MyLife
Encyclopedia
MyLife is a social network service
founded in 2002 by Jeffrey Tinsley
after meeting his wife at their high school reunion. The company began with the acquisition of highschoolalumni.com and PlanetAlumni.com. The website claims to help members find and keep in touch with friends, relatives and lost loves.
In August 2007, Reunion.com claimed to be the 6th top social networking site with 28 million users, growing by nearly 1 million new members each month, mostly in the United States
and Canada
. Quantcast estimates MyLife has 4.2 million monthly unique U.S. visits. The site ranks as the 7th largest social network
in the U.S. with 10.8 million weekly visits.
On April 30, 2007 Reunion.com announced that it had signed an agreement with Wink
to provide Wink's people profiles (from on-line social networks and other sources on the web) to Reunion's members. Then on August 20, 2007 Reunion.com announced an agreement with ZoomInfo
to provide ZoomInfo's business related people profiles to Reunion.com members.
, included Jeffrey Tinsley
, former founder and CEO of GreatDomains.com and current CEO of Reunion.com; Richard Rosenblatt
, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Demand Media
and the former Chairman of MySpace
; and Andy Mazzarella, CEO of eForce Media and former CFO of iMall.
from Oak Investment Partners
in the largest series A venture financing in a social networking company to date. The percent ownership stake that Oak received for their investment has not been reported.
is based on user-generated content
and revenue
from paid subscriptions
and advertising
sales. 90% of the firm's revenue is from paid subscriptions.
(BBB) calls "negative option cancellation
". In this sales strategy, customers agree to pay for services unless they cancel within a specified period of time. Members are required to cancel prior to the initial anniversary date to avoid continuing annual charges to their credit cards.
Complaints from customers not resolved in a satisfactory manner caused the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau to rate Reunion.com 'F' in late 2008.
The BBB was concerned that the company used misleading advertising practices by e-mailing customers advising them that people 'may' be searching for them, and offers them to become paid members to find the identity of any people that may search for them in the future. In its FAQ section, the Reunion.com site describes this feature as follows: "'Who's Searching For You' will reveal the listed names of the specific users who have performed a search using your first and last (current or maiden) names and your age range within 5 years of your listed date of birth and is still saved in their Search History'.
By late 2010, the rating had gone to 'A+', and the following summary and analysis of customer complaints and company responses was given:
Less than a year later, the rating again went to 'F' and the company's accreditation was revoked, with the following factors cited as reasons:
The advertising issue was explained by the BBB as follows:
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
founded in 2002 by Jeffrey Tinsley
Jeffrey Tinsley
Jeffrey Tinsley is an American businessman who is the founder and Chairman and CEO of MyLife.com. He founded the company in 2002 after meeting his wife at their high school reunion....
after meeting his wife at their high school reunion. The company began with the acquisition of highschoolalumni.com and PlanetAlumni.com. The website claims to help members find and keep in touch with friends, relatives and lost loves.
In August 2007, Reunion.com claimed to be the 6th top social networking site with 28 million users, growing by nearly 1 million new members each month, mostly in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Quantcast estimates MyLife has 4.2 million monthly unique U.S. visits. The site ranks as the 7th largest social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
in the U.S. with 10.8 million weekly visits.
On April 30, 2007 Reunion.com announced that it had signed an agreement with Wink
Wink Technologies
Wink Technologies is the operator of Wink, a community-based social search engine. It provides people search across social networks, and Web search based on user input...
to provide Wink's people profiles (from on-line social networks and other sources on the web) to Reunion's members. Then on August 20, 2007 Reunion.com announced an agreement with ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is a vertical search engine focused on people, companies, and the relationships among them.-Overview:Zoom Information Inc. was founded by Jonathan Stern in 2000 as Eliyon Technologies. The company’s investors include Venrock Associates and Vulcan Capital.The site powers people searches for...
to provide ZoomInfo's business related people profiles to Reunion.com members.
Privacy
Although member privacy is protected through a blind relay e-mail system preventing that e-mail addresses and contact information is revealed, it is possible to allow Reunion to access email addresses stored on a computer upon registration. These e-mail addresses are then used to solicit more members.E-mail spoofing
People who subscribe to MyLife.com may allow Reunion to access all email addresses stored in their free e-mail accounts. These are then used to solicit more members under their name by altering the sender address and other parts of the email header to appear as though the email originated from the person who subscribed. This practice has resulted in lawsuits against the company.Ownership
MyLife, Inc. is privately owned. The original investors, making a total investment of $1.4 Million in angel financingAngel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
, included Jeffrey Tinsley
Jeffrey Tinsley
Jeffrey Tinsley is an American businessman who is the founder and Chairman and CEO of MyLife.com. He founded the company in 2002 after meeting his wife at their high school reunion....
, former founder and CEO of GreatDomains.com and current CEO of Reunion.com; Richard Rosenblatt
Richard Rosenblatt
Richard Rosenblatt is a serial entrepreneur and the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Demand Media. He has built, operated, and sold over $1.3 billion of Internet media companies.-Early life:...
, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Demand Media
Demand Media
Demand Media, Inc. is an online media company and content farm that operates online brands such as eHow, and Cracked, and is known for creating online content through its Demand Media Studios division based on a combination of measured consumer demand and predicted ROI...
and the former Chairman of MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
; and Andy Mazzarella, CEO of eForce Media and former CFO of iMall.
Financing
On April 16, 2007, the company announced that it received $25 Million in venture fundingVenture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
from Oak Investment Partners
Oak Investment Partners
Oak Investment Partners is a private equity firm focusing on venture capital investments in companies developing communications systems, information technology, new Internet media, healthcare services and retail....
in the largest series A venture financing in a social networking company to date. The percent ownership stake that Oak received for their investment has not been reported.
Business model
The company’s business modelBusiness model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
is based on user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
and revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
from paid subscriptions
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
sales. 90% of the firm's revenue is from paid subscriptions.
Better Business Bureau
This company practices what the Los Angeles Better Business BureauBetter Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
(BBB) calls "negative option cancellation
Negative option billing
Negative option billing is a business practice in which goods or services are provided automatically, and the customer must either pay for the service or specifically decline it in advance of billing....
". In this sales strategy, customers agree to pay for services unless they cancel within a specified period of time. Members are required to cancel prior to the initial anniversary date to avoid continuing annual charges to their credit cards.
Complaints from customers not resolved in a satisfactory manner caused the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau to rate Reunion.com 'F' in late 2008.
The BBB was concerned that the company used misleading advertising practices by e-mailing customers advising them that people 'may' be searching for them, and offers them to become paid members to find the identity of any people that may search for them in the future. In its FAQ section, the Reunion.com site describes this feature as follows: "'Who's Searching For You' will reveal the listed names of the specific users who have performed a search using your first and last (current or maiden) names and your age range within 5 years of your listed date of birth and is still saved in their Search History'.
By late 2010, the rating had gone to 'A+', and the following summary and analysis of customer complaints and company responses was given:
Less than a year later, the rating again went to 'F' and the company's accreditation was revoked, with the following factors cited as reasons:
- BBB Accreditation was revoked because business failed to honor its accreditation agreement with BBB
- 1185 complaint(s) filed against business
- Business has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints
- Advertising issue(s) found by BBB
The advertising issue was explained by the BBB as follows: