Yahoo! starts touching up lonely hearts

NEWS In an attempt to give paying subscribers more value for money, Yahoo! is updating its lonely hearts offering, adding video and voice capabilities to its online dating service. Yahoo! Personals, is one of the portal giant's chief moneymakers, and the firm has announced plans to implement technology which allows users to embed a greeting into their personals advertisements, either with video or a voice message. The feature is free, but if prospective mates like what they see or hear enough to want to meet someone, then they must sign up as a member of Yahoo! Personals, which costs $24.95 for one month or $49.95 for three months. The overhaul of Yahoo! Personals reflects the portal's commitment to developing new revenue streams in areas of the business which may previously have been funded almost entirely by advertising. Since the decline in online ad revenues, Yahoo! has turned its attention to developing its premium subscription services, such as dating. Still, the company faces major rivals in the online dating market, which is one of the hot spots for social activity - and profits - on the web. Match.com, which rules the market, and others have been adding more advanced matchmaking features in their online communities to stand out from the pack. Last year, Match.com, DateCam.com and PalTalk unveiled instant chat services for those looking to find dates online. Yahoo! also improved IM for personals members, including adding a web cam feature for broadband users. Yahoo said that the features will be key in driving new subscribers. The company cited statistics that show people search on ads with photos eight more times than other ads. Stefanie Olsen writes for News.com