Type of site | Online dating service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese |
| Owner | CPC Connect Ltd |
| Created by | Gary Frisch and Henry Badenhorst |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | November 1999 |
Gaydar is a profile-based dating website for gay and bisexual men.
The Gaydar website, built initially for desktop only, was created as a tool to connect gay and bisexual men all over the world for friendships, hook-ups, dating and relationships. Users create a personal 'member' profile, which is then used to interact and contact other registered members.
It was founded in 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa, by London-based South Africans Gary Frisch [1] [2] and his partner Henry Badenhorst, after a friend complained that he was too busy to look for a new boyfriend. The initial idea was based upon a then current concept of a corporate intranet that was in development under the codename "RADAR" (Rapid Access And Deployment Resource) for a prominent South African advertising conglomerate by programmers Ian Van Schalkwyk and Stephen Hadden. The site was launched in November 1999.
In May 2007, Henry Badenhorst was named by the Independent on Sunday Pink List as the fourth most influential gay person in Britain, down from third place the previous year. [3]
In 2009, Gaydar expanded into the app market, releasing its iOS and Android app as available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.[ citation needed ]
In May 2013, it was announced that the site had been sold to Charlie Parsons, the creator of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast . [4]
In 2017, Gaydar relaunched its site, app and brand.[ citation needed ]
Registered users are able to browse through online lists of users who are logged into the site at that time, or through lists of all active profiles. Users can send messages to each other and participate in chat rooms, which — except for the Australian and Irish chat rooms — tend to be dominated by UK users. Users can upgrade to a premium account to access Gaydar VIP, which offers more features and privileges. Members may add more photos into an 'album' attached to their profile that are viewable by other members. Guests face other site restrictions, such as a daily limit of 8 messages that they can send and 25 profiles that they can view, and a limit on number of chat rooms accessible at the same time. Guests cannot view archives of sent messages, and cannot use the friends list and do not have access to all search options. About a third of users are members.
Profiles typically include standard information on age, location, physical features, sexual predilections, hobbies, and pastimes. Profiles usually include a free format description about their owner and what they seek in a partner. There is provision for profile owners to upload a number of photographs, typically of themselves — one as the 'main photo', several as 'secondary photos', and several more as 'private photos' that can be sent as attachments to private messages.
Critics allege that it facilitates barebacking (anal intercourse without a condom), [5] though this criticism is potentially true of any dating site.
Media attention was drawn in 2003 when the website was used by Labour Party MP Chris Bryant, and in 2006, when married Liberal Democrat leadership candidate Mark Oaten used it to find gay sexual partners. [2]
The chairman and co-founder of Gaydar, Gary Frisch died unexpectedly at his home in London on 11 February 2007, aged 38 years. A verdict of misadventure was recorded by Paul Knapman, the coroner at the inquest. A pathologist, Peter Wilkins, said ketamine was found in Frisch's blood and liver. [6] On 11 November 2017, co-founder Henry Badenhorst died unexpectedly at the age of 51. He was reported to have taken his own life. [7]
Gaydar is a colloquialism referring to the intuitive ability of a person to assess others' sexual orientations as homosexual, bisexual or straight. Gaydar relies on verbal and nonverbal clues and LGBT stereotypes, including a sensitivity to social behaviors and mannerisms like body language, the tone of voice used by a person when speaking, overt rejections of traditional gender roles, a person's occupation, and grooming habits.
Reading Pride is an annual LGBTQ+ event held in Reading, Berkshire, England, that serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of Reading and the Thames Valley.
Romeo is a social network for gay, bisexual, queer and transgender people. The site was started as a hobby and was called GayRomeo in October 2002 by Planetromeo GmbH in Berlin, Germany. Initially only available in German, the site — and later, its mobile app — have evolved into an international platform.
GaydarRadio is a podcast on Mixcloud streaming service, which used to be a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people, on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It was broadcast 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.
Gaydio is a radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) community in the United Kingdom, and is broadcast on 88.4 FM in Greater Manchester, 97.8 FM in Brighton, on DAB digital radio in Greater London, parts of the Home Counties, Manchester, Stockport, Brighton, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne and Portsmouth, and online through its website, mobile apps, Smart Speakers and the UK Radio Player. Since October 2018 a separate company, Gaydio Brighton, also operates a service in Brighton on 97.8FM and DAB Radio. The majority of Gaydio is networked with several content splits and bespoke local programming in Brighton & Manchester.
Gay.com was a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site was a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site featured LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most popular online gay personals site in the United States. As of March 2007, Hitwise ranked it number three in domestic American popularity after Adam4Adam and Manhunt. Gay.com also used to compete internationally with dudesnude, gayromeo, and gaydar.
Gary Frisch was co-founder of the Gaydar website. He was one of the UK's leading gay businessmen.
Badoo is a dating-focused social network founded by Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev in 2006. It is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus and London, United Kingdom, with offices in Malta, Russia and the United States. It operates in 190 countries and is available in 47 languages, making it the world's most widely used dating network. The app is available on iOS, Android, and the web. Badoo operates on a freemium model, whereby the core services can be used without payment.
Henry Badenhorst was the co-founder of the Gaydar Radio website. In May, 2007, Badenhorst was named by the Independent on Sunday Pink List the fourth most influential gay person in the United Kingdom, down from third place the previous year.
Grindr is a location-based social networking and online dating application targeted towards gay and bisexual men, and transgender people.
Manjam was a social networking website that used GPS technology and social discovery to connect mutually attracted gay and bisexual men. With a large proportion of Manjam users based in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, the website was translated into 28 different languages. In order to support users from these locations, Manjam had focused on translating the site into right-to-left languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu. To date, Manjam is the first gay social web application targeted exclusively for communities speaking these languages. The site was active from 2004 to 2016, when it shut down.
Gabile.com is a website managed from Istanbul which provides an online LGBT community by services such as dating, chatting and sexual advice. As of 2013, it was Turkey's largest gay dating portal and LGBT social network. The organization was founded in 1999. It allows profile creation on the website, online chat and gives away information and news related to LGBT events, alongside photos, personal writings made available to people with all different sexual orientations. In 2009, there were 225,000 registered users from Turkey using the website. Four different membership types or preference are available for people who utilize the service: users, contacts, clubs and escorts, The website is available in 4 different languages and covers topics related to different sexual orientations, including active gay, passive gay, AP gay, lesbian, bisexual male, bisexual female, transvestite, and transgender Many artists, including Seyhan Arman, have worked as a columnist for the website. The organization works in partnership with Shemaleturk.com, a website exclusive to gay and transgender people. On the radio channel Radyo Gabile, many celebrities including Sibel Tüzün, Yonca Evcimik, Zeynep, Aydın, and Vj Bülent, have participated as guests. Gabile is also the owner of a gay bar in Taksim Square called Club Otherway.
Blued is a gay social network app. Launched in 2012 in China, the app now has over 40 million users worldwide in 193 countries. The application is available on Android and iOS. Its features include verified profiles, live broadcasting, a timeline, and group conversations. In 2016, the app was valued at 600 million dollars.
Scruff is an international social application for men seeking men that runs on iOS and Android devices. The app allows users to upload profiles and photos, and search for other members by location and shared interests. Users can directly message other users or they can use the app's "Woof" feature, which allows users to express interest in another user's profile.
Jack'd is a location-based chat and dating app catering to gay and bisexual men. It is available for Android, iPhone, and Windows phones. Jack'd was previously owned by Online Buddies, owner of Manhunt. In 2019, Perry Street Software, the parent company of Scruff, bought Jack’d for an undisclosed sum.
Squirt.org, launched by Pink Triangle Press in 1999, is a Canadian website which describes itself as a place "where men meet other men for sex, cruising, hookups, dating, fun and friendship". The website, based in Toronto, is available worldwide. It includes user-generated listings of parks, saunas, public toilets and popular sexual locations for men who have sex with men (MSM). It was called "unique and ideal for cruising world-wide" by the 2006 Spartacus International Gay Guide.
GuySpy is a location based online social network, gay dating app. It is available on Android, iOS and via web browser. The app uses location based services like GPS to connect gay, bi and curious men. Through their platform users are able to create profiles with detailed descriptions and with multiple photos. They are able to chat with guys around them, and send additional photos, have video messaging and provide their exact location. There is a voice option within the app as well. The app is similar to Grindr, GuySpy also has a map feature that allows the users to search for other guys in other towns and cities.
Sniffies is a map-based hookup web app for gay, bisexual, and bicurious men.
Hornet is a location-based social networking and online dating application for gay, bisexual, and non-heterosexual men, as well as other men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2018, it was seen as "Grindr's chief competitor in the gay app market". As well as featuring other men, the app contains city guide books and LGBT-specific news.
Fitlads was a social networking, dating/hookup website and app for gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom. It was launched in April 2003, and introduced video to the app in 2008.
