Website www.gleeden.com Launched 1 December 2009 | Commercial Yes Current status Active | |
Type of site Online dating service / social networking service Available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish | ||
Gleeden is a French online dating community and social networking service primarily marketed to women, specifically those who are already in a relationship. In 2009, the site was launched in France. More than 65% of users reside in the European Union. The company serves as a secure dating service open to all genders and to practitioners of all lifestyles.
Contents
Gleeden's membership service is free for women to use. The name of the site is a portmanteau of “Glee” and “Eden” (referring to the biblical “Garden of Eden”).
The site has more than 2 million members. Alexa.org reports that most Gleeden members have completed graduate school.
History
Gleeden’s dating service was founded in September 2010. The site was officially launched in Europe in December 2009. Gleeden is available in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. In 2010, Gleeden opened to the public in Australia and New Zealand. It is a brand of Blackdivine Group.
Gleeden.com is available in 159 countries. As of May, 2016, Gleeden is not available to residents in the United States.
As of 2017 Gleeden.com is run by a 100% female team. Women are empowered to participate in ultra-discreet encounters.
Community
Gleeden’s community is open to adults, 18 years and older, of all relationship statuses (married, separated, divorced, co-habitating, single) and sexual preferences (heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual). Nonetheless, Gleeden is primarily marketed to married men and women. The age of the average Gleeden member ranges from 25 to 45 years old, and the majority of its members have completed more than 18 years of education.
Services
Unlike eHarmony or Meetic, Gleeden’s business model is based on a system of credits rather than monthly subscriptions. A subscriber may purchase a credit pack in order to communicate with other members. Members will pay a one-time fee of 2-3 credits to participate in an email or chat conversation with another member. Any follow-up messages in a thread are free. Private messages, chats and credit packs do not expire. The average subscriber has £40 or US$44 worth of credits in his or her account at any given time. Members get in contact with each other via chat or private messages. Members can send each other virtual gifts, which are sorted by type and price. Although the moderation policy can be strict Gleeden members can keep private photos in a separate photo album, or “private book”, which can be viewed with the permission of the member who owns the album.
Moderation
Gleeden advertises and claims that its community is composed of 100% real members.
Gleeden purports to moderate its members heavily to ensure that all members on the site are real. Also marketed for the “discretion” of married couples, the site promotes a strict privacy policy. Gleeden prohibits vulgarity, nudity and euphemism. A reporting system is available for members to report unseemly activity. This is described as a method of ensuring a “harassment-free” environment.
Controversy
Since its launch, Gleeden has received criticism for allowing married members. The site has been severely criticized for allowing married people to identify their status and interests on their profile.
“In an age where divorce is 40-60% among newlyweds and 33% among those married for 10 years, many times extramarital affairs can intervene as therapy for a couple. is a facilitator of confidence where married couples can disregard the taboo and explore their desires safely.”
In 2015, the company was sued by the Association of Catholic Families, which contested the site's legality on the basis of adultery being illegal in France.
Gleeden refers to the network as a divorce alternative.