GeekSugar

Survey: Online Breakups Are A Common Thing

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:00:13 PST

I know not everyone is pleased as punch that Valentine's Day has rolled around again, and for all you non-celebrators, I have entertaining and upsetting news. According to a survey commissioned by Samsung Telecommunications America about 11 percent of Americans say breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend via text message is okay.

Apparently, text message, instant message or e-mail and even social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have become common places for an old fashioned (but very public) dumping. For more, just

Would You Pick Good Service Over A Valentine's Date?

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:07:23 PST

Apparently romance is giving way to the promise of good customer service. According to research by wireless service Voce, four out of five Americans would rather have 24-hour customer service assistance from fully informed "live" people than a date on Valentine's Day.

The study "Digging Deeper on Customer Service" highlighted consumers' growing frustration with the continuing downward trend in customer service. As a person that is constantly on the phone with Apple, Sony, TiVo, my bank and UPS, I totally sympathize. So many technological advances meant to make customer service more efficient or easier to use actually make dealing with companies more of a hassle for customers.
The survey also says nearly two out of three Americans would
rather take out the trash than speak to someone from customer service.

Tell Us "What Is Your Love End Game?" and Enter to Win the Ultimate Valentine's Date Package!

TresSugar — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:24:35 PST

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, love is in the air. But while February 14 always conjures up images of roses and chocolate, new research suggests that modern relationships are less traditional. Fewer Americans are getting married and those who do are waiting longer. For Valentine's Day, we partnered with AskMen.com and want to ask our readers if and how their ideas of love and goals for their relationships are changing. And we want to see if the attitudes of men and women about their "love end game" are evolving in the same or different ways. So whether your a man or woman, single or taken, fill out our short survey about love and marriage. You'll be entered to win the ultimate Valentine's date package from Limos.com complete with luxury car service, dinner for two, and flowers! Click here for official rules.

Take Our Survey Now!

Tips For Building an Effective Online Dating Profile

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:02:33 PST

In this digital age, men and women aren't just hitting bars and coffee shops to snag a date. More and more, they're heading to the Internet. In fact, 50 percent of men have met a woman online according to a recent survey. It's obvious that online dating has become the norm, and for good reason - the Internet gives you more options because you can cover a wider area of partner possibilities (as in, the entire globe). And while your chances are better of finding a compatible mate on the worldwide web than, say, your small town of 13,000 people, the Internet can't help you if you don't give off the right signals. First impressions are everything - even virtual ones. Beef up your online dating profile with these tips, and snag yourself one of those "many fish" your mother is always talking about.

Make sure you're fishing in the right pool -You wouldn't go to Craigslist's Casual Encounters to look for a serious relationship, so don't go to Match.com if you're just looking for a little fun on a Friday night. Sites like eHarmony and Chemistry have had a lot of success by getting scientific about the dating process (taking your likes and dislikes and matching you up with someone who's compatible), so make sure you're ready to commit before diving in!
Lose the negativity - No one wants to meet up with a Debbie Downer, so if your online dating profile is riddled with sarcasm, negativity, and pessimism, you can be sure that you won't be getting many date requests any time soon. This doesn't mean you have to be fake, just keep the "I'm too cool for school" attitude to a minimum.

See a few more tips, including some important dos and don'ts for your profile photos, when you read more

How to Stop Keeping Up With the Joneses

LearnVest — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:15:16 PST

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

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there are many money lessons to learn from The Real Housewives.

One spent a season building a $1.8 million mansion and driving around a $1,280-per-month Escalade, only to file for bankruptcy with almost $11 million in debt.

Shortly postbankruptcy, she dropped another $60,000 on a shopping spree so she could continue to fit in with those in her social circle.

Even if you don’t end up with millions of dollars in debt - or have friends who are millionaires - trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Gorgas, in this case) can not only make you feel lousy about yourself, but also inspire bad spending decisions. We call this phenomenon “money comparisonitis.”

How Having "Comparisonitis" Affects Us

In our own lives, the dangers of gazing enviously at the Real Housewives’ spending sprees, our neighbor’s new car, or that family down the street who can send their kids to private school are not only the fact that it makes us feel bad, but that it literally distorts our view of reality.

In other words, we look at celebrities like the Kardashians or the wealthier people we know, and we try to emulate their spending habits. “You’re not being truthful with yourself,” says Susan L. Hirshman, president of She Ltd., a consulting firm focused on enhancing women’s wealth, and the author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?. “As they make more money, that allows them to live a certain lifestyle.” In other words, you have to face facts and spend in accordance with your own budget, rather than feeling entitled to live a certain way just because other people do.

Read on for more.

Holiday Wish Lists: Practical or Tacky?

LearnVest — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:15:58 PST

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

Ah, the wish list.

It made a lovely debut when we were little, often addressed to a certain Mr. Claus. It had a good run for a few years, but retired itself in adulthood as the stuff of kids and dreams (with the exception of weddings and babies, when they take on the adult guise of “registry”).

And now that we are adults, wish lists (outside of those socially acceptable registries) are at best silly and at worst mercenary, right? That’s what many think.

Are We Becoming More Mercenary?

A recent New York Times story discussed the recent trend of the wish list-it’s back, along with more mercenary attitudes towards gift-giving, like a desire for gift cards instead of actual gifts. (According to the story, for the last five years, gift cards have been the most requested gift, according to National Retail Foundation surveys.) A study released earlier this year showed that people who receive gifts they had requested actually derive more pleasure from them and appreciate them more.

Read on for more on wishlists.

Are Bicurious Women Messing Up the Government's Sex Stats?

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:30:00 PST

Every eight years, the National Survey of Family Growth hops into bed with Americans between 15-44 to find out what every government wants to know about its citizens: how's your sex life? It can reveal useful and intriguing information, like teens are delaying sex, and women are twice as likely to have a same-sex encounter than men.

In fact, women who identify as slightly bisexual are having more sex with men than completely straight women. In the study, straight women were less likely to have had vaginal or oral sex with a man than slightly bisexual women. The explanation is deduced to women who identify as somewhat bisexual are more likely to be adventurous with both genders than completely straight or gay women.

While it's purely anecdotal to say bisexual escapades have become a trend among young women, I don't think many would fight that statement. But as girl-on-girl kisses fail to shock, I wonder what this report will look like by the end of the decade? My guess is interactions between "slightly bisexual" men will be on the rise.

Infograph: What Men and Women Really Think About Valentine's Day

TresSugar — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:25:31 PST

Do women really love red roses? How much should you spend on a gift? Do single people plan on hooking up on Valentine's Day? We got the answers to those questions and more when we teamed up with Ask Men and polled thousands of men and women about Feb. 14. We wanted to find out just how much men and women agree, or disagree, on the specifics of the lovers' holiday. The results are in! Take a peek into the collective mind of each gender just in time for Valentine's Day with our handy infograph!

Want to know more? Read all the results here.

Men vs. Women Valentine's Day Survey Results!

TresSugar — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:51:18 PST

Valentine's Day is for lovers, but men and women don't always agree about the details! We partnered with Ask Men and polled thousands of men and women to find out exactly how we disagree. The results are in! Some of the answers might surprise you, like who hates V-Day engagements more, how many people have had a one-night stand on Feb. 14, and what each gender thinks about partying with their single friends. Other results won't catch you off guard - Surprise! Sex is the preferred gift among men. We also found out which celebrity charmer women wish they could go out with, and which famous woman tops men's dream-Valentine list. Take a peek now into the collective mind of each gender just in time for Valentine's Day! And check out our insightful Valentine's Day infograph, too!

What's More Important: The Right Job or Perfect Partner?

Emily Co — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:05:34 PST

During these tough economic times, singles are more romantic than practical - 46 percent of them would rather find a new love interest vs. the 29 percent who prioritize finding a new job, according to a Match.com survey.

Although love certainly is important, there's no denying the value of having a steady job to put food on the table and pay the bills. I'm wondering what you would prioritize if you had to choose. What do you think is more important: having the right job or the perfect partner?