter or any other, she can be emailed at: andrea.white@bone-fish.com.

Who are you and where do you come from?
Born and bred in Blackpool, I`m a typical northerner. I began my career in 1990 as a "PA to the Commercial Director" in the leisure industry. I worked my way up the ladder but then realized that I actually quite liked my other half and my weekends off, so I left. I then diversified to the hair and beauty industry, again starting as a " PA to the Managing Director" working my way up the ladder, and then once the pitter patter of tiny feet arrived, I decided that a change in climate was needed. In 2005 I decided to move out to Spain with my husband and two kids, took on a new career challenge in fraud, and have never looked back.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
I was employed some two years ago as the Fraud Operations Manager. Essentially, this means that I stop scammers before they have the chance to do any damage, and keep an eye out for any other fraudulent activity. Aside from this, I also oversee the Customer Services Department so I have regular one-on-one contact with all of our members. I`m available to answer any of their questions and on the odd occasion, listen to their moans. (Members usually moan about issues such as not receiving any mail - however, this is usually due to the fact that they haven`t bothered to fill out the advert profile or to upload a photo. I mean, how can they expect to make a match when no one has a clue what they`re like?).

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
I would happily be doing absolutely anything else except being a full time mother (hats off to those that are, though). Schools are a blessing! And even though I love my two little rat bags and wouldn`t swap them for the world, I need to keep my sanity. What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish? Our team is made up of a random group of people from different places and backgrounds who get on relatively well, despite their very different tastes in music. What`s more, they`re very committed to the job that they`ve been employed to do and are very enthusiastic with how the company is evolving and developing. It`s great to work with people on this level.

What are boss Mike`s good and bad points?
With us both being from the North West, we have a similar sense of humour and really do have a great laugh every single day. However, I can`t really pinpoint any good or bad points that he has because I do actually believe that he`s genuinely a good boss and a really great person to work for. (Note from the Editor: As yet, Andrea has not received the pay rise that she was hoping this answer would afford her - but we`ll keep you posted).

Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!
The team that work for Bone Fish are 100% committed and passionate about their work. And it is because of this they give 110% to the work that they produce. As such, Bone Fish is able to provide an unparalleled service to both its members and affiliates, which has gained it a very solid positioning in the online dating marketplace. In my opinion, no other white label provider even comes close.

Did you miss out on last week`s FREE traffic?

Last week we introduced you to Dating Ad Network - a fantastic banner network that combines a structured team, unparalleled customer support, proprietary ad-serving algorithms and a very smart marketing approach. Dating Ad Network provides free traffic for your dating and relationship websites and blogs, and really can do wonders for your online businesses!!!

It can benefit you in two ways:

1) Its ad exchange drives singles to your websites at no cost;
2) Its publisher`s platform gives you extra revenue.

So, if you didn`t take a look last week, why not check it out this week at: http://datingadnetwork.com/. Because with Dating Ad Network you really can TRIPLE your CTR and visitors pretty much over night, so it`s definitely worth a look.

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

And once again, this week we`ve got another two videos for you to help you on your way with your online marketing campaigns - one regarding additional SEO tips and strategies and the other regarding how to add meta tags to a web page. Take a look for yourself at the links below.

Google On Page SEO Tips and Strategies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_1kfMR11wQ

How to Add Meta Tags to a Web Page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY7dy9GogVg&feature=related

Press: Dating Ad Network, September 29th, 2008

2008-09-29T10:05:00.003+02:00

Interview with Mike Fitzgerald, BoneFish.com

Q: How did you come up with the name “Bone Fish”?
A: Considering as we were the first white label company EVER to come on the scene and therefore we actually had carte blanche to choose whatever took our fancy, we chose a rather ambiguous name for our white label program and service.
We decided that we needed something that would subtly and elegantly express what we were trying to create on a more conceptual level, and as such, our line of thought took the following route.

We were going to provide a back end and platform that would enable affiliates to run sites of a dating nature, but we would be relatively invisible to the outside world - seen by only those that would do more than merely scratch the surface. To us, this business model appeared to be the analogy of a bone fish – otherwise known as the ghost or phantom fish. This fish is invisible when under water, rather like ourselves, who are powering a number of dating brands out of the limelight… Hence the name of the company.

Q: How is your affiliate program different from the others?
A: Our program is different in that we offer multiple and very specific niches that – unlike some providers out there – are actually real and are very much defined. As such, we can assure our affiliates that their sites really are made up of specific types of people, which of course helps to capture a better target audience and thus generate more profit for the affiliate.

Also, due to having a very large database of members from all around the world, we offer affiliates the chance to target multiple locations and countries rather than just the UK or USA, which is the norm amongst our competitors. So this – combined with the fact that our niches are defined and very extensive – makes us stand out from the crowd.

And finally, with Bone Fish all affiliates can benefit from our complete customization tools too. Each and every site can be fully branded to suit an affiliate’s needs, and when we perform a site integration (where an affiliate integrates a dating site into their existing site), we adhere 100% to their brand and identity. Perhaps this is why we have a 90% referral rate from our affiliates and a very solid reputation in the market place.

Q: Who are your customers and how do they benefit from your program?
A: A large portion of our affiliates are home-based webmasters that are striving to work full time for themselves through a larger organization such as ourselves. Another portion are independent online marketers and affiliate managers that wish to expand their affiliate portfolio by working with a number integral programs. So I suppose that our customers are a wide range of professionals and entrepreneurs from varied walks of life.

And they benefit in many ways. By signing up with us, our affiliates are immediately provided with a complete backbone and platform to enable them to set up a dating or adult site at the touch of a button and tap into what is considered one of the most lucrative markets out there today. In approximately 24-hours, they can have a fully-branded, pre-populated site up and running and attracting new members, as well as the use of customer services and accounts departments, immediate access to a database of up to 4 million members and even site integrations for existing brands.

The whole program works on a revenue share scheme, giving all affiliates a minimum of 50% commission, which incidentally – due to our company being based in Gibraltar – is 100% tax free. No other white label provider can offer their affiliates this much.

Q: How big is your network?
A: At the moment, we have around 15,000 live sites and 4,000 webmasters around the world. These sites are of very varying themes - from romance, adults, gays and fetish, to black networks, Asian networks, disabled and Christian. The list of niches really is never ending.

Q: Can you tell us about the common mistakes that your affiliates make and how they can be avoided?
A: Of course, each and every affiliate comes across their own stumbling blocks and to begin with, they all make a mistake or two. But I suppose the most common mistake is probably spending too much time tinkering with a site rather than concentrating on the marketing side of things. You have to remember that with Bone Fish, the site is pre-built, pre-populated and fully customizable right from the word “GO”. It’s a money making machine right from the start, and although most affiliates want to ensure that everything is 100% design-wise etc, and that the content is vast and varied, they need to remember that unless the site is marketed and promoted to the rest of the world, it’s just not going to make them money. And yes, their site may look pretty, but it won’t necessarily make them a penny.

Q: How does Bone Fish Ltd fight fraud and scam?
A: Bone Fish has tried to combat the matter of fraud and scamming by bringing on-board a full time risk manager whose sole role is to deal with issues of this nature. We have a number of bespoke systems in place that have been built on years of experience and we always make it our number one priority to provide an environment that is as safe and secure as it can be for both our members and our affiliates.

Because this subject is so extensive, I would suggest that those who want to know a little more about it visit the following page. Here, we discuss the matter at great length. http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/datingcentral/index.html

Q: Sites always need more traffic. Do you have any tips on generating and retaining traffic on dating websites?
A: The Bone Fish service alone sends over 5 million emails a month to drive an affiliate’s members back to their branded sites and to keep them interested in their product. When you consider our business model, you realize that this is not something that an affiliate needs to worry about as retaining members is 100% Bone Fish’s responsibility.

New traffic is unfortunately an affiliate’s responsibility though, and as such, it is imperative that generating visitors is a number one priority. New traffic is all about unique, relevant content and good SEO. So, I would say that understanding Google Sitemaps, Analytics etc is essential to make good head way. In the same manner, I also always advise that affiliates take the time to seek out some of the many tools that are out there to help generate that bit more. Many are free and quite a few are very useful indeed.

And finally, I always recommend that affiliates opt for banner exchanges and exchange links as they can both be great traffic generators too.

Q: What are the hottest niches, technologies and new trends in the online dating industry?
A: I would have to say that at the moment, the best converting niche networks are lesbian, soft fetish / adult and BBW.

Of course, as far as technology goes, trends do tend to come and go. However, those that are really in with a fighting chance of staying on the online dating scene are technologies that push the use of webcams (i.e. for speed dating), and social networking. Having said this though, this is not actually what online dating is really all about. After all, if you’re too shy to meet a girl in a bar, you’ll be too shy to chat on a webcam – don’t you think?

Q: How can potential affiliates join the white label dating program?
A: Joining the Bone Fish affiliate program is easy. Simply follow the sign up process and have a dating/adult/networking site up and running in less than 24 hours. There are no set up costs and no infrastructure is needed, and you can quite literally hit the ground running and start making money at the drop of a hat.

To take a more in-depth look at how the Bone Fish affiliate program works, I suggest that you check out www.bone-fish.com.

Newsletter: September 26th, 2008

2008-09-26T09:53:00.000+02:00

Fighting Fraud

Welcome to another Friday newsletter. This week, and in conjunction with our blog, we`re going to start introducing you to the team who sit behind the screens and show you exactly who looks after each of the departments here at Bone Fish. Hopefully you`ll soon start putting more faces to more names and understanding where we`re all coming from.

This week we`re also going to take a look at Fraud and Scamming, a topic that`s ever-present in businesses such as ours, and give you an insight into what we`re doing about it and how. Hopefully this will help to put many of your minds at ease and show you that Bone Fish is certainly doing all it can to combat fraudulent activity within its service.

And finally... if you`re looking for free traffic but are not sure where to start, keep reading - because we`ve stumbled upon a fantastic banner network that combines a brilliant team, unparalleled customer support, proprietary ad-serving algorithms and a very smart marketing approach. For Bone Fish affiliates, it`s just about perfect.

Until next week....

Kind regards,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

FAQ`s: Scamming and Fraud on the Bone Fish Service

What kind of scamming has Bone Fish been encountering on its affiliate sites?
About 90% of the scamming on Bone Fish`s sites has come from Russian and African scammers. Russian scammers are primarily looking for people to send money to Russian women or to entice members to send airfares and give gifts, etc. African scammers are slightly different in that they send out emails relating tales of woe and stating that they have a great deal of money sitting in a bank account in Uganda and are looking for assistance to transfer it into an overseas bank account for a percentage of the sum (or similar).

Bone Fish has tried to combat this matter by bringing on-board a full time risk manager whose sole purpose is to deal with the scamming issue. At present, this is our number one priority as it affects our reputation with banks, members and affiliates etc, who are obviously being hit by the chargebacks on a weekly basis.

Has Bone Fish ever encountered any types of scamming through its affiliates and has it ever had any scammers sign up as affiliates?
About three years ago, Bone Fish had a person from India register as an affiliate. However, upon seeing his average sales rocket about twice as high as its own, Bone Fish realized that something was wrong. This person`s conversion rate was about 40-50% instead of the typical 10-15%. Fortunately, Bone Fish caught him at an early stage and cancelled his account. Essentially, Bone Fish tries to cut out scammers before they become affiliates (or for that matter, members too). As a result, it doesn`t allow and also heavily screens new affiliates from certain countries, especially those from Russia, India and Africa.

What does Bone Fish think the industry should do to beat scammers?
Bone Fish is always searching on the internet for places that work as "scammer centrals". It has come across a few websites that list 5,000-7,000 members that are known scammers, but does not necessarily think that this is the right approach as they only list the names of the individual members (scammers) that are contacting members on the service - not where they come from!

In Bone Fish`s opinion, what the industry needs is a white list and a black list of IP ranges. For example, here, we use an application on our credit card page that grabs the IP address. As such, we`ve blocked approximately 25% of all IP addresses in the world already. Ultimately, Bone Fish feels that the industry should consider ISP and server-side solutions rather than just creating a large database that`s simply updated from time-to-time. Ideally, a site needs to be put together from a technical point of view that will allow people to share techniques on how to block scamming.

Employee Spotlight: Gareth Beckley

Gareth joined the Bone Fish Team in February 2008 and dedicates his time to providing technical documentation on the Bone Fish systems and processes. Gareth can be emailed at: gareth@bone-fish.com.

Who are you and where do you come from?
I grew up in Liverpool and after being shunned by the first team, I moved out to Spain where I was overwhelmed by the Spanish lifestyle and culture. (I love Spanish potato omelette and paella). I live on the Costa del Sol with my two big puppies. I`m single at the moment... (if anyone`s interested, you`ll be pleased to know that all three of us are house-trained). I cross the border every day to go to work in Gibraltar and have learnt to have patience with Spanish and Gibraltarian drivers alike. However, one ignorant female very nearly killed me yesterday - I ride the world`s second fastest production bike - a Kawaski ZX-12R, so I wasn`t best pleased and my patience is now wavering.

What is it that you do at Bone Fish?
I joined the Bone Fish team in February 2008 after working for the past 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry. I was brought in as a Technical Author but I also assess new technologies and procedures. What else... well... I love to get involved in fault resolution - which here at Bone Fish can sometimes be challenging (to say the least). Hopefully in the future I`ll be an integral part of the development team.

If you weren`t working in this industry what would you be doing instead?
I would be in care.

What`s the best thing about working at Bone Fish?
The best thing about working at Bone Fish is that it gives me the opportunity to work at the cutting-edge of internet technologies and allows me to grow and gain knowledge as the company expands. We also play fantastic music in the office - although this usually occurs when Mike`s in and we`re not being forced to listen to Man 2 Man Meets Man Parish or some of Dolly Parton`s Classics.

What are boss Mike`s good and bad points?
I like Mike because he`s not afraid to show his emotions and indeed often cries when he successfully unites 2 kindred spirits. Really, I can only fault his taste in music and his unwillingness to pin his colours to any mast, be it Man U, City or Stockport County. I believe that with his Irish heritage, underneath his 6`4` muscular frame there`s at least 2 Liverpool supporters fighting to get out.Explain to the world why Bone Fish is the greatest white label dating provider ever!We have a very united team with very specialised and advanced skills, and we actually really care about our members and affiliates.

Want free traffic? Dating Ad Network

Dear Fellow Dating Website Owner,

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Dating Ad Network can benefit you in two ways:

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2) Its publisher`s platform gives you extra revenue.

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Why wait? Hurry and see exactly what they can offer you and how your business can benefit from their fantastic service.

P.S. Have you seen this banner which can TRIPLE your CTR and visitors?: http://www.datingadnetwork.com

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing
This week we`ve found two more videos that should help you to move forward with your online marketing campaigns - one regarding Meta Tags and the other regarding Google`s Keyword Tool. Take a look for yourself at the links below.

Magical Meta Description Tags:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CKvGwNwaMg8&feature=user%22%3eMeta
Good advice on how google will spider your site and pull out information for it`s search results.

New! - Google Keyword Tool Secret!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDB6T_L-mqs&feature=related%22%3eGoogle
Great advice on getting the best out of Google Keyword tools. A very excitable commentary but very good information.

Newsletter; September 19th

2008-09-19T12:38:00.000+02:00

Bone Fish Blog Now Live

Last week we gave you a sneaky peak at the Bone Fish Blog, and this week we`re pleased to announce that we`ve actually launched it. Found at http://blog.bone-fish.com/, this new feather that`s been added to our cap is yet again another sign of our continued dedication to achieving an unparalleled service.

We understand that not all of you out there have the time to keep up-to-date with the `goings on` at Bone Fish, and many of you have very little time to keep in touch with our team here in the office. As such, we`ve created the blog as an online community centre where you, the affiliate, can go and consult anything that you may need outside of office hours.

Complete with all past newsletters, press releases, corporate information on our bonus schemes and the like, this blog - we hope - will be the perfect hub to ensure that you will always be kept "in the know" whenever and wherever you may be. What`s more, we are also hoping that it will provide a platform for you to get to know the rest our team and see who sits behind the computer screens and keyboards for hours on end, striving to make the Bone Fish service as perfect as possible. So why not take a look for yourself at http://blog.bone-fish.com/ and see what you think. Once again, suggestions, comments and constructive criticism are all welcome and can be sent to us by email at: affiliates@bone-fish.com.

Until next week,

Kind regards,

The Bone Fish Affiliate Department

Getting about a bit

This summer, Bone Fish Ltd really has been getting around. For those of you that have been a little out of touch, you might like to know that Bone Fish has taken part in a couple of events this summer and has finally spread its corporate wings over in the US.Bone Fish was present at the world`s largest swinging festival in Florida, SwingFest, from July 31st to August 3rd; at InterNext (also in Florida) from August 8th - 10th; and finally, Exxxotica New York from September 12th - 14th. As you can imagine, the male member`s of the office particularly enjoyed the New York show and are pushing to attend more events of this kind in the near future. (Now why does that not surprise us?).

Moving on

And finally, it`s with great regret that we inform you that Tyron Falero - who has been acting as a Personal Affiliate Account Manager to many of you - is moving on to pastures new. We would like to wish Tyron all the best in his new journey and we hope that he stays in contact with the members of the Bone Fish Team.

Good Luck, Tyron!!!

The Bone Fish Guide to Online Marketing

As we discovered last week, pictures can say more than a thousand words. As such, this week we`re once again offering you two videos which should hopefully help you to move forward with your online marketing. By monitoring how your websites are performing, you can tweak your campaigns, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher-converting websites with complete ease. And this is what Google Analytics - free to all advertisers, publishers and site owners - actually does.

As such, take a look at the clips below and check out how this funky and innovative tool can help you to monitor - and therefore improve - your results online.

Google Analytics Interface Tutorial:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rHeKRvo6OhI

An Introduction to Google Analytics Webinar:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EZZ86NLRS_I&feature=related