PlanetRomeo
Coordinates: 52 ° 18 '24.1 " N , 4 ° 57' 2.1" E
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| " Gay dating - chat, meet, love " | |
| Contact portal | |
| languages | 22 language versions (including German ) (as of September 18, 2017) |
| operator | Romeo BV |
| editorial staff | Jens Schmidt, Manuel Abraham |
| user | 1.84 million |
| Registration | Yes |
| On-line | October 2002 |
| https://www.planetromeo.com/ | |
PlanetRomeo , also known as Romeo (formerly GayRomeo ), is the largest German-speaking social network and contact portal for homosexual , bisexual and transsexual men on the Internet with - according to its own information - more than 1.8 million registered users worldwide . The portal was founded in October 2002; Since September 2006 the portal has been operated by the Amsterdam company Romeo BV . The operator cites the reason for choosing the location to avoid possible criminal law problems, which are more stringent in comparison to other European countriesYouth protection regulations in Germany could arise. In the course of internationalization, GayRomeo was gradually renamed PlanetRomeo by the operators, as domains that contain the word gay are blocked in some countries.
The portal can also be called up in a graphically neutral version, which can be useful at computer workstations with limited privacy or potential data monitoring - for example at the workplace, in a hotel or Internet café . In addition, photographs with pornographic content can be switched to blind mode, which makes surfing at PlanetRomeo easier in the above-mentioned locations. There is also a special version of the portal for mobile devices, which can also be used as a small, inconspicuous messenger , as well as an app for the iPhone and Android .
distribution
Distribution in Germany
The majority of users come from German-speaking countries. Due to the high number of members, PlanetRomeo is sometimes called the “gay registration office” or, based on the yellow pages and the dominant colors of the website, the “blue pages”. PlanetRomeo reaches almost all social and professional classes. The daily newspaper (taz) wrote bitingly: “The pink lists are back” . As with general Internet use, the degree of prevalence varies according to age group, level of education and other criteria. The Bundestag member Volker Beck ( Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen ) used the opportunity to hold virtual citizens' office hours during the 2005 Bundestag election campaign. The time spent on PlanetRomeo is longer than on other online communities . A GfK study in 2010 determined an average monthly usage time of twelve hours.
International distribution
By translating the interface into English , Dutch , French , Spanish , Portuguese , Italian , Greek , Romanian , Swedish , Polish , Thai , Serbian , Russian , Turkish , Czech , Chinese , Hungarian , Vietnamese , Malay , Japanese , Indonesian and Tagalog and Hindi is trying to attract more international users. PlanetRomeo does not do active international marketing. According to the operator, the distribution therefore follows the friend's networks and travel routes of German users. In Great Britain, Ireland and Portugal, PlanetRomeo is behind the local market leader Gaydar .
On March 18, 2009, the international gay community Guys4Men was bought and its members merged with PlanetRomeo. As a result, PlanetRomeo reported an increase of 380,000 members. The new members came mainly from the Philippines , the United States , India , Malaysia , Singapore , South Africa, and Australia . PlanetRomeo was able to realize its plan to better network the gay community and make it more international on a large scale. However, numerous users in the United States opted out in the months that followed. In Europe and Asia, however, the community continues to grow. In North and South America, PlanetRomeo is having a hard time gaining a foothold due to the local providers Manhunt.net and Adam4Adam .
The tables below show the number of registered users according to the most frequent countries (as of July 13, 2017). The " DACH + " countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) are highlighted in yellow.
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background
PlanetRomeo is operated by the Dutch PlanetRomeo BV, which manages all non-technical aspects of the site. In addition, there is Erasys GmbH in Berlin, which is responsible as a contractor for the technical support and development of the site. According to the operator Jens Schmidt, both companies work independently of each other. Schmidt is a partner in both companies, where a total of around 60 people work.
The PlanetRomeo Foundation , established in 2009, is a non-profit foundation under Dutch law. She specializes in international gay rights. The foundation was established to make it easier for PlanetRomeo BV to donate money to foreign organizations whose non-profit status would otherwise have to be recognized each time in the Netherlands. PlanetRomeo BV also calls on users to make their own donations. According to Schmidt, the BV made 60,000 euros available to the foundation in 2011 and 2012.
functionality
Registration and internal communication
Both registration and ongoing use of PlanetRomeo are anonymous and free of charge. When registering, an individual profile is created using an input mask, which can contain information about yourself as well as one or more pictures. Both sexual preferences and cultural interests can optionally be displayed. In addition, the owner of a profile can post a freely designed text about himself and his interests. Illegal or predominantly commercially oriented profiles are not permitted. PlanetRomeo is only available to adult gay, bisexual and transgender men. Profiles for which the information obviously does not meet these criteria will be deleted. Before that, the respective user receives a note on his profile that an admin has rejected this. The owner of the profile receives an e-mail in which he is asked to copy his ID card and send it to an e-mail address. As soon as an administrator has confirmed this email, the profile owner receives a message that his profile is now publicly available again. If this proof of age is not provided within ten days, the profile will be automatically and irrevocably deleted. The aim of the profile is to introduce yourself and to establish virtual contact. Many users see PlanetRomeo not only as a portal to initiate sex contacts, but as an interactive medium or gay network to maintain and establish friendly contacts, to find possible partners for long-term relationships or just to have small talk with a stranger.
PlanetRomeo is not a chat room , as sent messages cannot be read by all registered users. Messages and own pictures can only be sent to other individual profiles by the respective user. Your own shared pictures can only be viewed by everyone on the profile page. So the site works more like a messenger . PlanetRomeo is of particular importance for many gays in small towns and rural regions, as there are usually no established meeting places here.
Clubs and Yellow Pages
In addition to the news function, PlanetRomeo offers the opportunity to meet like-minded people via membership in virtual clubs or via directory entries. The regular clientele of a bar or sauna can link their profiles with an entry from this institution, exchange ideas in a forum or publicly announce their support for the institution.
There are also clubs that cater to followers of certain parties, beliefs, sexual preferences, fetishes, or recreational interests . Fans of prominent people or fans of different musical styles can also come together in this way. With these functions, users can also set certain characteristics in their profile so that they can be found more quickly by other users who are looking for these characteristics. In principle, every user is free to found a club at PlanetRomeo.
Additional offers, escort profiles
In addition to these basic functions, PlanetRomeo also includes other offers such as information on safer sex and links to magazines for gays. Certain functions, such as the graphic design of their own profile, the search for recently uploaded images and the option of calling up the SSL-encrypted page , can be used by users for a monthly fee.
In countries where homosexuality is a criminal offense, gays must expect prosecution if a membership in PlanetRomeo becomes known, for example if a credit card charge is traced. As a support, the portal operators made 27,000 premium accounts available free of charge in November 2008 for users from these countries who had already registered so that they could use SSL encryption.
In addition, PlanetRomeo offers a platform for prostitution via escort profiles that are also included there. In 2017 there were almost 26,400 escort profiles worldwide. Escort workers can purchase a prominent position in search results through additional fees.
advertising
Until August 25, 2008, the operator refrained from showing advertising. This was only found on rarely used pages. This strategy, which in the past clearly set the platform apart from all relevant competitors, was abandoned on August 25, 2008. Now, in the user search, a function frequently used by many users, advertisements - including for erotic offers - are displayed. The display of advertising can be switched off by users for a monthly fee. The advertising is being marketed by the media companies Bruno Gmünder Verlag and Blu Media Network, among others , as the PlanetRomeo operators lack the know-how for this.
Faker problem and reality
To protect against fraudsters , PlanetRomeo offers a confirmation system in which users who know each other personally mark their profiles accordingly and, depending on their level of awareness, can increase the credibility of their user profile. Anyone who has paid access - which contains additional services - has the Plus-User status . Due to the obligation to pay, part of the anonymity vis-à-vis the operator of the platform is canceled, so that a certain protection of other users against fraudsters is given. However, false information about age, physique, safe sex behavior or showing outdated or incorrect photos are more common than pretending to be someone else's identity.
The operator punishes certain of these procedures by blocking the profile, also with the active help of other users.
People with multiple profiles
It also happens that a real person creates several profiles under different pseudonyms and logs on with a different profile depending on their motivation. There is a controversy here as to whether this should be allowed for personal reasons or forbidden because it could be conducive to the faker problem.
The relevant terms and conditions (website "Terms of Use") do not exclude multiple profiles of a person as of June 2019. Rather, the operating company confirmed in 2016 in the web forum at wish.planetromeo.com that it was allowed to keep multiple profiles; It is easy to change profiles in the Romeo apps. The associated request entry contains the reason that people sometimes have to create several profiles due to different preferences / interests. Login data for multiple user accounts has been able to be saved in the apps since at least 2016. It is then possible to switch between these without entering them again.
Controversies about PlanetRomeo
Safe sex
Advertising and targeted searches for meetings for so-called bareback sex is tolerated by the operators of PlanetRomeo despite frequent criticism and supported by appropriate functions. Specific information can be provided in user profiles to search for unprotected sex. Some bareback clubs sometimes have well over 1000 members. PlanetRomeo also provides comprehensive information about the risks of barebacking. Since February 1, 2007, PlanetRomeo has been offering information and online advice from specially trained employees on various prevention projects on the subjects of safer sex , HIV and AIDS , hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases , among others in cooperation with the German AIDS Association . However, there is no editorial interference with clubs and user profiles in order to prevent open propagation of unprotected sex. The PlanetRomeo founder said: “But I think that it is not up to us as a company to judge and intervene about sexual behavior. If implemented consistently, intervention would inevitably lead to complete monitoring of the user. ”In an interview with Der Spiegel , the operators stated that 30 percent of the bareback club members were HIV-positive. With the pre-exposure prophylaxis approved in the EU since summer 2016 , these concerns are put into perspective, as with an adherence of 100% (the drug is taken correctly) up to 95% of infections can be prevented. In the gay community, this way of dealing with sexually transmitted diseases is controversial.
New terms of use
In mid-September 2011 PlanetRomeo asked its existing users to accept new terms of use when they registered. These new “Terms of Use” and the addition “Privacy Statement” were only issued in English. After controversial discussions and protests by the many German-speaking users, the operator reacted on September 23 with a modified version of the "Terms of Use", which no longer includes the general transfer of rights of use for user-generated content to the operator, which many users objected to , while the also criticized paragraphs on the vaguely worded prohibition of violations of "morality or public order" and the undifferentiated, blanket prohibition (already advocating) also consensual Sado / maso practices ("physical harm") ) have been retained.
Cultural reception
In the German and English versions of romeo4ever, the cabaret artist Holger Edmaier ironically deals with the small profile adjustments up to the faker problem.
Trivia
Although the name GayRomeo is no longer used by the operators, there were more searches on GayRomeo than PlanetRomeo by the end of 2014 .
PlanetRomeo Foundation
The PlanetRomeo Foundation was founded in 2009 by PlanetRomeo BV in the Netherlands to help achieve equal rights and opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersexual people. The PlanetRomeo Foundation envisions a world free of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, where LGBTI people have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else, and where differences in sexual orientation, gender identity and expression are valued and respected. The foundation supports projects that aim to improve the situation of LGBTI people worldwide, with a focus on the most disadvantaged communities and locations. The projects focus on three main themes: community building, refuge and sport & culture. In its funding policy, the foundation shows its preference for small, ambitious grassroots projects “for the community, through the community”, the aim of which is to involve, mobilize and activate this community. There is also an emphasis on organizations or initiatives with little or no access to general funding sources. The minimum grant amount that can be requested is € 500 and the maximum grant is € 5,000. The foundation is an independent, registered, non-profit organization with a board of directors and a board of directors.
literature
- Marco Ebert: freedom and domination. On desexualized sexuality using the example of GayRomeo. In: Patsy l'Amor laLove (Ed.): Self-hatred & Emancipation. The other in heterosexual normality. Berlin 2016, pp. 100–117.
- Axel Krämer: Dangerously high dating factor . In: taz . Berlin November 13, 2004, ISSN 0931-9085
- Friederike Hofmann: Gay with a dog is looking for a flight attendant . In: Der Spiegel . Hamburg October 13, 2006, ISSN 0038-7452
- Stefan Mey: Blue Planet Gayromeo. Interview with the PlanetRomeo operator Jens Schmidt. In: Victory Column (magazine) . October 2010.
Web links
- PlanetRomeo.com (official website)
- PlanetRomeo Foundation (PlanetRomeo Foundation website)
- PlanetRomeo - gay contact exchange between blind date and youth protection
- 1.8 million men like this | Neue Zürcher Zeitung (February 15, 2016)
- Romeo is looking for Julius on the Internet , heise online , February 18, 2007
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d User overview of GayRomeo (Deeplink for registered users. Visible without registration at www.gayromeo.com → User → Online country list. Status: July 13, 2017)
- ↑ PlanetRomeo, the fairy tale (self-reported by the operator)
- ↑ a b c d e f g Stefan Mey: Blue Planet Gayromeo . Interview with the PlanetRomeo operator Jens Schmidt in Victory Column , October 2012
- ^ Rüdiger Peuckert, Family Forms in Social Change , 8th edition, Springer VS , Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-531-19031-0 , p. 582.
- ↑ taz.de: Dangerously high dating factor
- ↑ GfK: Games and Social Networks Shackle You to the Internet , October 14, 2010 (PDF; 93 kB)
- ↑ www.planetromeo.com
- ↑ The company ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , erasys.de
- ^ Planet Romeo Foundation
- ↑ Dennis Klein, Christian Scheuß: Mutti has the donation pants on , queer.de, November 18, 2011
- ↑ Marketing by the Bruno-Gmünder-Verlag: Planetromeo Mediadaten 2012 ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.1 MB)
- ↑ Marketing by the Blu Media Network: Planetromeo Mediadaten 2012 ( Memento of the original from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.2 MB)
- ↑ Terms of Use | PlanetRomeo. In: ROMEO. Accessed June 9, 2019 (German).
- ↑ allow multiple profiles. July 19, 2016, accessed June 9, 2019 .
- ↑ Der Spiegel: Gay with a dog is looking for a flight attendant (no review of the book of the same name mentioned in the literature list)
- ↑ Christian Scheuss, Norbert Blech: Barebackers out of the Internet portals? , queer.de, October 12, 2004
- ↑ romeo4ever , youtube.com (only for registered users over 18 years of age)
- ↑ Gayromeo and real life , MyVideo.de (no age limit )
- ↑ Query comparing the search frequency of the two website names ( memento of the original from June 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at Google Trends , accessed February 5, 2013
