GeekSugar

What If Websites Were Rated Like Movies?

GeekSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:00:23 PST

What if you went to a website and a rating popped up, telling you it was PG-13? That's the suggestion of British Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, who thinks that "film-style ratings" for websites is a good idea.

Whether it would work or not, I think it's a logical conclusion to come to, since even video games are given ratings these days. Of course, the big questions would have to be worked out - How would it be decided? How would it be enforced? And whose responsibility would it fall under? The little questions abound too - what about personal blogs and individual social networking pages?

I could see this being a relief to parents who are eager to shield their children from all that can be found on the Internet, but I could also see it as a big hassle for those of us who are of age, if we're talking age verifications.

What do you think?
Source

Looking to Escape? 9 Flash Sale Travel Sites With Great Deals

Emily Co — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:26:08 PST

It's a good idea to start planning your trips for the year now, so you can keep your eye out for the best deals and you won't have to resort to paying expensive last-minute prices. If you already have several destinations in mind, check out travel flash sale sites, which can save you hundreds of dollars! Here are a couple to browse through:

Groupon Getaways

Groupon partnered up with Expedia to launch a travel deals vector that features new deals every Tuesday. The deals stay live for seven days or until they run out. The site offers a good mix of national and international travel deals.

Hot recent deal: $39 for $100 toward a round-trip Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Chicago. The deal has already sold out, and over 5,000 Grouponers bought this deal.

Jetsetter

A luxury travel site that offers deals up to 50 percent off only the most luxurious and exotic hotels around the globe. Each sale lasts about five to seven days. You can pay 10 percent of the trip price to "hold" a trip for three days to decide whether to book it. If you decide not to purchase, the 10 percent becomes Jetsetter credit that never expires.

Hot recent deal: A hotel in Rome, Italy, that's going for $130 a night. This compares with the regular nightly rate of $220.

Read on for more sites.

Gear Review: Motorola's MotoACTV Fitness Tracker

Leta Shy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:55:36 PST

Is getting fit one of your New Year's resolutions for the coming year? Whether you're just diving into a new regimen or need a better way to track your workouts, you'll love the new MotoACTV fitness tracker from Motorola.

Released in November, the MotoACTV promises to be your constant fitness companion, and with good reason. It can track calories burned, pace, speed, steps taken, and GPS route out of the box, and holds up to 16 GB of music and workout data. All features that will make anyone's workouts better, so I was happy to test out the 8 GB version that Motorola recently sent over ($250; the 16 GB version goes for $300).

The MotoACTV is slightly bigger than the iPod Nano, and like the Apple product, it has a simple interface making it completely intuitive as soon as you power it on. You can use it as a pedometer, and the home screen shows the time, steps taken, and calories burned for the day. By swiping left and right you can navigate to four more screens with different options. Five tactile buttons and one designated back button on the touch screen work all the main functions, which I appreciated since having easy-to-feel buttons made pausing music or finding my way back to my workout screen much faster than if I were fumbling my way through touch screens. And after entering your height and weight stats, the MotoACTV tracks the amount of calories you burn throughout the day, including your basal metabolic rate. When on the workout screen, you can choose between five styles - running, cycling, walking, elliptical, and step machine - and what type of workout you want (like racing against a previous personal best or setting a time and distance goal). During a workout a pleasant voice keeps you updated on certain milestones and how long you have left in your workout.

Keep reading for more on how the MotoACTV performs.

5 Ways to Invest in Yourself in 2012

Guest Writer — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:22:03 PST

The following is a guest post by Kimberly Palmer, creator of The 2012 Money Planner and author of Generation Earn, available on Etsy. She is also the personal finance columnist at US News & World Report. Take it away, Kimberly!

Ready to rev up your earning engine in 2012? It’s not too early to start planning some big moves, whether you want to launch a side business, start freelancing, or pick up some extra work on the weekends.

Giving your professional image a boost can be key to maximizing your earning potential through a side gig. The idea of spending money on your freelance or side business might sound backwards. After all, you’re looking to earn more money, not drain your existing bank account. But these five investments can help turn your budding venture into something that provides steady financial support throughout the new year.

1. Create a professional website. One of the beauties of our Internet age is that Blogger, WordPress, and other platforms make setting up a website simple and free. But if you stick with the gratis version, you’re going to look like an amateur. Of course, if that’s your goal - if you’re blogging to keep up with friends and family or for yourself - then there’s nothing wrong with that. Free blogs serve a valuable purpose. But if you’re reading this, then you probably want more than that.

Unless you’re a techie design genius, creating a professional-looking website costs money. Web designers charge anywhere from $1,500 and up for a full website, but you can start by just purchasing your own domain name for as little as $8. Because your website is the first place most people will get to know you, it will be a deciding factor in whether or not they hire you. Putting money into making it look good, which means clean and uncluttered design along with a bit of personalization, is essential. It can make the difference between potential clients sending you an email to ask about your prices vs. clicking off your page.

Read on for more ways to invest in yourself.

LilSugar’s Huggies® Holiday Prize Package Giveaway

LilSugar — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:10:51 PST

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ONLINE ENTRY ONLY AND INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED. AFFIDAVIT OF ELIGIBILITY AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY FORM MAY BE REQUIRED

LilSugar’s Huggies® Holiday Prize Package! (the “Giveaway”) is sponsored by Sugar Publishing, Inc. (owner and operator of lilsugar.com) and having an address of 111 Sutter Street, Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94104 (“Sponsor”).

ELIGIBILITY: Open only to U.S. citizens and permanent legal U.S. residents at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry who physically reside in one of the fifty (50) United States of America or the District of Columbia, excluding Rhode Island, all U.S. territories and possessions and all overseas military installations. Employees of Sponsor, and their respective parents, affiliates, divisions, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and any other entity involved in the development or administration of this Giveaway (collectively, “Sweepstakes Entities”), and their immediate family members or household members (defined as spouses and biological, adoptive or step-parents, legal guardians, children, siblings, or grandparents, their respective spouses and any dependent under federal income tax law) are not eligible to participate in or win the Giveaway. The winner will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and complete relevant tax forms as a condition to the delivery of the applicable prize. Void where prohibited by law. All applicable federal, state and local laws apply.

HOW TO ENTER: No purchase is necessary to participate in the Giveaway. To enter you must navigate to the Giveaway entry post (http://www.lilsugar.com/TBD ) and submit your email between 6:00am PST on Saturday, December 3, 2011 and 11:59pm PST on Friday, December 9, 2011 (the “Entry Period”). By entering online, you will be agreeing to receive Sponsor emails.

There is only one (1) entry per person.

Normal time, toll, connection and usage rates, if any, charged by your Internet service provider will apply. All entries become the property of the Sponsor. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. By submitting your email in accordance with the entry process, you will be agreeing that your registration and any other information collected in connection with the Giveaway may be used by Sponsor in accordance with Sugar Inc. Privacy Policy, a current copy of which can be found here: http://www.sugarinc.com/privacy. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing, information collected from entrant will only be used for direct marketing purposes if entrant consents to use in such manner. Sponsor expressly reserves the right to disqualify any entries that it believes in good faith are generated by an automated program or via scripts. By participating, all entrants agree to abide by these Official Giveaway Rules.

PRIZE: At the end of the Entry Period, there will be one (1) drawing in which one (1) potential Grand Prize winner shall be selected from all eligible entries received during the Entry Period by employees or representatives of the Sponsor to each receive the Grand Prize of one (1) $500 Babies-R-Us gift card (Retail Value: $500.00), one (1) changing table (Estimated Retail Value: $350.00), one (1) Diaper Deko Plus (retail value: $40.00), one (1) set of Diaper Deko Refills (Retail Value: $30), and fifteen (15) packs of Huggies (Retail Value: $450.00); Total Estimated Retail Value: $1,370.00). If potential Grand Prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Other restrictions may apply. Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Giveaway. All prizes will be awarded. In no event shall the Sponsor be obligated to award more prizes than the number of prizes stated in these Official Giveaway Rules. No substitutions (including for cash) are permitted, except that Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. All prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians on their behalf. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize. If required by Sponsor, the winner must complete and return to Sponsor an IRS Form W-9 that reflects winner’s taxpayer identification number or social security number. The winner will receive from Sponsors an IRS form 1099-MISC at the end of the calendar year, and a copy of such form will be filed with the IRS. To receive a complete list of winners or a copy of the Official Giveaway Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Prize Fulfillment, Sugar Inc., 111 Sutter Street, Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94104. Specify winner's list or rules on your request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for prize delivery.

SELECTION: The winning entry will be chosen at random. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the e-mail account is registered. The Giveaway will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Giveaway. Sponsor reserves the right to determine the method of notification. Winners must claim their prize within three (3) business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Giveaway winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three (3) business days will be considered such Giveaway winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. Sponsor reserves the right to ship prizes directly to the email and/or mailing address provided by winners during their entry to the Giveaway. Each entry submitted in response to the Giveaway and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. One (1) entry per person. Duplicate entries will be void. All entrants agree to abide by these Official Giveaway Rules. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASES: An entrant or winner may be disqualified from the Sweepstakes if he or she fails to comply with each provision of these Official Rules, as determined in the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Participation in the Sweepstakes is at entrant’s own risk. By receipt of any prize, the applicable winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sweepstake Entities. Releasees shall not be liable for 1) failed, returned or misdirected notifications based on inaccurate information provided by the winner on the on the contest entry form) entries and responses to winner notifications which are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, postage-due, misdirected, damaged or otherwise not received by the intended recipient in whole or in part or for computer or technical error of any kind, 3) any electronic miscommunications or failures, technical hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrant's ability to participate in the Sweepstakes, 4) any technical malfunctions of the telephone network, computer on-line system, computer equipment, software, program malfunctions or other failures, delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human, mechanical or technical in nature, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from downloading any part of this Sweepstakes or 5) any warranty of fitness or merchantability of any prize or the function or operation thereof. Releasees do not make any, and hereby disclaims any and all, representations or warranties of any kind regarding any prize. Unless prohibited by applicable law, the acceptance of the Grand Prize by the winner constitutes his/her permission for the Sponsor to use his/her name, address (state) biographical information and testimonials for advertising and/or publicity purposes in connection with this Sweepstakes only, worldwide and in all forms of media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without further compensation.  By entering or accepting a prize in the Sweepstakes, winner agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and to conform to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. The winner will be required to execute and return to Sponsor within five (5) business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and (where imposing such condition is legal) and any additional documents required by Sponsor in connection with the possibility of receiving the Grand Prize. Winner may be required to furnish proof of identity, address and birth date in order to receive a prize. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Sweepstakes will be ineligible for prizes and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Sponsor reserves the right to modify these Official Rules in any way or at any time. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, cancel or suspend this Sweepstakes should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control corrupts the administration, security or proper play of the Sweepstakes, or for any reason that Sponsor believes in good faith would be fair to the entrants and the conduct of the Sweepstakes. In the event of cancellation or suspension, Sponsor shall promptly post a notice on the Contest entry page to such effect. This Sweepstakes shall be governed by California law. By participating in this Sweepstakes, entrants agree that California courts shall have jurisdiction over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to this Sweepstakes and that venue shall be only in San Francisco, California.

MISCELLANEOUS: The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision of the Official Rules is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, the other provisions will remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules will not constitute a waiver of that provision. When terms such as "may" are used in these Official Rules, Sponsor has sole and absolute discretion. Entrants agree to waive any rights to claim ambiguity of these Official Rules. Headings are solely for convenience of reference and will not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of the documents or any provision hereof. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Sweepstakes-related materials, privacy policy or terms of use on the Website and/or the terms and conditions of the Official Rules, the Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control and the discrepancy will be resolved in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion.

Facebook is not affiliated with this Giveaway.

Should You Move Your Money to a Credit Union?

LearnVest — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:15:03 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

You wouldn’t normally think of credit unions as sexy or hip.

They don’t have glossy ad campaigns and beautiful branches on every street corner. Even their basic definition-non-profit financial co-ops - sounds boring.

But these days, more and more Americans are clamoring to join the club of credit unions because of their low fees, higher interest rates on savings accounts and lower interest rates on loans.

Because they are non-profit, credit unions are the only financial institutions that go out of their way to serve low-income clientele. But you’d be wrong if you think that’s the only group they serve. Anyone can benefit from the low-fee, low-rate products that credit unions specialize in. And in fact, many more people are.

After a furor erupted over new debit card fees announced by several commercial banks in September, 650,000 customers have switched to credit unions, depositing $4.5 billion in new accounts. (That’s the same amount as existing credit union customers across the country had been depositing in an entire month.) Those bank fees have since been rescinded, but the bad taste in many Americans’ mouths remains.

Read on for more.

Hot Guys Are Better Writers, At Least Of Online Dating Profiles

YourTango — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:00:25 PST

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

On dating websites, users choose their profile pictures based on their best features; they highlight what they'd most like potential love interests to notice.

Rock solid abs? Go ahead, snap a "Situation"-esque shot with your six-pack showing. Striking blue eyes? Stare right into that webcam and pout away, baby. Plus, if you're insecure about another part of your body (let's say your lack of six-pack), you don't need to show it.

A new study, however, found that the real meat and potatoes of a person's online dating profile - you know, the actual content - is just as effective at conveying attractiveness as their picture. So, if you're hiding a flaw with your photo, online daters can still gauge how good-looking you are based on your "about me" section.

Researchers from Villanova University asked females to rate the profiles and pictures of 100 men, aged 22 to 25, who used a popular dating website. The women first rated how good-looking they found a group of men based on their snapshots. They also rated their confidence and masculinity, as determined from the picture. Next, women were given written (another group's) profiles, without the pic, and asked how attractive each was, based on how confident, kind, intelligent and funny each man seemed.

The results showed that men who were deemed more physically attractive also wrote the most appealing profiles. Researchers believe that guys who are confident in their appearance can also convey that confidence in their written profiles. Some guys have all the luck, I guess.

To read the rest of the story, check out YourTango: Hot Guys Are Better Writers, At Least Of Online Dating Profiles

Written by Kait Smith for YourTango.

13 Things That Are Causing Your Bills to Skyrocket

Emily Co — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:48:40 PST

To err is human; to make budgeting mistakes, totally human as well. Most people are not aware of the little budget traps we get caught in, because life is so busy that it's hard to keep track of the smaller money details. But being careless can rack up higher bills. Pretty soon, you might be wondering where your money is going - you don't spend that much every month but your bank seems to be emptying itself on its own. Here are things you need to watch out for:

Buying things that are not on sale: Most items generally go on sale if you wait for it. Whenever I buy greatly discounted items at a big annual sale like Black Friday, an outlet mall, or on some flash sales site, I wonder why I ever bought items at full-price.

Not preserving your groceries: Even if you're good about saving on your groceries and avoiding the items that are greatly marked up in the supermarket, those savings will be worth less if you don't know how to properly preserve your groceries. If you're throwing away food, you're wasting money. Do things like only cutting fruits and vegetables when you need them, putting your bread in the fridge or the freezer, and making perishable items more visible in your fridge. For more tips on lengthening the life of your groceries, read this.

Never checking your bills for mistakes: Monitor your receipts, bills, and statements to see if there are any mistakes being made. Get into a habit of giving your receipts a quick once-over as soon as you receive them. This may save you money and it'll definitely save you the time and effort of having to go back to the store or calling them to deduct the mistaken charges. Now that big banks are trying to slip in more fees to the unsuspecting customer, you have more reason to monitor your statements. Be a responsible consumer - the sooner you catch on to suspicious fees, the more chances you'll have of getting your money back.

Leaving your electronics plugged in: It's easy to be lazy and leave your electronics plugged in because you figure you'll be using them soon. Electronic items still suck power even when they aren't turned on. In fact, they draw five percent of the energy in American homes, according to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The amount of energy wasted is equivalent to the output of 18 power stations!

Read on for more budget drains.

6 Websites and Apps For Painless Holiday Travels

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:42:40 PST

If preparing for holiday travel season makes your heart race just at the thought of busy terminals and crowded roadways, take comfort in bits of tech salvation by bookmarking these sites and apps to help prepare for the coming craziness while preserving your sanity.

TripIt - Once signed up for the free service, forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt, which will automatically create a master itinerary of an upcoming trip accessible through the web or a mobile device. The itineraries even include the tidbits we seem to forget like weather updates, local maps, and directions.
Google Flight Search - Book that plane ticket before prices rise any further! Google's flight search engine incorporates travel basics like price point, maximum number of connections, and preferred airline with an easy-to-use interface.
Hotel Tonight - If there are too many relatives in one house, scan the last-minute hotel deals in Hotel Tonight for a chic getaway at a discounted price. Every day three hotels in a city reveal their discounted rates starting at noon, and you then have until 2 a.m. to book the deal and take advantage of a peaceful room.

Check out three more apps your phone must include for this traveling season.

15 Web Sites For Finding Deals Online

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:59:08 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

We've tested and picked 15 Web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money all year. Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you hit the stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices. We also list three smart-phone applications that will help you get deals in stores. Take a look:

Find deals

If your number-one goal is to score deals, start by checking out sites that do the bargain hunting for you. Deal sites scour the Web for discounted items - saving you both time and money.

Our favorite deal site still is dealnews, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site's visitors tip them off to bargains. The deal hunters hand pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, founder and chief executive of dealnews.

The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you're interested in and get gift ideas from the site. Dealnews also has added a local deals section to help you find discounts at brick-and-mortar stores near you.

GottaDeal.com is another great source of deals. You may find some here that you won't find at dealnews (we did recently).

A reader favorite is Slickdeals.net, a user-driven deal sharing site. It features a few deals on its homepage daily, but its forums are where you'll hundreds of deals posted daily.

Read on for more great deal websites.