PlanetRomeo

PlanetRomeo, also known as Romeo, is a social network for gay, bisexual and transgender people. The site was started as a hobby and was called GayRomeo in October 2002 by Planetromeo GmbH in Berlin, Germany. It was initially only available in German but has evolved into an international sphere. The ROMEO website, iOS app and Android app are commonly used by the male gay community to find friends, dates, love or get informed about LGBT+ topics.

ROMEO B.V.
Type of site
Geosocial networking
Available inEnglish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
OwnerROMEO B.V.
Created byJens Schmidt and Manuel Abraham
RevenueMembership fee for PLUS accounts in certain countries; advertising.[1]
URLwww.planetromeo.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationYes
Users 3.4 million (as of November 2017)
LaunchedOctober 2002
Current statusActive

Initially, the site was available only in German and hence it used to have a majority of users being from German-speaking countries, such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The website and apps are currently available in 6 languages. The German-speaking community remains the largest community but not the majority. It has been operated by Planetromeo B.V. located in Amsterdam, Netherlands since September 2006.

Blue Pages

In Germany, due to its high number of registered users, ROMEO is often called the "Gay Registry Office" (schwules Einwohnermeldeamt) or "The Blue pages" (Die blauen Seiten),[2] referring to the well known telephone directories the yellow pages and the white pages. In a satirical reference to the Nazis' compilation of lists of homosexual men in the 1930s, the German newspaper "Taz" announced: "The pink lists are back".[3]

Features

Personal profiles

To access ROMEO, users (affectionately referred to as Romeos) create a profile which typically includes a simple physical description, personal interests, and one or more photographs of themselves.[4] Sex workers and escorts can also advertise their services on the Hunqz section of the website.[5]

Clubs and Guide profiles

Aside from personal messaging, ROMEO offers users the chance to create Club and Guide profiles as another way of connecting with gay men sharing similar interests. For example, a bar or sauna creates a Club or Guide profile, to which Romeos either can join and or link their private profiles. The administrators of the Club and Guide profiles can send direct messages to their members. Club members exchange news or discuss various subjects in the club's forum or via a newsletter. Clubs also exist for supporters of political parties, members of religious groups and employees working in particular industries; some clubs have a more playful and sexual orientation. There are also fan-clubs for pop or movie stars, classical music, etc. In fact, since any user can create a club-profile, the list is limitless.

In March 2009 the online community Guys4Men.com joined ROMEO.[6]

Community information

In February 2007, ROMEO launched a live and online health advice service in cooperation with Deutsche Aids-Hilfe, Germany's national NGO for HIV/Aids issues. Contact information for HIV/AIDS support groups and organisations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is also provided on the website. Romeos receive answers online about health and best practices for safer sex; many of the health supporters speak more than one language. Other links lead to the ROMEO Blog and PlanetRomeo Foundation.

See also

References
  1. "Delhi gay parties need to stop being transphobic". Dailyo.in. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  2. http://www.neon.de/artikel/fuehlen/sex/gayromeo-oder-warum-man-schwule-nicht-daten-sollte/1065983
  3. Die Tageszeitung - Gefährlich hoher Datingfaktor (in German)
  4. "Aussie priest, who fled to Malaysia, reportedly seeking 'young Asian men', AsiaOne Malaysia News". News.asiaone.com. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  5. Eichert, David. "'It Ruined My Life: FOSTA, Male Escorts, and the Construction of Sexual Victimhood in American Politics" (PDF). Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. 26 (3): 201–245.
  6. Article of Austrian magazine "Gayboy" (in German) Archived 22 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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