PRESS ARTICLE - DIXIE SUN (view original article)

LDS students "LinkUp" on the web

By Rachel Glidden, Dixie Sun Arts & Entertainment Editor, 21 April 2004

LDS LinkUp was started in 2003 to create a place for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to find old mission companions, long-lost friends and meet new people from all over the world. Since its creation, it has accumulated thousands of members from over 30 countries around the world. While in its beta period, all the services on the site are free.

New site helps people find old friends, meet new people or discover romance

LDS LinkUp, found at www.ldslinkup.com, was started in 2003 to create a place for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to find old mission companions, long-lost friends and meet new people from all over the world. Since its creation, it has accumulated thousands of members from over 30 countries around the world.

“I’m very excited about LDS LinkUp,” said Jed Dempsey, founder and CEO of LDS LinkUp. “The mission of connecting and reconnecting the LDS community is compelling for me because I know that people will really benefit from it in very tangible ways.”

Brian Everett, a DSC sophomore from St. George who served an LDS mission in New Zealand, likes the idea of finding people he hasn't seen or talked to for a long time.

"I think it's a good idea to have a site where you can look up and find old friends," said Everett. "I would use it because it is hard to find people I knew on my mission, so it would be good to catch up with those people." The website is not merely an LDS dating scene, but also allows users to search for friends by ward, mission, hometown or school, make new connections through friends, make business contacts and also, not surprisingly, to find romance. Already the website has nearly 45 members within a 25 mile radius of St. George.

“LDS LinkUp is a great way to keep connected with your college friends when you all go your separate ways for the summer or after graduation,” said Dempsey. “It’s also a great way to find out about wards, housing and job opportunities in different parts of the country where students might go after graduation.”

The site includes features such as discussion boards on a variety of topics, e-mail, personal networks of friends, and advanced search engines to explore the variety of members. While the site doesn’t exclude non-members of the LDS church, the majority of users are members.

“The site is specifically designed to help the LDS community stay connected,” said Dempsey. “We don’t specifically cater to non-LDS members, although the site has a lot of great people on it that I’m sure non-members would like meet as well.”

During its beta period, membership and all of the services on the site are free. Dempsey said that after the beta period, basic membership will be free while premium services will be created that are of particular value to the heaviest users of the site.

LDS LinkUp is owned and operated by Who New, LLC., a community of websites designed to bring specific useres together. A sister site, ChosenNet (www.chosennet.com) is currently catering to the Jewish community, with more networks on the way.

“Our goal is to increase the connectivity of the whole LDS community while helping each member use the LDS network for practical tasks,” said Dempsey. Additional information can be found at www.ldslinkup.com.

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