Julie Spira to Host Live Valentine’s Chat
Jan 31st
It’s with great enthusiasm to be the featured host of GenConnect’s Live Valentine’s Chat scheduled for Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 3:30pm/ET.
Valentine’s is a very stressful time for both singles who are dateless as well as for couples where the expectations are high. If you’re waiting for him to say, “I love you” or expecting a ring on your finger, you’re putting too much pressure on your relationship.
Join me for a very special pre-Valetine’s live chat with GenConnect. We’ll be discussing both online and offline dating tips and ways to improve your relationship this month. Sign up now to register for this event. One lucky winner will receive a personalized irresistible online dating profile valued at $495. Our hashtag is #gCLove
For details, visit GenConnect.com
Spreading Netiquette and Love in New York
Jan 30th
In this week’s Where’s Julie column, I’m happy to say that I’m home curled up by the fire busy confirming Valentine’s appearances for the next two weeks. However, in between snowstorms, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in New York City, where I appeared on NBC News to talk about my new book, The Rules of Netiquette: How to Mind Your Manners on the Web. The segment was called Netiquette: Minding Your Virtual Manners. I hope you can take a moment to view the video. Comments are always welcome. Even Pope Benedict embraced netiquette for social networking last week.
The Rules of Netiquette was originally the title of a chapter in my first book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online, inspired in part when an ex-fiance ended the engagement via email. Yes, that was a netiquette no-no.
Jamie Beckman and Julie Spira
While in New York, I had the chance to sip cappuccino with She Knows columnist and author, Jamie Beckman, whose book is featured this month in the Cyber-Dating Expert Reading Room. I also met with the GenConnect group to go over the final details of my Valentine’s live chat scheduled for February 3, 2011 at 3:30pm/Pacific time. The subject will be “For Lovers and Lovers in Waiting.” I’ll be posting details on how you can participate in the live chat on Monday, so get your relationship questions ready.
On Friday, our friends at eHarmony posted my article 5 Reasons She Won’t Call You Back on their site and sent it out to 5 million people on their eHarmony Advice newsletter. The last I looked, there were 76 comments so feel free to chime in. Needless to say, I’ve been busy working on irresistible profiles throughout the weekend for those looking for love online or at least a date before Valentine’s.
Valentine’s is around the corner, and I’ve gone on record as saying, “Valentine’s to a woman is like the Super Bowl to men.” With that in mind, we’ll be posting several articles to help you leading up to Valentine’s Day, regardless of your love stage. For now, take a look at my recent post, Valentine’s Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts for Your Valentine.
Stay tuned for my Valentine’s special offer for Irresistible Profiles for a limited time on February 1st – 6th. I’ll also be posting some special free offers from some of the online dating sites next week which are worth signing up for which will appear in the Weekly Flirt.
30 Days for Free on eHarmony
Jan 28th
Looking for love online for Valentine’s? Starting on January 28th and continuing for an entire month, you’ll have the opportunity to try eHarmony for free. Try eHarmony’s guided communication for the next 30 days and let us know if you get lucky in love.
Get to know your matches better with FREE Guided Communication at eHarmony through February!
Beauty – My Solemate
Jan 25th
If you haven’t found your soul mate yet, no need to fret. Let your solemate find you.
My Solemate is the world’s first moisturizing soap and pumice stone in one. With Vitamin E, Aloe and Shea Butter My Solemate makes dry, rough, cracked feet a thing of the past.
It’s just a matter of time before you find your true love and soul mate, and while your waiting, your sexy feet will love you back unconditionally.
Click here to purchase at getmysolemate.com. It’s only $9.99.
Getting Social at the Internet Dating Conference
Jan 24th
Matchmaker of the Year Julie Ferman and Julie Spira
It was a pleasure attending the 8th Annual Internet Dating Conference in Miami again, where I had the honor to speak on Web Dating 2.0: Using Social Media to Create Brand Loyalty on January 20, 2011.
Several hundred people attended the session on day 2 of the 3-day conference.
Going Mobile
In my presentation, I shared the exciting news that both Zoosk Mobile and SpeedDate Mobile apps have each had more than 2 million downloads. OkCupid’s mobile app has over 1 million mobile users. eHarmony says their mobile apps account for approximately 20% of global site visits. Consumers now look at eHarmony profiles more than 16,000 times per hour while using mobile devices. Their mobile app was launched in August, 2009 in conjunction with their 10th anniversary. Match says mobile users are twice as engaged as those who log onto the site on their desktop, so we are definitely going mobile.
Record Highs
We learned from Online Personals Watch Publisher Mark Brooks that online dating hit a record high in December 2010 with 116 million members worldwide visiting online dating sites. Over 20 million visits were from U.S. members. The folks from Google shared that 35 hours of video content is uploaded on YouTube every minute of the day. Online dating is a 1.3 billion dollar industry now according to Jupiter Research.
iDate Awards
One of the highlights of the conference was the 2nd annual iDate Awards. This year OkCupid won 4 iDate Awards including Best Dating Site, Best Dating Site Design, Most Innovative Company, and Best Up and Coming Dating Site. Congratulations to OkCupid for winning in every category that they were nominated in and matching the number of Golden Globe Awards received as The Social Network film. My friend Julie Ferman won the Best Matchmaker Award for the second year in a row and it was certainly well deserved.
Getting Social
It was terrific spending time with Sherri Langburt from Single Edition, Ravit Abelman from Omnidate, Julie Ferman from Cupid’s Coach, and eLove’s Paul Falzone while catching up with Sam Yagan from OkCupid and Kate Billenki from Plenty of Fish. All have been featured guests on Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show. Dating blogger Simone Grant came to iDate for her first time and we brainstormed about dating, blogging, and social media.
The Final Debate
The conference ended with the Final Panel Debate curated by Marc Lesnick, Conference Organizer and included Mark McMaster from Google, Mark Brooks from Online Personals Watch, Michael McQuown from Thunder Road, Jonathan Crutchley from Manhunt, Mark Harrison from Dating Factory, Joel Simkhal from Grindr, Markus Frind from Plenty of Fish, Sam Yagan from OkCupid, Ty from Elite Global Dating and Dan Winchester from FreeDating.co.uk. At the end of the annual end of conference panel, the majority of the panelists felt that online dating would continue to grow in 2011.
Free Versus Paid
The hot topic this year was Free versus Paid online dating sites. Free sites have been rising in popularity and have made a small dent in the paid online dating services. Compared to the cost of high-end matchmakers, paid online dating sites are still a bargain.
To view my presentation, visit SocialMediaMore.com/idate
Cyber Love Story of the Week – Krystina and John
Jan 21st
John had just relocated to Michigan where he bought a new home and started a new job. He didn’t really have time for dating, but still had an online dating profile on CatholicMatch. Curious to see what women were online in his area, he kept his profile active and widened his search to a 500-mile radius.
When John saw Krystina’s profile, he found her to be interesting. He sent Krystina an email to say that he wished she lived closer. He let her know that he wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship knowing that Krystina lived in Massachusetts. Krystina liked receiving John’s email and sent him a reply, which said, “We will make it work. I will come to you.”
Krsytina kept to her word and did indeed visit John in Michigan. After her second visit to Michigan, Krystina again took the initiative and insisted they take down their profiles and date exclusively. The two created rituals to cope with the long distance relationship including working out at the same time. “Sharing things like these encouraged good behavior in both of us,” John said. These are things we can count on to add stability to our day when we begin a new life together too.”
After 18 months of traveling back and forth and spending a lot of money on airline tickets, John took Krystina to Mass at a shrine near Boston devoted to St. Therese of Lisieux. It was at the shrine that gave her the engagement ring and asked her to marry him. Krystina instantly said yes and together they went to mass as an engaged couple.
Congratulations to Krystina and John, our Cyber Love Story of the Week who wouldn’t let distance get in the way of love.
Do you have an online dating story to share?
Read More Cyber Love Stories>>>
Weekly Flirt – Live from iDate in Miami
Jan 19th
Click here and let the flirting begin>>>
Love Potions – Spiced Chocolate & Orange Winter Pudding
Jan 18th
Lindt Spiced Chocolate & Orange Pudding
At the recent Taste of Beverly Hills, I stopped by the Lindt chocolate booth and sampled some of their finest chocolates. I’m pleased to share one of their decadent recipes with you, the Spiced Chocolate & Orange Winter Pudding to warm you and your sweetheart up this season.
Ingredients
100g Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa
50g Lindt Ecuador 85% Cocoa, roughly chopped
Lindor Balls for decoration
185g self raising flour
60g plain flour
3 oranges, segmented
200g unsalted butter, soft
120g sugar
125ml orange juice
1tsp Chinese five spice
4 cardamon pods, crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
15ml Grand Marnier
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 160 ºC (130 ºC fan assisted)
2. Sift together both flours several times in a large mixing bowl to ensure a light pudding. Toss orange segments in flour.
3. In a medium saucepan combine butter, 100g of chocolate, sugar, reserved orange juice and spices. Gently heat until sugar has dissolved and chocolate is molten. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and strain chocolate orange mixture in, mixing until well combined. Break eggs and stir through before adding chopped chocolate. Note: It’s important to stir the batter only until it’s just combined, otherwise the pudding may end up rather tough.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared moulds and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and drizzle with some Grand Marnier while still hot. Turn out and serve warm with some chocolate sauce and orange segments.
Serves: 6-8
Cooking time: prep 20mins, baking 30mins
This love potion recipe is courtesy of Lindt Chocolate. For more chocolate recipes, visit Lindt.com
Valentine’s Etiquette – Dos and Don’ts for Your Valentine
Jan 17th
Christmas was barely over when the stores turned their holiday red into holiday hearts in preparation for Valentine’s Day.
As we’re a few weeks away from the day that women dream about every year and that some men purposely book business trips to avoid the pressure of the season, it’s time to take a look at the dos and don’ts for Valentine’s Day for every type of love stage.
1. Do make a dinner reservation for February 14th. Even if you don’t have a date in mind, go ahead and reserve a table on OpenTable.com. Many restaurants book up in January. You can always cancel the reservation if you find yourself dateless on the days leading up to Valentine’s.
2. Don’t ask her out for Valentine’s Day in an email or a text message. This is the time for you to either pick up the phone and call or better yet, ask her in person if your date is going well.
3. Do discuss Valentine’s Day with the person you are dating. If one of you loves the holiday and the other can’t bear it, come up with a compromise. Valentine’s is on a Monday this year. Pick a different night for a romantic dinner and make it a special date night on one of the days leading up to the 14th.
4. Don’t go overboard with flowers. It’s the thought that counts. Stop by your local grocery story and pick up one long stemmed rose. It has the same impact as the full dozen and is 1/12th the price.
5. Don’t wait until the week before to ask her to spend the Valentine’s with you. If you are dating someone special and you know for sure you’d like her to be your Valentine, ask her out at least two weeks in advance.
6. Do try in-room dining this year. Light some candles, cook up a simple meal in the kitchen together and look forward to a steamy dessert.
7. Don’t make gift giving too much pressure. You may still be paying your credit card bill from the holidays. A card, a hug, and some lingerie and massage oils will make a memorable evening.
8. Do accept invitations for Valentine’s dances and parties the weekend before February 14th. You won’t feel alone with so many other singles in a fun and flirty setting. Wear red for the occasion and say yes if someone asks you to be his or her Valentine.
9. Don’t be blue if you can’t be with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Schedule a SKYPE date, wear red, and flirt the night away with your long distance love.
10. Do wake up and wish your loved one a Happy Valentine’s Day in a voicemail, email, or text message to let them know that you’re looking forward to spending the evening together.
Do you look forward or dread Valentine’s Day? We’d like to hear your comments.
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Peril of the Week – A Sneeze Isn’t Just a Sneeze
Jan 14th
A woman wrote in to tell her story of how she met her online date at an upscale lounge in Midtown Manhattan.
It was a cold winter evening in the city, the kind that makes your nose run. The two met outside and walked into a very nice establishment, where they sat down and got all settled in.
After some small talk, suddenly her date reached for some napkins and began to blow his nose at the table. When he was done blowing his nose he took his used tissues and just threw them on the floor.
He then turned to his date, as if what he had just done was totally normal and asked, “Would you like anything to drink?”
All she could think was…CHECK PLEASE!!!! Needless to say she never saw him again.
Do you have an online dating story to share? Do you think she should have walked out of the restaurant?
Share your dating disaster stories for the Peril of the Week.
Read More Peril of the Week Stories
Photo credit: iStock
