[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like We Are Hunted, Paper Back Swap and Stingy Campus) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I like reading blogs, but sometimes it can be really obnoxious to log on to each site separately (especially when it’s not updated very often) and to try to remember web addresses.

I wanted to introduce all of you to Bloglovin, my new obsession. It’s helps simplify my blog reading by allowing me to read all blogs in one place (like Google Reader), but takes it further by helping keep track of which ones you’ve already read and presenting it all in a simple, clean, reader-friendly interface.

Bloglovin also allows readers to “like” their favorite posts! The most “liked” blogs and posts show up on the front page of Bloglovin, so it’s a great way to promote upcoming sites and to discover new blogs you might like!

To start using Bloglovin to make your blog-reading life easier, simply sign up for an account and start searching for blogs you want to follow. These blogs will automatically be added to your reading feed so you can stay updated with all your favorites. You can also choose to sign up for daily, weekly, or once-at-a-time email updates to read new blogs right in your inbox, without even having to log onto Bloglovin!

What’s even cooler is that CollegeCandy is on Bloglovin – So be sure to follow us to make sure you don’t miss any great CollegeCandy posts (and don’t forget to “like” your favorites!).

There’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!

While tirelessly working on a PowerPoint presentation for my Foreign Policy class this past Friday, I was forwarded another slew of slides chock-full of facts, images, and evaluations. However, these were far from academic.

As I clicked a link in the email, I was led to an article detailing one Duke University female’s fake senior thesis, titled “An education beyond the classroom: excelling in the realm of horizontal academics.” Highlighting her late-night (and decently drunken) romps with several Duke athletes, the writer created slides with Facebook pictures of the men, followed by detailed (and rather defamatory) evaluations of their performances.

The fact that this girl slept with a few lacrosse and baseball players isn’t really an issue. I mean, it’s college even the dweeb who has the roley backpack gets lucky during his four years on campus. What’s wrong here is that this woman’s PowerPoint presentation was forwarded to a few friends, who forwarded it to a few other friends, and the thing went viral.

Welcome to the new generation of Kissing-and-Telling.

As the “Subjects” were leaving Shooters or booty-texting Duke’s very own sexperimenter, I doubt they anticipated their experiences being relayed all over the Internet. However, nowadays it seems you never know what to expect after 4am sexcapades. Beyond waiting for that flirtatious banter-sparking text, you have to worry about what is being said to his friends or what pictures could surface of you two going at it in the corner of the bar on FB.

The amount of information that people share about their personal lives via the Internet is insane. And the effects can be tragic. It’s one thing to vaguely or generically share some weekend anecdote, but going into stark detail with names and pictures is becoming more and more common.

Bitter exes, scorned hookups, and bruised egos swamp blog sites with their woes and share embarrassingly intimate secrets while name-dropping their partner. In a state of rage or rejection, people often turn to their computers for a therapy session. And once it’s in print, it’s tough to truly squash its existence after the moment of passion has passed.

It’s one thing to bash your hookup to a few girlfriends over pancakes the next morning. But, it’s a complete other to do it on some public forum. Remember, your (printed/published) words do have repercussions. Not only can you face legal action for defamation of character but you can also genuinely hurt the people involved.

The Duke University student that created the above mentioned PowerPoint embarrassed the people in the document, herself, and her university. Sure, she never knew it would become an Internet sensation. But, in the age of  Gmail, Facebook and Smartphones, something minor can become HUGE in a matter of seconds.

So, before you take to your blog, Twitter, or a blank Microsoft PowerPoint document, stop and think about what you’re doing. If you feel like venting, go to a friends and talk about it, cry about it, laugh about it. But, in the heat of the moment, do NOT blog about it in vivid detail.

Locker room talk happens. Morning brunch gossip happens. People talk, it’s normal. But normal people don’t make 40+ slides. Sure, the PowerPoint presentation was an interesting look into the life of a jersey chaser. But, how would she have felt if the boys had teamed up and responded with a slideshow sharing their own personal evaluations of her performance with each of them. Mortified? Shamed? Embarrassed beyond words?

What do you think? When is too much info just too much?

Your college experience flies by so fast that you’re often stuck standing in line for graduation wondering where the past four years went. You vaguely remember meeting your best friend when she held your hair back after your first frat party and you kinda remember that all-nighter you pulled to get 3 term papers done in one night. But the rest is a blur of theme parties, walks of shame, and begging your older sister for her fake ID.

Before you know it, you’re out in the real world, working a real job alongside real people, wondering what happened to no-class Friday and $3 pitchers. And trust me, it ain’t fun.

It gets pretty easy to get caught up in it all and forget to be young and crazy. That’s why, with only a little way’s to go until I hit the big 2-5, I’ve put together the ultimate list of everything we, as fun-loving and fearless women, need to accomplish before we turn 25.

1. Have a really good one-night stand with a gorgeous guy. Forget about your personalities matching up and forget about Facebooking him the next day. Appreciate the smoking hot naked body…and take some Plan B in the morning just in case, because if you did it right, you have no way of ever contacting him.

2. Do an illegal drug. Otherwise your kids will think you’re totally lame 30 years down the road when they’re all like “Mom, I bet you were so wild and fun back in the  ’10s” and you’ll have to respond “well, one time I drank beer before liquor.”

3. Live in another country (even if it’s just for a short period of time). You’ll get an entirely new perspective on our country, on the world, and on how far reaching American scandals go in other countries. Nothing like your Spanish host mom bringing up Monica Lewinsky years after the fact.

4. Travel on the cheap. Pick a destination and do it up, backpacking-style. Stay in hostels, eat unidentifiable food, and make sure to have anti-diarrhea medicine on hand. Once you’re over 25, your body will no longer be able to stomach staying in those places, eating that food, and experiencing food poisoning in front of a ton of foreign strangers.

5. Confront a fear. Doesn’t matter if it’s a fear of heights or a fear of spiders, figure out a way to face it head on just once.

6. Be brave and be bold and have sex with the lights on. He’ll find you even sexier, which will only boost your own self-confidence.

7. Splurge on an awesome pair of jeans that fit you really well. Bonus points if they also fit your completely different-sized best friends just as well and make magical things happen.

8. Apologize to someone you were mean to in middle school. Except for that one girl who didn’t need braces, everyone was feeling insecure and left out in those days. A quick Facebook message apology will brighten her day.

9. Make a real guy friend who is really just a friend. As in you don’t want to ever see him naked and he doesn’t ever want to see you naked. No points if you’re related.

10. Get a job working with food or working with clothes. You’ll never treat your waiters,  your bartenders, your salespeople the same way ever again. You’ll suddenly understand why they ask you to get off the phone when you’re ordering and why they request that you take your clothes out of the dressing room.

11. Figure out what kind of wine you actually like. There is life beyond Franzia and you’ll feel so mature and adult when you can tell a date that you prefer a dry Chardonnay over a sweeter Pinot. The best way to figure this out on the cheap? Go on a wine tour. You’ll sort things out real quick. Oh, and learn how to work a corkscrew. No wine is enhanced by chunks of cork floating around.

12. Take a roadtrip with your friends. The destination doesn’t matter. As Miley Cyrus once “sang,” it’s all about the climb. Nothing brings friends closer than endless games of “Count the Cracker Barrels,” hours upon hours of deep conversations (out come the family secrets!), and Disney sing-a-longs.

13. Try an exotic food you can’t pronounce.

14. Go to a college football game and go all out. Paint your face, lose your voice from cheering, and tailgate like a rockstar.

15. See a Broadway show. Even the most cynical people leave a show happy.

16. Go 24 hours media-free. That means turn off your cell phone and shut down your computer. With the exception of getting tagged in heinous photos that you can’t de-tag right away, you won’t miss anything.

17. Skinny dip.

18. Give back to the community. Whether it’s building houses for Habitat for Humanity, participating in a campus Relay for Life, or standing for days on end for a Dance Marathon, you’ll have an awesome time and feel really, really good about yourself. After a 12 hour nap, of course.

19. Learn to do your own taxes and how to manage your own money. It will make that transition into real life so. much. easier.

20. Take your parents out to a nice dinner. Because they deserve it.

21. Start a blog about your life and update it regularly. Sure it seems self-centered now, but you’ll be grateful ten years from now when you can reflect on your life when you were really living it up.

22. Go to a Pride Parade. There is nothing on earth as fun, happy and memorable than a parade dedicated to gay pride.

23. Go to Vegas and let go. Party hard, then party harder. Then hit up an all-you-can-eat buffet to sober up…so you can party again.

24. Learn to drive a manual car. They’re cheaper and, really, it’s just a cool party trick. Plus, from what we hear, it’s a major turn-on for guys.

25. Donate blood. If you think donating is scary, imagine being the person who needs it during a blood shortage. And if that’s not enough, there are cookies.

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos...), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like CoolSpotters, DailyLit and The Weather Stylist). And more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

We’ve all heard the old saying that it’s the little things in life that really matter.  But it’s easy to get so caught up  in everything else in our lives that we can forget about all those little things.

1000 Awesome Things is a nice reminder to appreciate the simple things in life.  The blog is essentially just a countdown of 1,000 “awesome” little things, posted every weekday.  Some of the things on the list will make you nostalgic for your childhood (like #805: the smell of crayons, or #660: Stomping dry crunchy leaves on the sidewalk), while others will make you laugh when you read them and think, “hey, I do that, too!” (like #777: Reading the nutritional label and eating it anyway–”Sometimes you just gotta read the nutritional label and eat it anyway.  Sometimes … you just gotta live.”).  Others, however, are just plain awesome (#765: Thinking it’s Thursday when it’s Friday, #861: Not getting a hangover when you were expecting to get one, or #983: That pile of assorted beers left in your fridge after a party).

And the site’s gained lots of attention; it’s been featured on tons of different news and entertainment sites, won two Webby awards and was named one of PC Magazine’s Top 100 sites, all of which has led to a book deal for author Neil Pasricha.  The Book of Awesome, (sounds like something Barney Stinson would write, no?) which comes out in April, features some of the most memorable entries from the blog along with a lot of new content as well.

So the next time you’re overwhelmed with worrying about global warming or who will get voted off American Idol and you just need a pick-me-up, turn to 1000 Awesome Things.  Its perfect blend of lighthearted humor and charm will surely make you smile and realize that you can be happier just by learning to appreciate the little things that make life awesome.

On top of all of that, she’s only 21 and still a student at Northeastern, studying Spanish, Management Information Systems and Finance, currently on internship in NYC doing data analysis for a mega media company. Not to mention, she’s sassy, hilarious and can we say: Coolest. Hair. Ever. When I discovered this girl, I knew I had to bag an interview, so I contacted her via YouTube to grab her attention (don’t laugh). It worked and we quickly began collaborating on this interview, on top of a few other projects in the works. Sarah Merion is an inspiration for college girls who want to be entrepreneurs while still in school and proof that maybe, just maybe, the finance world isn’t as screwed as we thought.

5 Questions We Ask Everyone:

1. What is your most ridiculous college memory/most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Haha, no comment. Definitely did not involve me dancing on a bar. Hoo boy.

2. What are five things you can’t live without?
1. MAC foundation.
2. iPhone! Hello Tweetdeck, I love you.
3. Pink and black Herve bag. I seriously carry it EVERY. WHERE.
4. Hanky Panky underwear
5. Classic cherry chapstick. Wait, no! Friends! The TV show. Oh also, vanilla Yoplait light yogurt. And Kashi GoLean. Kashi GoLean Crunch. Grande non fat cappuccino with one Splenda. Shoot, that’s more than five, isn’t it?

3. What’s your motto/advice you live by?
Break the rules.

4. What is your favorite song to belt out at the bar/in the car/for karaoke?
“Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money in the bar, but I’m not gonna lie, once, I rolled the windows up to my car I sang every word to the entire Celine Dion CD. Yes. I know every. Single. Word.

5. Ten years from now you will be….
Skinny. Rich. Married. Kidding! No, I’ll be really fit, not skinny. Kidding aside, I’ll own my own business. Either be a solopreneur or some sort of entrepreneur starting many different companies. I’ll be active in many different philanthropies and I’ll continue spreading my message about social media and inspiring Gen Y.

5 Questions just for Sarah Merion

1. Your motto is “Break the rules.” Now, does that mean break the social norms and go out on a Monday night when you have a final tomorrow or…?
My motto is “Break the rules” because when you break the rules or step outside the mediocre, then you create your own game. No one can beat you when you create your own path. Do something that scares you, make yourself totally uncomfortable. Life doesn’t have to be about the “norms” and staying on path. You will always succeed when you push yourself to go against the grain.

Now, I’m not saying go out and break the law, skip class and be a bum. What I’m saying is, challenge yourself, push boundaries and do something that people might look unfavorably upon. No one ever got noticed by doing what everyone else did. Even though blood and needles terrify me, one day I stopped and thought “Hey, I could be a surgeon” and I seriously thought about it. I realized it wasn’t my calling, but I wanted to because I COULD.

2. You talk about Gen-Y a bunch.What the heck is Gen-Y and what’s their deal?
Gen-Y is our generation, that age range from about 10-25. We are the internet babies in a way. Our biggest problem is that we have big goals and aspirations, but we don’t act nearly enough on it. We’ve been spoiled by the internet and technology and instead of harnessing it for our good, we’ve been expecting instant gratification. They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Gen-Y needs to step it up, break the rules and work hard. We’re in a rough time right now and people have been saying that we won’t be as successful as our parents. That’s a really scary thought. But, we can fix it! Gen-Y can take full advantage of all our opportunities and create their own lifestyle, instead of simply expecting it.

3. How did you get into all of this? What were the obstacles? Did all those super serial Finance major peers think you were nuts?
Honestly, I was just bored one day. I was in school, not working and I just got the itch to do something. I found this guy @LewisHowes on Twitter and he really turned me onto Social Media, we connected and before I knew it I was his assistant. I wasn’t getting paid, but I was getting a ton out of it. He was mentoring me and I began building a network on Twitter. My parents, peers and classmates were appalled. They couldn’t believe I would just work for free.

I started living by “break the rules.” I’d always been very organized and planned everything and all of a sudden I found myself just jumping into the social media world, going against the grain and standards of the “typical” finance student.

At the time, I was in a very competitive program at Northeastern for International Business. This program requires you to both go abroad and study in a foreign language for a semester on top of a six month internship in that company. It’s widely renowned and I was mere months away from going when I started getting into this social media world. I started doing workshops at Northeastern and MIT and eventually wrote the grant to go to SOBCon. After the conference, it was settled. I knew I had to drop out of the IB program and focus my energy on what I was succeeding in. I never regretted my decision to completely switch paths and my successes have proved that it was the right choice.

4. We recently wrote an article about “Facebook bullying.” Since you are such a prominent figure in social media, and also a college girl, what advice would you have for girls about getting attacked through social media (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, AIM, etc…)?
Not to be a mom, but just ignore it. Don’t engage in the behavior. The other person looks like they’re just talking to themselves. Or, just write an article about it that a ton of people read. Look who’ll be laughing then!

5. You’ve made your professional name through Twitter, LinkedIn and your site. We like to tweet and blog about boys, booze and bathing suits. Are we totally screwed down the line in our professional careers?
Honestly, I started out writing a really racy “Sex & The City”esque blog before I realized how I wanted to make my name. I took it down because I really believe if you don’t want something you write to be on the front page of the paper, then don’t write it at all. I decided to focus on a different area and leave the racy stuff offline.

But no, if you do it the right way, you won’t be screwed. You just need to step back and assess your goals. If you want to be a corporate lawyer, maybe you shouldn’t write about your sexcapades. However, you can be a professional woman and if you’re creative and savvy about it, you can create your own niche and write about whatever you want. Just OWN it.

Thanks Sarah! We’ll keep on blogging about lip gloss then… in a fierce and professional way, of course! Sarah will be attending CollegeCandy’s Cocktail Hour in NYC! Come stop by and say hello!

Melanie currently interning in NYC, taking full advantage of all margarita specials and those blonde summer boys. Stalk her on Twitter: @tinkermellie

There are so many difficult choices in life (do we love or hate high heels??), so we thought we’d sort through ‘em right here. Every week we will discuss another issue we are torn up about. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!]

So, we now all know what Twitter is. I can guarantee that you either Twitter yourself, have a friend who Twitters, or know a celebrity that Twitters (and creepily internet-stalk them).

Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has gained roughly 5 million users, coming in 3rd in the social network sites, with 2nd going to MySpace and 1st place to Facebook. It’s actually kind of like the status updates on Facebook, without all the wall posts and bumper stickers (and those annoying pokes). But sometimes I do miss a good laugh at a not-so-attractive FB picture (*untagging now), and a friendly poke now and then isn’t so bad. So Twitter: I’m torn.

Love it:

I do quite like Twitter, because just like FB, it’s a great social networking site that allows you to keep in touch with friends. But more than that, it allows me to take a peak into the lives of some of my favorite celebs and, in a sense, live vicariously through them (which helps me when I’m studying in the library and wishing my life were as thrilling as Britney’s with an ‘e’).

Ever heard of the KISS principle? Well, Keep It Simple Silly is just what the founders of Twitter had in mind when they thought of the easy user interface and simple instructions for beginners to the blogging world (even my great aunt uses it – that should say something). Speaking of simplicity, I absolutely LOVE the 140-word limit; say goodbye to those annoying paragraph status-updaters who feel the need to give every intricate detail about what is going on in their lives and their pets’ lives. This space limitation has led to an interesting new  language of “Twitterverse,” which is totally better than the over-used “ROFL” (or, in my brother’s case, “ROFLEW”- rolling on floor laughing eating waffles). It definitely deserves its own dictionary.

And Twitter even has loads of fun applications you can add to make your Twittertime even better, like Twitpic, Twitterific, and Tweetie, and you can even hook your phone up to Twitter on-the-go. Now that’s what I call Twe-riffic.

Loathe it:

Those annoying people who have those long status updates on FB now have another place to annoy the world. Now half of your mini-feed consists of everything this particular ‘Thwumb” did every 5 seconds. Freaking Twitterati. Do we really need to know you’ve rediscovered your love for Backstreet Boys?

I also really don’t like the fact that we have no control over who “twadds”/follows us; it’s a bit creepy if you think about it. I mean, it’s cool and all that Obama twadded me, but my friend’s mom – not so much. And sometimes I miss all those unnecessary apps on FB, like Kick-ups and Scramble, not to mention the usefulness of FB for internet-stalking that cutie in your psychology class. A 140-worded insight can only get you so far. Sigh.

An unfortunate similarity to FB is that Twitter can get wayyy too addicting. As in not-doing-your-homework-and-just-surfing-through-random-tweets addicting. I myself am a self-diagnosed Tweetaholic, which is definitely not a good thing.

So, I love it and I hate it. And I just told that very fact to all of my followers.
What about you? Are you a Tweeter? (Yeah? Well, follow us on Twitter!)

It seems like everyone’s all atwitter about, well, Twitter these days.  Started in 2006, Twitter is a “micro-blogging” service where users post status updates (called Tweets) that are limited to 140 characters, which answer the question, “What are you doing?” You can also add friends on Twitter by “following” their feeds.

But while you may be thinking, “only status updates? Just 140 characters? Why would people care what I’m doing 400 times a day? I already have a Facebook, thanks,” don’t dismiss Twitter just yet.  As a matter of fact, its beauty is in its simplicity.

People use Twitter for everything from updating their friends about their whereabouts (“at the airport- Spring Break Cancun here I come!”) to sharing breaking news and reactions to important events.  It’s actually become quite a phenomenon among journalists and media-types. Many will post links to fresh news stories or recent articles they’ve written. It’s easy because you can update Twitter from your cell phone (via text message) or instant messanger, so you can post when you’re on the go.

You can also use Twitter to search for buzzworthy topics–just type in a key phrase (like, “Britney Spears”) in the Search bar at the top of the page and you will uncover thousands of up-to-the-second Tweets about Brit’s latest videos, whereabouts, and sightings. Hell, you can even follow Britney herself! Yes, unlike on Facebook (where etiquette advises against friending people you don’t know), it’s socially acceptable to follow the Twitter feeds of celebrities. Celebs, like journalists, are using Twitter as a means of letting their fans know about new tours and singles in a quick and efficient way. Hey, you may end up learning more intimate details about their lives than you ever would have imagined, like how Diddy enjoys tantric sex (and apparently Twitters in the midst)!

Twitter has already sparked Twestivals and Tweetups. You can Twirt with your boy toy, and if you’ve posted a Tweet that is exactly 140 characters, you’ve scored a Twoosh!  But the jury is still out deciding whether Twitter is the “next big thing” or not. ( Jon Stewart actually aired a bit this week debating the very idea.)

I was turned on to Twitter almost a year ago by my tech-savvy friend, and to date I have but a couple dozen Tweets to my name. My problem seems to be that I only have two friends who are seriously into Twitter, and since I see them frequently enough, I have no motivation to actually Tweet other than to archive my own whereabouts and feelings. I do enjoy Twitter for its Search function and I follow a couple of key celebrities and organizations, which is useful. As a writer and a young person, I feel obligated to be aware of the trend, particularly if all those cautionary tales about new media revolutionizing journalism do come true.

So now it’s your turn: if you Twitter, tell us why you do and what you like about it! (Oh, and follow us!) If you don’t, why not?

Blogs, websites, Facebook profiles, etc. give everyone with an internet connection the ability to create their own stories and share them with the world. And they can do so without ever telling anyone their name. It happens on Juicy Campus every day, and on other sites all across the internet.

So what do you do when someone starts spreading rumors about you online?

Liskula Cohen, a model in New York, decided to fight back after one blogger anonymously called her a skank and an old hag. (Editor’s Note: Seriously? This woman is smoking!) Since she doesn’t know who it was, Cohen has decided to sue Google, the owner of the blogging site the comment was posted on.

Sure, it sucks when people call you a skank (welcome to my life as a CC blogger), but isn’t a lawsuit a bit much? It’s not like being a skank will prevent her from futhering her career, or that anyone is taking this blogger seriously. Plus, think about what could happen if Cohen wins; this could change the face of the internet and freedom of speech forever.

What do you think? Is Cohen justified, or is she just a bitter skank?

What up, ladies? It’s Tuesday, which means 2 things:

1. You got a lot to do before the weekend.

2. It’s College Blogger Shout Out day!

Yay! Just what you need to get you through those long days at the library. You can’t write 3 papers back to back with no breaks, can you? These sites are perfect for the time between the papers when you have to stop or your brain is going to melt/you are going to go crazy.

We found some great ones for you this week, so check em out and enjoy. Just don’t enjoy them too much; you still have a class or two to pass before break.

That’s So Fetch: Addicting, hilarious and the best way to avoid the stacks of notes on your desk.

Driving on the Sidewalk: A pop culture blog written by a hilarious and fabulous college coed. If we knew who she was, we’d make her be our friend on Facebook (and in real life).

Where Is Wall Street: Finance is boring, but not on this site. Money and all that jazz is all broken down for you in an interesting, entertaining and relateable way. Who knew economics would be so fun?

Once that gets boring, we usually hit up our favorite blogs, read the news (because we feel like we should) and then search for new favorite blogs.

Here are some of our favorite new finds for this week. College Bloggers, we love you:

Poorer Than You: A poor college student? Obvi. But this one happens to track their progress and offer advice to the many other poor college students out there. Love it.

Double Cheese Blogger: An entire blog about cheeseburgers? Is there anything better?!

Absolut College Girl: She’s your regular college girl, which is why we love reading what she has to say. She gets us! She really gets us!

College Student Blog: Lots of great advice on everything from applications to exams. This kid may be a freshie, but he’s full of info.

Photobooth Truths: She’s the cool girl who comes in late to class, that girl at the bar that you want to talk to but are intimidated by at the same time. She’s just cool. And we want to know her.