Talk:Mark Elderkin

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Latest comment: 8 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

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Conflict of interest disclosure

Latest comment: 10 days ago1 comment1 person in discussion

The following Wikipedia contributor has declared a personal or professional connection to the subject of this article. Relevant policies and guidelines may include conflict of interest, autobiography, and neutral point of view.

Zeusmojo (talk · contribs) This user has declared a connection.

== Conflict of interest disclosure == I am the subject of this article, Mark Elderkin. In accordance with WP:COI I am not editing the article directly. Below I propose an expanded, neutrally worded version supported by independent sources, and I am requesting that an uninvolved editor review and implement it. Zeusmojo (talk) 19:49, 31 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

Request edit: expand and source the article

The user below has a request that an edit be made to Mark Elderkin. That user has an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
The requested edits backlog is very high. Please be extremely patient. There are currently 647 requests waiting for review.

Please read the instructions for the parameters used by this template for accepting and declining them, and review the request below and make the edit if it is well sourced, neutral, and follows other Wikipedia guidelines and policies.

Proposed replacement for the current article body. Every statement is cited to an independent source; a full reference list is included. Mark Elderkin (born September 27, 1963) is an American internet entrepreneur who co-founded the LGBT website Gay.com in 1994. He later served as president of PlanetOut Inc. and, in 2007, founded the advertising company Gay Ad Network.

Early life and education

Elderkin earned a Bachelor of Science in systems engineering from Boston University and a Master of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.^[1]^[2] He plays classical clarinet.^[1]

Career

Gay.com and PlanetOut

Elderkin co-founded Gay.com in 1994 with Jeff Bennett; the site launched publicly in 1997 and grew into one of the largest online communities for gay men.^[3]^[1] As an executive vice president and chief operating officer, he oversaw the site's operations.^[1] Gay.com's parent company, Online Partners, acquired PlanetOut in 2001, and the combined company completed an initial public offering in October 2004, trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker "LGBT" as the first gay-focused company to go public.^[4] Elderkin served as president of the merged company.^[5]^[6] He left PlanetOut in 2006; in announcing his departure, chief executive Karen Magee credited him with helping the company achieve milestones including its IPO.^[5]

Gay Ad Network

In 2007, Elderkin founded Gay Ad Network, a firm that aggregated audiences across independent LGBT websites in order to sell advertising on their behalf.^[6]^[4] He characterized the company's model as representing a range of independent publishers rather than only owned-and-operated sites.^[4] Early advertisers included Bridgestone, Air New Zealand, Paramount Pictures and Travelocity.^[4] The company was later named to the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing private companies.^[7]

Board service

Elderkin has served on the boards of GLAAD, Online Partners and Stellar Networks.^[2]

Personal life

Elderkin is married to Jeff Bennett, with whom he co-founded Gay.com.^[3] They have a daughter and divide their time between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and West Hollywood, California.^[8]

References

Latest comment: 9 days ago2 comments2 people in discussion

1 2 3 4 Cite error: The named reference 7x7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
1 2 Cite error: The named reference outtake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
1 2 Cite error: The named reference instinct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
1 2 3 4 Cite error: The named reference venturebeat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
1 2 Cite error: The named reference advocate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
1 2 Cite error: The named reference pinknews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
↑ Cite error: The named reference inc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
↑ Cite error: The named reference gwk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] Zeusmojo (talk) 20:03, 31 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

Hi,

I noticed your request was erroneously filed with the {{Edit request}} template, which is for a different purpose. I have taken the liberty of changing it to the correct {{Edit COI}} template for you, so that the right people have a better chance of finding it. ~ crtbob (talk • contribs • talk) 21:08, 31 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

↑ "The Hot 20". 7x7. November 2002. p. 92.
↑ "PlanetOut Inc. announces company-wide integration plan". The Advocate. June 30, 2006. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ Aitamurto, Tanja (May 1, 2008). "Gay Ad Network makes a river from small streams, while PlanetOut struggles". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ "Gay.com founder launches gay advertising network". PinkNews. August 15, 2007. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ "The Los Angeles LGBT Center Owns The Site We Used A Little Differently". Instinct. 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ Toussaint, David (September 11, 2014). "Meet Gay Dad Mark Elderkin, CEO of Gay Ad Network". Gays With Kids. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ Robinson, Charlotte (July 8, 2010). "Gay Activist Mark Elderkin Speaks OUT". OUTTAKE Voices. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
↑ "Gay Ad Network". Inc. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[7x7-1] 1 2 3 4 Cite error: The named reference 7x7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[outtake-2] 1 2 Cite error: The named reference outtake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[instinct-3] 1 2 Cite error: The named reference instinct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[venturebeat-4] 1 2 3 4 Cite error: The named reference venturebeat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[advocate-5] 1 2 Cite error: The named reference advocate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[pinknews-6] 1 2 Cite error: The named reference pinknews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[inc-7] Cite error: The named reference inc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[gwk-8] Cite error: The named reference gwk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7x7-9] "The Hot 20". 7x7. November 2002. p. 92.

[advocate-10] "PlanetOut Inc. announces company-wide integration plan". The Advocate. June 30, 2006. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[venturebeat-11] Aitamurto, Tanja (May 1, 2008). "Gay Ad Network makes a river from small streams, while PlanetOut struggles". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[pinknews-12] "Gay.com founder launches gay advertising network". PinkNews. August 15, 2007. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[instinct-13] "The Los Angeles LGBT Center Owns The Site We Used A Little Differently". Instinct. 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[gwk-14] Toussaint, David (September 11, 2014). "Meet Gay Dad Mark Elderkin, CEO of Gay Ad Network". Gays With Kids. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[outtake-15] Robinson, Charlotte (July 8, 2010). "Gay Activist Mark Elderkin Speaks OUT". OUTTAKE Voices. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

[inc-16] "Gay Ad Network". Inc. Retrieved 2026-07-31.

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