GeekSugar

Learn How To Keep Your Online Reputation Pristine

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:00:34 -0700

Remember when Miss New Jersey's racy Facebook pics spread like wildfire across the Internet?! And in-turn, I posted a story about how to reclaim your name online, just in case this had happened to you?

Well there's now a book called Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss which outlines ten tactics to help individuals and companies cope with the consequences of people talking about them online. Tactics and tips like assuming everything will make its way to the web and monitoring your online reputation as often as your email. Although this book is predominantly business oriented, there are still alot of useful tips we can all implement in our everyday lives to ensure that our online image stays squeaky clean!

Be sure to check out the entire list on Mashable.

Advice On Cleaning Up Your Internet Act

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:00:33 -0700

Have you ever tried Googling yourself to see what results show up? Were you surprised or shocked at what showed up? Unfortunately when it comes to the internet, we can run but it is ridiculously hard to hide. I'm sure if Miss New Jersey would have known the consequences of posting racy pics on her private Facebook account, she would have thought twice about doing so even though the pictures are quite harmless (well maybe painful for the guy below)!

If you happened to be hot and bothered about what results pop up when you search yourself on Google (I won't even ask) Lifehacker has thankfully found a site which will give you tips to help reclaim your name online, making it more difficult for prospective employers or dates to dig up dirt on you!

Source

GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:23:17 -0800

GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The GeekSugar’s Submit Your Cool Captures to Win a CanvasPop Print Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Sugar Publishing, Inc. (owner and operator of geeksugar.com), having an address of 111 Sutter Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 (“Sponsor”).

ELIGIBILITY:
Open only to permanent legal U.S. residents physically residing in the fifty (50) United States of America and the District of Columbia. Employees of Sponsor and its respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies and any other entity involved in the development or administration of this Contest, and their immediate family members or household members are not eligible to participate in or win the Contest. All prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians on their behalf. Winners may 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 Contest. To enter, you must log into your profile at geeksugar.com or any PopSugar Network site (or register for a profile at http://www.onsugar.com/user/register), then join the Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a short description about the image (see also detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups ) between 12:00am PDT on Monday, November 23, 2009 and 11:59pm PST on Sunday, December 6, 2009 (the “Entry Period”). Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. 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.
By registering and entering your photo(s), you will be agreeing that your registration and any other information collected in connection with the Contest may be used by Sponsor in accordance with Sugar Publishing, Inc.’s Privacy Policy and may be shared with Sponsor’s affiliated business entities, and that you automatically opt-in to receive email, text messages or other communications from Sponsor. You may subsequently opt-out of the receipt of such email or communications by following the directions in the email, communications or by contacting Sponsor directly.
All registrations must include entrant's valid email address. The email address provided by online entrants will be the identity of the entrant and, if selected for a prize, the identity of the winner. We expressly reserve the right to disqualify any entries that we believe in good faith are generated by an automated program or via scripts. By participating, all entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules.
SELECTION:
GeekSugar editors will select their top ten (10) entries from the photos submitted to the Cool Capture group as described on the entry page between between 12:00am PDT on Monday, November 23, 2009 and 11:59pm PST on Sunday, December 6, 2009 (the “Entry Period”). The top ten (10) entries will then be posted for PopSugar community members to vote on their favorite photo. The photo with the most votes during the voting period will be the winner. 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 Contest will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The winners will be notified by email and/or by private message through the winner’s PopSugar community account; 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 Contest winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three (3) business days will be considered such Contest 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 Contest. Each entry submitted in response to the Contest and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. All entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.

PRIZES:
At the end of the Entry Period, there will be one (1) Grand Prize winner who will be awarded the grand prize of up to one (1) CanvasPop print of their choice, including all prints less then or equal in value to the 36x54,1.5” gallery wrap print (retail value: $329). Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Contest. 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 Contest Rules. 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. To receive a complete list of winners or a copy of the Official Contest Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Prize Fulfillment, Sugar Inc., 111 Sutter Street, 15th Floor, 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 determjned by user voting after a selection of 10 final entries is made by our editors. 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 Contest will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The winners will be notified by email and/or by private message through the winner’s teamsugar.com account; 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 Contest winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three (3) business days will be considered such Contest winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected based on the final user vote ranking. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected based on the final user vote ranking. Sponsor reserves the right to ship prizes directly to the email and/or mailing address provided by winners during their entry to the Contest. Each entry submitted in response to the Contest and in accordance with the rules will constitute an official entry. One entry per person. Duplicate entries will be void. All entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules. All entries become the property of the Sponsor.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASES:
An entrant or winner may be disqualified from the Contest if he or she fails to comply with each provision of these Official Contest Rules, as determined in the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Participation in the Contest is at entrant’s own risk. Sponsor shall not be liable for 1) failed, returned or misdirected notifications based on inaccurate information provided by the winner on the contest entry form, 2) 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 Contest, 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 Contest or 5) any warranty of fitness or merchantability of any prize or the function or operation thereof, which shall be the sole responsibility of the manufacturer of the prize. Sponsor does not make any, and hereby disclaim any and all, representations or warranties of any kind regarding any prize. Unless prohibited by applicable law, your entry constitutes your permission to use your name, photograph, likeness, voice, address (city and state) and testimonials in all media, in perpetuity, in any manner Sponsor deems appropriate for publicity purposes without any further compensation to such entrant. By entering or accepting a prize in the Contest, winners agree to be bound by these Official Contest Rules and to conform to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. When applicable, the winner (or, if the winner is a minor, the winner's parent or legal guardian) may be required to execute and return to Sponsor within ten (10) business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. Winner may be required to furnish proof of identity, address and birth date in order to receive a prize.
By entering, an entrant agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability (collectively, “Claims”) that may arise from their acceptance, possession and/or use of any prize or their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, regardless of whether such Claims, or knowledge of the facts constituting such Claims, exist at the time of entry or arise at any time thereafter. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Contest will be ineligible for prizes and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Sponsor reserves the right to modify these Official Contest Rules in any way or at any time. Sponsor reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Contest should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond their control corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. In the event of cancellation or suspension, Sugar shall promptly post a notice on the Contest entry page to such effect. This Contest shall be governed by California law. By participating in this contest, entrants agree that California courts shall have jurisdiction over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to this Contest and that venue shall be only in San Francisco, California.

Jessica Simpson Might Jump Into the Online Dating Pool

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:54:58 -0700

It hasn't really been Jessica Simpson's year. We all felt for her after her surprise breakup with Tony Romo, then her dog Daisy was snatched up by a coyote! Despite the drama, Jessica is hopeful that she'll find love again, and this time may even let her fingers do the talking online.

While at a QVC red carpet event last night, Jessica said that she isn't afraid of looking for love through the Internet, and may consider the method in the future. Although most of you aren't really keen on the idea of online dating, there's a large number of people who are finding long-lasting relationships through popular Internet sites. If Jessica is taking her love search online, we have some suggestions for her! Find out what they are when you read more.

Feast on Some Skycandy: Skype's new online speed dating service allows you to meet a lot of people in a short amount of time, which is perfect for Jess who's schedule is packed and is always on the go.
Twitter Me This: Jess is already a fan of Twitter, so using it to get a date should be super easy for the star.
A Word From the Wise: Just because the guys you'll be meeting online say they're legit doesn't mean they always will be. Be on the lookout for phony profiles and keep your eyes and ears open for any weirdness once you do meet your dates in person.

Microsoft Wants You to Creep Out Regular People, Not Just Celebrities

GeekSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:20:22 -0800

Want to take your crush on John Krasinski creepily far? One day, you may be able to upload his face to your dating website of choice when you're looking for love and find the regular Joe who most closely resembles your celebrity crush. This is what Microsoft's new patent, called Image-Based Face Search will do - instead of entering age/religion/location, just browse for that Clooney pic you keep on your desktop and bam! Virtual George is in your hometown.

Does this make anyone else feel shallow and kinda dirty? And yet, I would be lying if I didn't tell you I was way past curious to see the local single men who resemble my beloved Jim Halpert. Dirty feeling or not, tell me whose picture you'd upload!

Source and Source

USPS's Virtual Box Simulator: A Bit Tricky, Yet Kinda Amazing

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:05:20 -0700

So I guess someone (ahem, the United States Postal Service) was reading my tweets last week when I complained about the complicated post office experience. OK, so maybe they were already trying to simplify the entire shipping process before my rant, but whatever the case, I'm just glad they whipped up this handy online tool! Now if you want to figure out what size of shipping box you need for a parcel or package, you can use the USPS Virtual Box Simulator! All you have to do is go to the site, print the USPS eagle image on a piece of paper, turn on your webcam (either external or builtin), then launch the simulator and hold the eagle icon up to your camera so you can see if the box will fit all of your goods!

Geek Out: Do You Ever Suffer Social Networking Anxiety?

GeekSugar — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:04:00 -0700

I'm more hilarious than my tweets. My life is more fascinating than my Facebook updates. My Internet activity is more diverse than my Delicious account might suggest. But don't get me wrong, I adore social networking.

It's an hourly addiction, lighthearted medium for expression, and a fast, cheap, and satisfying way of interacting with friends and strangers around the globe. But every once in a while when I step back and look at my activity, followers and friends on the bajillion networks I belong to I worry about the trail I am leaving and the reputation I've inadvertently created online. My "real life" friends know my greatness outside the Internet, but are there strangers, co-workers and acquaintances judging me based on my scattered thoughts and tweets? All signs point to yes.

Social networking has fundamentally changed the way we date and interact with others - for better and for worse. Do you take it all in stride and just let loose, or do you stress over the wacky images and tidbits you put out there?

How to Take a Good Profile Picture

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:02:27 -0700

Say cheese! I remember lining up for school photos and thinking, "I have to look good this year! I just have to!" Digital photography has freed us from those stomach cringing moments (and the desire to burn photos!) because we can always pose again, try better light and edit without wasting film.

Of course, getting that perfect photo is critical in an age of social networking and dating sites. I was cruising the Canon website (cause you know, that's what I do) and I came across the company's suggestions for taking better online dating portraits. It says:

Keep it Simple: Posing, Cropping, Framing, and Backgrounds -Your online dating portrait should be about you. That means no one else should be in the shot, and you should avoid distracting elements that will take attention away from the most important thing in the frame – YOU! Try turning the camera 90 degrees, and shoot a vertical picture. The longer vertical frame is better suited to capture a single person, without too much 'empty space' in the background.

Photo Techniques: Lighting, Lenses, and Camera Settings - One of the biggest mistakes in online dating portraits is poor lighting. Again, the photo is all about letting others see what you look like. The goal is to make sure the image is well (brightly) lit, but with no harsh shadows.

To see my tips for looking good in your pretty profile pic, read more.

Say No to Mug and Lingerie Shots - Profile pics that look like mug shots are the worst! Don't take a picture specifically for the purpose of being your profile image (you know, like the ones where you can tell the subject held out her arm to take the shot?!). Pictures taken in the mirror (unless they are incredibly artistic), or pictures taken on a camera phone are also discouraged. Also, think twice before you use that sexy one of yourself on the beach in Hawaii with a barely-there bikini (especially for a dating profile!).
Act Natural! - Whether you are looking for a dating profile picture, or a pic to use for your Facebook or Sugar account select a fun, natural picture. It doesn't have to be a glamor shot, just an image that shows your personality. Sure it's an ego boost to show off how cute you looked in that bridesmaid dress, but you don't look like that everyday. Try a pic in your natural element. Or a casual photo from your last vacation. I love nancita's carefree and happy look in her TeamSugar profile image.

Source

Geek Out: What's Your Office's Policy on Blogging?

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:33:47 -0700

An internal document reveals that employees of J. Crew are not allowed to blog at work, but wait - their definition of blogging is not just limited to keeping a personal online diary, it's also "any other form of posting information on the Internet, such as postings on a personal web site, business networking, social networking or affinity web site, on a bulletin board, or in a chat room."

I assume that means Facebook and Twitter, which employees are further instructed to not mention J. Crew if they are going to post anything anywhere. Fine if you don't have much to say about work, but they really stick a fork in it when they say, "Do not engage in blogging using any company resources." There go your Twitter updates about what you're eating for lunch.

I understand that the company wants to protect its image and interests, but we all know how cranky it makes worker bees to be denied their Facebook time.

Does your company have a stringent blogging/Facebook/Twitter policy?

Photo courtesy of AMC

Start Your Shopping Engines: ShopStyle Mobile App Launches

GeekSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:03:26 -0700

Tech-savvy fashionistas have known for a while that the destination to search for new clothes and home accessories is ShopStyle. Well now the incredible search functions and tools have gone mobile - say hello to the new (totally free) ShopStyle Mobile app!

You can hunt and browse from your iPhone on the go - making it your best comparison shopping tool.

Out trying on jeans and have a hunch they're cheaper at another store or online? One place out of a size in a shoe you like? Just look it up on ShopStyle.

I've checked out the app and put it to my shopping and iPhone app test, so to see what I found, just read more.

My favorite thing about the app is what happens post search. Tap to flip the image and see all the details of the item, including the retailer and price. Once you've found the product you're looking for, it's one easy click to email it to a friend or yourself.

From a tech perspective, the greatest thing is that once you've located an item and want to buy it from your iPhone - instead of shooting you off to Safari and removing you from the app - the app actually frames your browser, so you're still in the ShopStyle app.

A little birdie told me that a favorites feature is coming in the next update, and after that, you'll also be able to sync your favorites with your ShopStyle profile, so you won't have to email items to yourself to remember them.

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