Blogs > Andrew > Comments from the CEO/Founder |
Repost of recent newsletter
Repost of recent newsletter Just a repost... As the returning CEO of FriendFinder Networks, which operates 99Flavors.com, I would like to personally thank you for being a member. For those who don't know me, I founded 99Flavors.com in 1996 while finishing my engineering Ph.D. at Stanford. Over the next 12 years, I led the team that created the largest adult community on the Internet – a place where adults meet, interact, and have a great time pursuing healthy, active, exciting sex lives. From the start, our primary goal was helping members find "success." In December 2007, feeling a need to take on different challenges in life, I took a hiatus to pursue other projects and sold the company to a group of investors. Over the years, my influence on the quality and goals of the websites diminished, and I saw the site drift from its original, user-focused community. I returned in December 2013 to change that and work hard with you to build the next era of 99Flavors.com. I am now responsible for leading a reenergized team of developers and other employees who, like me, love the company and are passionate to make a difference in your life. I waited a couple of months to email you as I wanted to first focus on improving 99Flavors.com to a point where both you and I can see the difference a renewed emphasis on quality can make. We've already made over 1,000 design changes as well as many feature, site speed, and stability improvements, including:
All of this is to help you better interact with others and have fun! Now we need your help. Tell us what you think. Many of my priorities are set by you – the members. Please take a few moments and give your feedback and ideas in this survey. Thanks! I'm honored that you've made 99Flavors.com your home. Sincerely, Andrew Conru, Ph.D. CEO, FriendFinder Networks Inc. |
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that's wonderful it has not been the same since you have been gone.. after you left when you received emails, you did not know what site they came from since penthouse pimped you everywhere with no regard to what your preferences were. Hopefully that will all change
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Thank you is what I think ![]()
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I hope that these future improvements include a global block feature. AB No Bozos
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The survey is included with the email that this is a copy of...which was sent to the email you registered here with...got mine and I'm working on my response.
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3/18/2014 10:04 pm |
I joined the site when it first began. Over the years I've come and gone because of different things being messed up. I think you've done a great job of improving the site since you've been back. Thanks again. ![]()
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I'm hoping blocking features will be incorporated that members of other sites will be locked from viewing profiles. Welcome back!
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nice
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Welcome home Boss, Onwards and Upwards..Forward momentum as we discussed. Great to have you back at the Helm of the ship. Happy Wed, Ana6
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Andrew, A changed that would be welcomed by most, would be a way to improve user to user civility! ![]() From a technical standpoint, dragging a mouse across someone's profile picture should not constitute a profile view. This is a deceptive practice, ![]() I would like to have your response to this issue! Find pleasure in giving pleasure
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Sadly I agree with ALL of this. I can't get over how many guys seriously got here and showed a total lack of manners as they thought that women here were just sluts to be used and thrown out. I am glad that NOT ALL MEN are like this, there are some gems in here, but finding them really became much harder and the abuse to women on here skyrocketed. Total lack of social skills was rampant as hate emails were flying around if a woman's profile said they didn't want (fill in the blank) and it is what that guy wanted. I am sure that the fakes went off the charts as well knowing they had a plethora of gullible men to take advantage of. Fake women, men using stolen porn photos of dick shots, rudeness, I believe most of it stems from that frame of mind Penthouse was trying to sell and it ruined much of the site. I did a few interviews for you once upon a time, and I would do it again stating I WISH the site was viewed like the others only as was said with the twist that sex is not bad. Women that like and want sex are not tramps and whores, but should be treated with respect. ADULTS looking for ADULTS in an Adult SOCIAL Network is what this place is. Everyone has a reason for being here and not all are the same reasons. I have been a member of your site for a decade..lol and am proud to say so. I wish we could promote that to others and as was said above not that this was an online whorehouse/brothel, but a serious place to come for many things. GLAD YOU ARE BACK ANDREW!!! I am always in your corner!! BTW.. can we do something about that Message Center??? ROFL IT STILL IS HORRIBLE!!!
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Welcome Back!!!!!!!!!! ![]()
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1 post 3/19/2014 10:17 am |
Glad to have someone who cares at the helm. As a long-time user and a 20 year veteran in marketing and online transactions I think you're missing out on a ton of revenue. Streamlining what you charge money for and the kinds of things people can spend money on could significantly improve both acquisition and retention while driving your ARPU up by double-digit percent. There are of a ton of technical issues. In IM chat it's common to joke about how bad 99Flavors.com software is. I'm glad things will be getting addressed. With the growth of other mobile and online communities like Fet and Blendr, how do you plan on differentiating your brand from them? Best of luck! - Inigo
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It's great that you've re-taken over 99Flavors.com! ![]()
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Welcome back Andrew. Great to see you again. I hope you sure can make the changes to the site as they are sure needed. hugs V Become a blog watcher sweet_vm
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Took the survey and left a *ream* of observations/feedback/suggestions. Are you going to do a blog post giving us an idea of what trends came out in the survey?
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Maybe "global" is the wrong term. It probably should be "total" block. I know that the ability to block people from contacting me ... reading my blog ... etc ... already exists. What I am proposing is when I block someone they become invisible to me. The current block feature does not do this. In my proposal ... as far as I'm concerned ... they don't exist on this site. Anything they post ... anywhere on this site ... is invisible to me. This feature exists in the chatrooms as the "ignore" function. In that case when you are "ignoring" someone none of their posts show up in the chatroom. I hope that explains it. AB No Bozos
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Thanks, but... how about an easier way to pay, just with the credit card instead of having to print the receipt and send and resend it time and time again to a fax number that very rarely works?
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Foxeyatfifity and rdy2try4, If I had a dollar for every friendly message I sent women here that got ignored I could take the next ten years off. Trust me,this place has some rude,unfriendly women here as well. And Andrew,you want feedback...here goes. Every time I have contacted customer service online I have failed to get a response. Every single time. The messenger is clunky.Last night I couldn't send messages out.Again. Fake profiles are still an issue.I do a "local search" and half the profiles were fakes. The mobile app is limited as well. As a paying member I expect better...or at least I expect someone to give a damn in your customer service department.
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Foxeyatfifity and rdy2try4, If I had a dollar for every friendly message I sent women here that got ignored I could take the next ten years off. Trust me,this place has some rude,unfriendly women here as well. And Andrew,you want feedback...here goes. Every time I have contacted customer service online I have failed to get a response. Every single time. The messenger is clunky.Last night I couldn't send messages out.Again. Fake profiles are still an issue.I do a "local search" and half the profiles were fakes. The mobile app is limited as well. As a paying member I expect better...or at least I expect someone to give a damn in your customer service department. Bottom line, no one on here OWES anyone an answer. If you were a door to door salesman and no one is home you don't sit on the porch and wait for them to come home to talk to them. You move to the next house and don't take it personal. That is the same HERE. Consider WHY you may not be being answered. You got lost honestly in the flood of crap on this site caused by many of your own gender that didn't read profiles and are just playing the numbers slamming out emails saying "wanna f*ck?" with a dick photo and nothing else. Blame it on the men that ARE insulting to us for giving a polite no thank you and we just get tired of hearing it. Definitely remember, no one is going to waist their 10 emails to say no thank you, they will save them to say "Hey, I want to talk" to someone they may have a connection with. Posting in your profile that you think women are rude if they don't answer or to be nice as it won't hurt you to answer comes across more controlling than anything else, especially when you follow it with "because no one likes a b*tch". Come on, that is not necessary at all. May I finish this with a woman NOT answering an emails is in no way compared to women being called b*tches, whores, sluts, c*nts, and told to get off the site and leave by total strangers that read their profiles and didn't like that they can't get laid. Those messages can be seen at Unsolicited HATE Emails no prior contactwupdates. There are TONS of blogs written showing how abusive people, men AND women, can be on this site. Ignoring an email is not abusive.. just saying
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3/21/2014 10:15 am |
Not overly impressed with the new IM. It seems rather odd that one would set it so that incoming pages start from the bottom.. When you have 25 or so all coming in at once it's impossible to see what's new and what one has just read, from my personal experience so far it was a chaotic jumble of unreadable text streaming past, might have been an idea to get a few opinions on that before hand, but hey, what do I know I just use it all the time. ![]() I'd like to see a total blanket ban too, like an invisibility cloak, I ban them, I can't see them, they can't see me.
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totally unrelated but i real quickly wanrted to say i LOVE your quote about about it needing to be dark to see the stars.would you mind if i borrow it? just what i needed to see tonight. thanks!
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Question: Regarding deleted chats; Hubby & I were really getting 2 know what seamed 2 B a very special Gent. In our chats there was personal contact info, we were both active members at the time, Our new friend took a leave (ended membership) & all our conversations/e-mail/chats his input was deleted wow! why? We were both active members, I considered my e-mail my property why was that taken from me? I feel this was an unfair action & is there a resolution 2 such a situation? I did address this issue, but received no reply, or response 2 my situation, I am sure this has occurred 2 other members, how can we retrieve what was once ours back? Thank U in advance, Truly, BrnSgr54 & Hubby ![]()
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Andrew,the fake profiles are out in full effect. Just did a search of online memebers in my area..out of the first 20 it showed me TEN were spam/fake profiles. I will put this here because "customer service" does not respond to my messages. So what can you do to at least cut down on the fake profiles?
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3/24/2014 9:57 am |
Not overly impressed with the new IM. It seems rather odd that one would set it so that incoming pages start from the bottom.. When you have 25 or so all coming in at once it's impossible to see what's new and what one has just read, from my personal experience so far it was a chaotic jumble of unreadable text streaming past, might have been an idea to get a few opinions on that before hand, but hey, what do I know I just use it all the time. ![]() I'd like to see a total blanket ban too, like an invisibility cloak, I ban them, I can't see them, they can't see me. To say I'm displeased is putting it mildly, let's hope you get it sort out sooner than later [image]
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Good to see you back. I participated in the survey. I've been a member since 2005. Don't know if I'm going to make it to 2015. Simple reason, when I joined, a standard member had privileges that other sites promised but never delivered to standard members. For many years that was the case. Not even close anymore. Now about the only things a standard male member can do for free; is chat in a chat room, post to a blog, reply to an e-mail if generated by someone else, and post in a group. I've been a paying member for the bulk of those years since I moderate Younger Women for Older Men. It's easier when you're the moderator to be a paid member to be able to check on or e-mail members. When I was a standard previously, my activity gave me some of the privileges as a paid member. I'm tired of CS giving me BS answers when the group is denied through no fault of the group. I have been with 99Flavors.com longer than these CS reps and I know they are reading a canned script. I have computer skills. I guess, the site is no longer fun for me. The only reason I stay is because of the group and the friends I have made here. Give me a reason to stay without becoming a paying member, again. JW Associate Moderator of Younger Women for Older Menand standards can contact me here, justwannahav1950
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Here's a suggestion, if you want to increase the number of females on the site: Change your advertising! EVERYTHING about this site is male-oriented. When I go to my log-in page, I used to see teenage-looking girls, Asian girls, blonde girls, etc. Now, instead of photos of teenage-looking girls, I see videos of teenage-looing girls fingering themselves, masturbating with Tootsie Pops, and sucking themselves. Not exactly what I, as a woman, want to see. Not only is it not interesting to me, it totally lacks any kind of class. Yes, I realize this is just a sleazy sex site, but still. I'm not a flippin SLUT and I resent these ads giving the males on here the impression that every woman who signs up IS a slut! There's nothing in this advertising to make a woman WANT to sign up, unless she's bisexual and interested in teenage girls! Second, please please PLEASE change how the icebreakers work! I admit I created one just for the gold membership. And I admit I obviously didn't read the fine print, because I didn't know it would get sent out to random men in odd places around the country. Those random men then send me nasty emails wanting to know why I emailed THEM when they obviously don't meet my requirements! If I were at a cocktail party, I wouldn't throw a handful of icebreakers randomly into the room - I'd be selective about who got one. This site should be no different! Personally, I also resent the no-outside-contact in the first 2 emails rule. I'm a grown up. You're not my mother. If I choose to be stupid, that's MY business. If I give out an email or phone number and get spammed, that's MY fault, not the site's. Don't dumb-down the site just because some people are stupid. Let the stupid people deal with their own messes and leave the rest of us alone. if I laugh at any mortal thing, ’Tis that I may not weep... Don Juan
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Let me better clarify my situation, and I believe you will better understand my complaint. I had begun to communicate with a member, and was advised by him that he was going to close his account, so in light of his intention to do so, he provided me with a contact # and an alternate e-mail address so that we could continue to communicate. Well, being new to the site, I procrastinated in copying the information, because I was unaware of your practice, and didn't think I would have the information taken from me. My protest is based on the fact, that at the time the communications were made, both parties were paying for your service, and my Husband, who is an attorney will argue, that any mail sent and received prior to such deactivation of the other party's account, was in fact our property and should not have been tampered with, as it pertained to our account, which was at the time and continues to be active. One's mail, is One's mail, be it in electronic, or print form. The U.S. Postal Service does not withhold, or confiscate from a recipient any previously sent correspondence that contains a P.O. Box No. as it's return address, simply because the sender chooses to no longer retain the P.O. Box from the Postal Service. We advise that you reassess the matter, in light of the views stated herein, and change your policy. Another occurrence of this sort, is surely not expected. Thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter.
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Just an acknowledgement, I have made written requests in the past for review of various problems I experienced with my membership, & I never received a reply, but after reading your introduction & request for feedback I decided to re-address one of my complaints, & I must say I received a reply, thank you, I see you are attempting to do well, best wishes, from this member although my problem is not resolved yet, I do have some co-operation, at least an attempt to work on a resolution, just remember we are paying customers and always deserve your utmost consideration, respect, & service.
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You are doing a great job,, if ever something goes wrong,, It seems to be fixed before I can send a message of notification,, Great Work 99Flavors.com !!!
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Why can't you put the person in the same STATE for MATCHES not in a different country...
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When someone lives close to another country border, why do you put the person that belongs to Alaska in Canada and why your team put matches in Canada not in Alaska...
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4/24/2015 7:04 pm |
whatever has been done it has ruined the site! 5 women on cam on a friday night only 400 people total on cam right now there used to be a thousand plus!!! imc totally sux in every way!! i have complained and complained it just gets worse!! the new task bar sux u go near it flashes on and wont go away!!! you gave ad free preference that does not work anymore! hire someone to fix the site and you might get more of my hard earned money but not until something works as it is supposed to! all these things worked when i signed up but now they are basically useless 75 per cent of the time!
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Cannot get my local men... All you are giving me is mostly foreigner..
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