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You Asked, We Answered: Best of Tech Dating 101

GeekSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:05:46 -0700

The holidays are approaching, and you know what that means: time to switch into friends and family overdrive! Although you may be spending more time than usual with Aunt Laura, that doesn't mean you have to let your budding relationship with Mr. Fabulous go by the wayside - there's always technology to keep you two in touch. Check out some of my favorite tips to help you navigate the rocky waters between tech and dating.

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Brody Jenner Talks About the Importance of BBM in Dating

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:04:38 -0800

For all of you BlackBerry owners, I'm sure you're well aware of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Basically what it is, is IM right on your phone in real time. Unlike SMS, messages are free since they are sent through RIM servers, just like email. Now here comes the fun part: When you send a message, you'll see a D beside it to let you know that it was delivered. And as soon as the recipient reads the message, an R will appear (to show it has been received). Therefore, with BBM, it becomes impossible to ignore messages since the sender will know if you got the message but aren't responding. On yesterday's Live With Regis and Kelly, Bromance star Brody Jenner mentioned how his love affair with his girlfriend started with BBM. Are you a BBM user? What do you think about its revealing features?

Website of the Day: Stuff That's Left Behind

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:00:24 -0700

You know all those items and trinkets you find lying around your apartment when a relationship ends? Like boxers, old Valentine's Day cards, pictures, etc? Well there's a website - you knew it was coming - called Stuff That's Left Behind where you can post all these buried treasures for the rest of the world to see. The site encourages people to leave a story to go along with the photo, like if your boyfriend gave you a promise ring right before he broke up with you to date your best friend, or if your high school sweetheart painted a picture of the two of you for your three month anniversary. . . stuff like that. The stories are priceless!

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and “Regular Post.”
Give your story a “Title.”
Fill in the “Body” with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click “Next."
Choose the audience for your story to “Website of the Day” in the drop-down menu
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to “Technology and Gadgets.”
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click “I’m done” to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Website of the Day: SideTaker

GeekSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:00:20 -0700

I can't decide if SideTaker is cruel and petty or brilliant and practical, but I'll give it this: It's freaking entertaining.

On SideTaker, couples come in and write their two sides of a fight and why they think they're right.

In place of a good old standoff at home or a session on the couch at couples' therapy, the anonymous users of SideTaker vote for who's right and leave comments supporting the side they're on.

I don't think I could air my fights on a website, but for those of you who do, keep truckin'. I love hearing stories like how his refusal to flush the toilet to save money is tearing them apart.

Source

Can The BlackBerry Wreck Relationships?

GeekSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:00:22 -0700

I'm sure if I tallied how many of you have had arguments with your significant other related to your cell phone in any way, shape or form, the numbers would be quite high. Whether it be ambiguous text messages or ignored calls, the cell phone can sometimes rock the relationship boat.

In the case of Rafael Paz, Network World explained how his now ex-girlfriend was furious with him for not responding to her e-mails. You see, Rafael had a BlackBerry and was affected by the massive BlackBerry blackout in April, which caused e-mails to arrive four hours late.

"We got into a really bad argument earlier in the day," he replies. "She sent me a few e-mails and when I didn't respond right away, she thought I was ignoring her and called it off. I didn't get the e-mail it was over until around 2 a.m. today."

Ouch! His solution? He called RIM and told them to give him an upgrade on a new girlfriend. Harsh sir. Very harsh.

The Hills Tech Quiz: Episode 8, "Can't Always Get What You Want"

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:19:49 -0800

All claws were out on last night's episode of The Hills as Jayde confronted Kristin about her relationship with Brody. Meanwhile, Heidi visited with a psychologist to share her future pregnancy woes. Now back to the geeky goodness – how well were you paying attention to the gadgets and tech talk? Because it's time to take our weekly Hills quiz!

Photos courtesy of MTV

Take the quiz

Robert Pattinson Has an Awkward Microsoft Bing Moment

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:10:55 -0800

Oh snap! When heartthrob Robert Pattinson arrived amid screaming fans to the Ryan Seacrest show yesterday, he not only managed to dodge questions about his relationship with Kristen, but he also asked what Bing was (Microsoft just so happened to be sponsoring the booth they were in)! The geeky goodness shows up around the 1:56 mark. I think it's safe to say that our beloved Mr. Pattinson isn't a big "Binger" and probably prefers Google over Microsoft's search engine - just like Kristen. Everybody now . . . ahhh.

Tech Dating 101: Do You Save Messages From Your Date?

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0800

One of the benefits of of digital technology is that every email, text, and voicemail is easily saved, stored, and relived. It's helpful when you're dating someone - I think it's both fun and cute to reread old messages. (Though I suppose this can get dicey when trying to cut your ex out of your digital life, but that's a topic for another day). When it's good - it's great!

I hadn't thought too much about it until a recently engaged friend unearthed a years-long log of emails and text messages, starting with the first email her now-fiance sent the morning after they met. My other friends and I teased her at first, but then realized that reading through her saved emails was almost like reading a book of the history of their relationship. Plus, it's fun to look back one month, six months, or even a year into the past to see what was going on, even if they're mundane messages about what movie to catch or what to make for dinner that night.

To find out why I think it's helpful to save old messages, just read more.

Besides its historical significance, saving messages from someone you're dating is also helpful when you're starting a new relationship. Who hasn't sat with their girlfriends and gadgets and analyzed a string of text messages from a new guy or potential date? (See also my advice on decoding postdate texts and instant messages).

Do you save these bits of communication when you're starting a new relationship? What about when you're in an established one? And do you ever go back to reread them? I've started doing it, and I must admit, looking back on emails or text messages from a few months before is both nostalgic and sweet.

Do you have a Love 2.0 questioned you want answered? Join the Tech Dating 101 because we understand that love and dating are stressful and the Internet and social networking sites can just make things worse. You never know, your question could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Emoticon Pillows: Totally Geeky or Geek Chic?

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:44:22 -0800

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with emoticons. On one hand, I have a soft spot for geeky emoticon products like this shower curtain and these emoticon magnets. On the other, I frown on the overuse of emoticons, especially when it comes to dating.

You can probably guess how I feel about these Emoticon Throw Pillows ($12). There are five designs pictured, but you can also request your own favorite emoticon design. What do you think?

Tech Dating 101: Help! He's E-Stalking Me

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:45:53 -0700

Electronic communication can both help and hurt a relationship. On one hand, it encourages constant communication and may make you feel closer to one another. On the other - this constant communication may make you feel suffocated.

This happened recently to one of my friends. She started seeing a new guy, and intentionally only gave him her phone number - no email address, no Twitter handle, no AIM screen name. She wasn't trying to hide anything, she was just trying make sure things progressed slowly. After a few weeks and a very brief exchange over Gmail - bam! - there he was in her list of Gchat contacts. She didn't think about it until the next day at work when, with the familiar "ding" that accompanies a new message, a "hi!" from her guy.

"I am not ready to Gchat!" she complained to me (via, of course, Gchat). I told her to ignore the Gchat window long enough that her name would display as idle, and then to either log out or turn on the "invisible" option - a quick fix for the moment, but by no means a permanent solution.

She's not the only friend of mine this has happened to. After including her instant messenger name (that she uses for work) on her Facebook profile, one friend was attacked with a flurry of instant messages from someone she was casually dating. So, how do you prevent a new date from e-stalking? That's what I'll cover on this edition of Tech Dating 101. To read the advice I gave to her, read more.

As silly as it may sound, I think it's better to set boundaries early, especially if one or both of you has a job that requires you to be available via phone, IM, email all day. So set rules, boundaries, whatever you have to do. Just because you're available to your boss and co-workers all day doesn't mean you have to make yourself available to everyone else in your life. If you prefer he doesn't chat you up via Gchat or AIM throughout the day, tell him that. Just explain your decision, and make it clear you're not hiding anything - you prefer to talk at certain hours of the day (like when you're off the clock), or you'd rather limit your communication to phone calls and text messages, with the occasional email. (If he's really not getting the message, you could always try adding this link to my advice on how not to virtually stalk someone as your status message, though I recommend that only as a last resort.)

Initially, my friend set her status to "invisible" so he couldn't find her online, which worked fine until she messaged him one afternoon and he responded with, "You're online?" She was totally busted - which is why I'd advise someone in a similar situation to address it, not ignore it.

Do you have a Love 2.0 questioned you want answered? Join the Tech Dating 101 because we understand that ove and dating are stressful and the Internet and social networking sites can just make things worse. You never know, your question could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.