So it’s no secret that the world of online dating has become increasingly more common. In fact 1/5 relationships now starts online. (At least that’s what Match.com claims.) But these are relationships,  you know the things that are about more than sex, the ones that don’t start out as the result of a night at the bar and beer goggles. I can understand the need for a way to sift through those less than stellar companions in the hopes of finding someone you can actually connect with. What I can’t understand is the need for a social networking site that is geared towards pursuing casual hookups.

But apparently the University of Chicago can. The site first launched a few weeks ago, under the name UChicagoHookups.com, “a place where fun comes to thrive.” But since then, the site has gained more media attention and has been renamed EduHookups.com, allowing students from Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, and soon Brown University, to register under a .edu email address, and search for hookups.

More than 300 people have registered for the site and over 1,300 private messages have been sent, but I have to ask, is this really necessary? I mean it’s college. Aren’t we always complaining that there’s nothing but casual hookups in college? Aren’t we saying that it’s difficult to find anything more than that? If that’s the case why do we need a website geared toward this? Isn’t this what bars and house parties are for? Will those become irrelevant now, too, with students no longer even bothering with the fun and the flirting and the cheesy pickup lines? Now we’ll just send people private messages and meet them in the appropriate dorm room?

I’m all about new media, but this seems like a bit much even for me. Is it too much to ask for a good old fashioned house party hookup?

When we think of social media sites, we think of one thing: Facebook. It’s where we post out status updates, where we post our pictures, and where we have obnoxiously long, unnecessary commenting wars with our BFFs. It’s the perfect way to stay in touch, and the perfect way to procrastinate. In our eyes, it’s perfect. (Despite its many, many issues with privacy settings.)

But I’ve got news for you ladies. Facebook is not the only social media site out there. And, no, I’m not just talking about MySpace of Friendster, those sites you haven’t visited since junior high. I’m talking about up and coming, entertaining, totally worth your time, social media sites. These are my top five picks.

1. Twitter. Every girl should be on Twitter. And you don’t even have to Tweet to make it worth your while; you just have to follow. Follow who? Anyone from Charlie Sheen to the New York Times to College Candy! Your home page is constantly updated with little 140 character bits of goodness. From links to the hottest articles to what your favorite celeb ate for breakfast, Twitter has it all. With instantaneous updates!

Read More »

Okay ladies, so here’s something you didn’t know.

People are looking at your social networking profiles.

Shocked, right? Not so much? Yeah, I thought so. But you might actually be shocked to find out that 80% of admissions officers are now using Facebook to learn more about their applicants, and that a student’s social media presence does in fact affect their decisions.

As a way to counteract this, some admissions officers suggest that applicants like or follow their college of choice on Facebook or Twitter and use the social network as a way to stand out amongst applicants. But would you really want your potential college to have access to everything you post on Facebook? And should they really expect to? When you post something on the internet publicly you have to expect that people will read it. But should you expect that your college admissions officer will be searching for it? Should you expect that every college admissions officer is going to Facebook stalk every applicant now?

Read More »

Oh. Em. Gee. Twitter is down today.

I click on that cute little blue “t” in my favorites and nothing happens.  Nothing!  That means no one will know what I’m eating for lunch.  It’s a pbj, people!  It’s delicious and now my recessionista awesomeness will go completely unnoticed by my friends.  I could always IM them and let them know of my awesome sandwich making skills, but that’s just creepy.

I seriously don’t know how to function.  Although I’m a relatively new recruit, Twitter has become a part of my daily online ritual: update Facebook, check e-mail, and tweet. Repeat. Today this routine was destroyed.  I thought I’d be OK with just using Facebook for my hourly updates, but even that isn’t working!  I’m melting down. Shaking. I don’t know what to do.  I have no idea whether my friends have changed their relationships or which 1950′s movie star they are…I’m so disconnected!

In all seriousness, I’m surprised at how much this affects my life.  I’m anxious, checking back with Twitter and Facebook every few minutes.  I feel like I’m almost missing a limb (and not a pinkie toe, I’m talking about a really serious limb…like my head).  I’m hoping that both these sites are back up by the end of today, otherwise who knows what chaos will ensue?

Not that anyone will know, because Twitter is down and we can’t read news tweets.  Woe is a world without social networking websites!

Step away from Facebook, people.

Ok, you don’t have to turn it off (breathe), but you do have to be careful. There are reports online that there is a worm attacking Facebook, MySpace and other social networks.

According to one report:

“The latest version arrives as an invitation from a user’s friend or contact, inviting them to click on a link and view a video at a fake YouTube site and install an Adobe flash plug-in. Instead, the worm installs a trojan horse program, giving control of the infected user’s computer.”

Be wary of any unsolicited messages containing links, even from your “friends.”

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Who doesn’t love a good train wreck like Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears? For us “ordinary folk” (those of us who wear Old Navy, drink PBR and dream of tetris being an Olympic sport) there’s nothing like a healthy dose of tabloid exploitation on those who live in (what at least appears to be) an alternate universe… where dogs wear juicy couture, cars come equipped with mini-bars, breasts double as flotation devices and pocket lint is laced with cocaine.

Is it true though? Or are the tabloids just running exaggerated fantasies to harpoon mass appeal? It’s hard to know because these grandiose lifestyles are perpetuated by the attention drawn to them (unless the celebrity is actually talented). Case in point — the Kardashian sex tape.

Bad publicity is good publicity, I suppose… especially for the venues that become associated with celebrity attendance (who doesn’t want to go to places where you might see a rockstar in a bar fight or catch Paris Hilton stripping down to… well… a slightly more naked version of her usual self?).

When talking about club publicity, nothing turns up the temp on a particular venue more than the drug habits of the celebrities. The scandalous behaviors of one Miss Britney Spears has made headlines for a variety of clubs in New York including an all time personal favorite, Marquee. Yes, she has been caught using drugs in the public bathrooms all around town and she’s not the only one. The question then becomes, of course, how many drugs are being done in these places? Certainly you run a high risk (pun intended) of being caught abusing drugs if you are a celebrity, but what about us ordinary folk? Are drugs swimming through the clubs as the tabloids would have us believe? Read More »

I don’t know about you, but when I earn some cold hard cash, the word “budget” is definitely not the first thing on my mind.

In fact, that money is spent on clothes, nights out, and my astronomical rent (woo, New York City!) so fast that a budget is almost a laughable concept.

I’m willing to bet (I spend my money on gambling too, apparently) that you just may be in the same financial boat, which is why College Candy is here to help your broke ass out.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that budgeting your money isn’t so bad because–gasp!–it is now possible to manage your finances the same way we all manage our friends! How, you ask?

Social networking! It seems to be the only way we know how to do anything anymore. But, it’s so obvious! You gotta love it.

Financial social networking sites like Wesabe.com and Geezeo.com are here to save the day…and your pocketbook!

It works like traditional money managing software like Quicken or Money, but here’s the catch…your peers can offer feedback on just how well you are spending your paycheck. They can offer tips and tricks that may increase your savings or slash your debt. (Can they leave drunken wall posts too?) Read More »