It may seem odd, but looking back just 10 years ago, computers were considered the domain of the dateless loser. The stereotype of the single, 40 year old virgin hunched over a computer screen in their parents basement still persists to some degree. It’s time to shift your view. Recent research shows that internet users are more likely to be in a long term relationship, and that people in a relationships who use the web are likely to be happier.

Michael Rosenfeld, of Stanford University, conducted a study of more than 4,000 adults, and concluded “the Internet is a new kind of social intermediary that may reshape the kinds of partners and relationships we have.” The family that plays Warcraft together, stays together? Possibly. 82.2% of households with internet access had partners in relationships, while just 68.2% of households with no access were in long term relationships. That’s a big gap.

This may be partially due to the fact that online dating has become popular, and more couples than ever are meeting this way. Then again, it may not be the case.

In my thoroughly unscientific view, unrelated to any study that I’ve conducted, I’m wondering is this is indicative of an economic gap. Internet access costs money. You need a computer, a modem, and need to pay a fairly hefty monthly fee. Maybe people with web access are more likely to be in relationships because they are more successful? It’s no secret that people tend to seek partners who are at least economically stable, and we all know that a little money in the bank never hurt anyone’s chances of landing a date.

Maybe those with web access are better partners because they keep up with latest fashion trends, news, hot restaurants and cool music via the web. Placing a web savvy mate next to an un-wired Luddite will make anyone seem much older than their age. Maybe it’s all the sites dispensing dating and relationship advice that make them a better choice of mate? I doubt it, but you never know.

What’s the bottom line? If the numbers are correct, surfing the web ups your chances of being in a happy relationship, so it’s a worth a shot. Plus, if it doesn’t work out for you, you’ll always have Warcraft and TMZ to fall back on during those lonely nights in front of the screen.

The smell of the ocean. The moonlight playing on the waves. A romantic dinner, followed by an undisturbed evening in a beautiful hotel with a view. The perfect components of a romantic evening.

Don’t forget your game console and batteries (and the batteries aren’t for the adventurous types who bring their own toys). Japanese men are flocking to romantic resorts, and planning lavish weekends for themselves…and their virtual girlfriends. The trappings described above are just some of the romantic touches available in Atami, a coastal resort in Japan, where men are spending time with their video game girlfriends. The city has launched a promotional campaign for fans of the game LovePlus+, a virtual girlfriend simulator. Men can construct the perfect getaway for two, and show up to enjoy it with their screen bound mistresses.

Sound crazy, or is this just 21st Century love? It sounds like the latter because more than 1,500 men have taken their electronic women on dates to Atami. Boyfriends can win the virtual hearts of their video game counterparts by taking them around the city to see the sites, and complete romantic quests. If they don’t do a good job, they may even end up getting the silent treatment. So if you see a man on his hands in knees, in front his Nintendo DS, don’t forget to applaud and offer congratulations when he pops the question.

What do you think? Would you book a virtual date, or is this totally insane?

Courtesy: socialnetworkmovie.com

Facebook was one of the few pop culture phenomenons that I resisted as long as possible–like Twilight. To me, it represented a couple of smug Harvard trust-fund kids who made way too much money way too quickly. The kids you shake your fist at when you walk by just to watch them flinch. In the trailer for Social Network, a new movie about Facebook’s birth, friends and fans get to put a pimple-face to the name Mark Zuckerberg (well, actor Jesse Eisenberg) and see what a hot mess this nerd is. In his dorm room in 2003, Zuckerberg began working on what the world now knows as Facebook with his best friend and roomie, Eduardo Saverin. But, as you may have guessed, it didn’t come easy. What began as a way for the duo to be more accepted and stand out in the minds of Harvard’s snotty student body soon began to tear them apart. Zuckerberg built a website around relationships but didn’t know how to maintain his own. He could’ve used Tokii. If Zuckergerg had learned more about his friend, he could have cultivated and deepened their relationship far beyond backstabbing, lawsuits and greed–or he could’ve ditched him before any of that happened. I’d say Zuckerberg learned a valuable lesson here: when big money is involved, 500 million friends and those you thought you could trust quickly become enemies. Oh, and next time take a business compatibility quiz on Tokii.

Tokii is coming soon to all your relationships. Connect with friends, lovers, coworkers, family in one place.

Courtesy: s4.hubimg.com

If you’ve logged on to Facebook in the last few months, you’ve probably noticed that every once in a while, a little section called Photo Memories shows up in the corner. Released this past May, the section meant to invoke warm and fuzzy feelings has been met with a bit of hostility because of one factor: the ex.

I, for one, love the idea of Photo Memories. More than once, I have dared to click through the photo journal of my past, to be reminded of great friends and, even more importantly, the really stupid stuff I’ve done (Thank you Facebook for increased privacy controls). However, not everyone was happy about this trip through memory lane.

For one blogger, Photo Memories brought her ex-boyfriend back into her consciousness. And by her vengeful tone, I’m betting she was not pleased. Her solution?

“Just block the jerk and get on with what’s important in life…”

Remarkably enough, this method works quite well by rendering the blocked person as non-existent to your account. And as of last month, Facebook incorporated an algorithm that takes Facebook documented exes (people you used to be ‘In a relationship’ with) out of Photo Memories.

While Photo Memories is a great feature, this little hiccup goes to show that there is still a major gap between online and real-life social interactions. From a real-life standpoint, Photo Memories is like the act of going through your photo albums. But would you find pictures of your ex in the oversized albums? Probably not since you took them out and stuffed them into a shoebox in the back corner of your closet. Or perhaps you burned those photos in a late night rage after a phone call gone wrong.

The issue at hand is that the developers of these amazing features are building based on tangible real-life things, but fail to recognize some of minor yet very important details. And if the goal is to try to mimic real-life interactions on an online platform, these details are going to make or break that attempt.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Facebook has failed to properly predict user response, and definitely won’t be the last. But they could have prevented many of these demonstrations if they would keep their users a little more informed about what’s on the horizon (Did you know that Facebook has a blog?). This way, people can throw in their 2 cents about future features and address questions the development team may not have considered.

Perhaps it’s time for Facebook to follow its users example by becoming more open and public about what’s going on and what’s in store for the future.

Have you had an ex show up in your Photo Memories? Did you or would you consider blocking them? Would you throw in your thoughts if Facebook was more open about what’s coming up?

We’ve all been there. It’s 2 a.m., and even though we know nothing good ever comes of clicking in that little “What’s on your mind?” box after four cocktails, we do it anyway. A devilish grin wipes across our face and before we know it we’re typing intelligent (yet entertaining) status updates like “Duuude I’m drunk” and commenting on posts when we have no business formulating sentences for the public eye.

With as much social mediaing that’s going on these days by everyone and their grandmother, we’ve all also fell victim to drunken Facebooking at some point. You wake up and check our phone (considering how most of us do that before we pee or brush our teeth) only to find some comment that leaves you wondering, “What were they thinking?”

Apparently, this is an epidemic. So much so that Firefox has created a free plug-in called Social Media Sobriety Test that promises to put an end to regrettable, late-night posts. “Nothing good happens online after 1 a.m.,” the website warns social mediaers before they take a test to ensure they are “sound of mind.” If you fail, you are instructed to go directly to bed, but not before your social media outlet of choice denies you access and posts this status for you: “(Your name) is too intoxicated to post.” OK, this is hilarious. I guess it’s kind of like when your Mom used to tell you that nothing good happens after midnight.

I have to agree with this MSNBC blogger. If nothing good happens online after 1 a.m., then websites like Texts From Last Night wouldn’t exist, and they provide hours of entertainment. “Do you know how awkward it is to call the bar from last night and ask if they found my leggings?” ”You literally pushed me forward in the seat so you could puke behind my back without the cabbie noticing.” It doesn’t get much funnier. Sobriety Test can help you not drunkenly embarrass yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, and My Space (which, agreed, if you’re still maintaining a My Space account, excessive drinking is the least of your problems).

Our friend at MSNBC makes another good point: If the “The Social Network” is to be believed (it probably isn’t), without drunk keyboarding, there wouldn’t even be a Facebook to post drunk on. Touche.

Drunk Facebooking is amusing. I say keep it up. There’s always the delete button. What fun is getting wasted if you don’t regret something in the morning?

Courtesy: guardian.co.uk

I stumbled on a short article recently called Are You Normal Online? The one-pager was full of fun little statistics about what women do online. Naturally, I headed to the Internet to do more research.

Being 29, I spend most of my time online social mediaing (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare) and browsing retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Etsy–which apparently makes me normal since the average woman makes 32 online purchases per year. My mom (I won’t reveal her age), on the other hand, uses the Internet mostly for Facebook (but we got her off Farmville, thank God) and researching things like “how to fix a dropped knit stitch” on YouTube. She’s certainly normal with the Facebook checking–the article says 34 percent of women check it first thing in the morning before even brushing their teeth! The article also revealed that 62 percent of women check out their exes online and more than a third peek at porn–but I of course do neither of those

The numbers defining what we do online are definitely staggering. This article says a whopping 70 percent of Americans participate in social media. I always sort of thought that because of my age bracket, I spend more time online than a “normal” person, but it is just second nature to my friends and I. Although I do remember a time without Internet, it’s a very faint, fuzzy memory that fades more and more with each mouse click. According to the article I read, each American spends 60 whole hours a month online, meaning if you put that time all together, you’d be surfing the Web for one month straight. That’s a lot of online shopping!

The bottom line here is we’re all normal online. The Internet, e-commerce, social media have become so much a part of our lives that we can’t imagine life without them. Kinda like cell phones. Do you remember when they didn’t exist and we had to use pay phones and wait until people were home to call them? Now those were the Dark Ages.

Courtesy: dailymail.co.uk

As a freelance journalist I’ve reported on a lot of things – fashion and beauty, arts and entertainment, travel and lifestyle trends. But it’s two subjects I’ve written about in particular that I’m pondering as I type this – technology and relationships.

See, I’ve spent a lot of my career so far reporting on technology trends, and I’ve also written my fair share of articles on relationships (how to find them, how to hold on to them, where to hide the body after a nasty breakup). Of course, I’m kidding about that last one but the point is, before starting this blog post, I hadn’t really thought of these two subjects as potential bedfellows (so to speak), but the more I think about it, the more evident it becomes that they belong together.

Relationships need technology to survive, because let’s face it, we’re probably in front of screens (computer, iPad, smartphone, video game) more than we’re in front of our partners. This became crystal clear for me the other day when in one week I found myself emailing my boyfriend – who I LIVE WITH, and then that same week, I received a Facebook message from him. It was then I realized that texting, social networking and email have become a lifeline of sorts between busy couples. Not to mention the potential for sexting, naughty video chats or naked photos sent over email – relationships and technology were made for each other.

Whether we want to admit it or not, technology has become a third party in many relationships. A recent study by British insurance company Esure found that the average couple sends 1,002 text messages and almost 400 emails to each other every year. So unless my boyfriend and I somehow become independently wealthy and can spend more time having face-to-face conversations rather than updating each other over email, we’ll be thankful for the technology that helps keep us connected.

Where would you and your significant other be without technology?

As our own Paul Chung recently wrote, we take privacy and security very seriously at Tokii. Based on all of our pre-development research and through our own knowledge of the industry, we knew that it was important that we take a fresh approach not usually seen in other web 2.0 sites.

Both our privacy policy and our security are designed to keep your private information private, but it is important to understand that they are very different things.

Security

Security is the easier of the two to explain. We have specialists on our development team who have experience in building military-grade security into online platforms. While recent events, such as the hack job on Sony’s Playstation Network, have shown no site can claim to be completely hacker proof, we have taken every precaution to protect our users’ information.

This is a touchy subject to go into in detail on a blog because we don’t want to give away any secrets, but rest assured that we know that the information you enter into Tokii is private in nature and we take that very seriously. We keep it as a top priority to make sure that everything from your password to that spicy trade you made last night stays secure from prying eyes.

Privacy

Privacy is a completely different matter from security. While security revolves around the technical aspects of keeping hackers away from your information, privacy deals with what information about you gets shared for the whole world to see.

Tokii takes a completely opposite approach to privacy in comparison to the other major social media sites out there. Take Facebook for example. Have you ever gone to a party, gotten drunk and then found out that pictures (or worse, video) of you three sheets to the wind have been shared with your entire social network? Ever have those pictures come back and bite you in the derrière when they were accidently found by family members, a new love interest or an employer? That is a consequence of privacy policies based on sharing everything unless you explicitly search through the site to figure out how to keep them private.

At Tokii, we decided early on that we had to come at privacy from the other direction. The information that is shared on Tokii is meant to be shared between people who are important to you and isn’t the sort of thing that you want to come up at your next job interview. By default no one outside of your relationship can see anything you post on Tokii.

You can feel free to post your mood as Horny and add a caption that you can’t wait to get home and rip your lover’s pants off because nobody but the members of your relationship will ever see it. Go ahead and offer a trade for you to get a night out with the guys in exchange for you painting her toenails as she requested because others will never know you made that trade.

The things you put on Tokii stay between you and members of your relationship, unless you very specifically choose to share individual pieces of your activity with others. And we mean very specifically.

For example, let’s say you choose to set your mood to Happy because you just closed a landmark deal at work. Once you’ve entered it into MoodMeter on Tokii, you may decide that you want to share that with your friends on Facebook and Twitter as well. We’ve made this easy for you by adding sharing buttons so you don’t have to hop from one site to another.

We’ve embedded these sharing features in a few strategic places throughout the site so you can share certain aspects of your life with your friends outside of Tokii. Beyond that our privacy policy is very straightforward. What you do on Tokii is kept private.

Use Tokii with confidence

In our early development we heard initial concerns that people wouldn’t want the type of information they put on Tokii shared with throughout the Internet. We were pleasantly surprised to find that once they understood our approach to privacy they changed their tune and got excited about the site. You too can feel free to use our tools to explore your relationship, without fear of that information ever being seen by anyone outside of your relationship.

If you haven’t already done so, go ahead and try it out! Have fun with it, use our tools to experiment and learn more about the most important relationships in your life. Your secrets and desires are safe on Tokii!

This February – just in time for Valentine’s, Tokii will be testing its Love Games with select couples from across North America, and we’re feeling pretty confident that they are going to “love” our games. And not just because we love playing them. Online social gaming has grown rapidly since the first few games appeared on Facebook in 2007, and games that are fun and addictive go viral virtually overnight… (pun intended). Our goals are big, but so are the expectations for continued social gaming growth over the next few years.

The first social games found success by engaging gamers through the emerging digital society. Now that this society has some pretty firm roots. New social network platforms have an opportunity to provide unique online experiences through the power of games. From tokii.com, couples will have access to all of our features and resources that can be used to help turn “social gaming time” into “focusing on improving me and my relationship time… while also having fun gaming online.” Love Games challenge partners to reveal how much they really know about one another. Continually adding more game topics to the catalog, couples have a great choice, but also, fresh content.

At the 2010 Flash Gaming Summit, panelists such as Mark Skaggs of Zynga, creators of Farmville, and Dan Fiden of Playfish explained that to be successful in social gaming, your game needs be more than just appealing and addictive. Games needs to engage, provide depth of experience and complexity, be rewarding, and ultimately be naturally social to become widely popular but still have replay-ability. [source]

• Nearly 62 million U.S. internet users, or 27% of the online audience, will play at least one game on a social network monthly this year, up from 53 million in 2010
• Fifty five percent of social gamers are female and 45% are male. Females are more avid gamers, too; 38% of females said they play multiple times a day, but just 29% males said the same
• Women are 68% more likely to play with people they know, but 56% of men prefer to keep it personal too
• Fifty percent of social gamers got started on a recommendation from a friend, saw a friend play it, or saw it on their social network

At Tokii, our games are designed to engaging couples, both men and women, in a dialog about themselves. Confronting an issue in their relationship is much easier when it is indirectly addressed in a comfortable setting like when playing a game. The figures above suggest both men and women prefer to play with people they know. Most get started by watching a friend or family member playing the game. Even if only one partner gets into Tokii at first, their partner is likely to join too.

Social games that have become wildly popular share two powerful similarities:

First, they have a high rate of return users. The best performing social games are able to get 41% of users to make a repeat purchase. Second, they were mostly linked to Facebook. While this might lead one to believe that Facebook is driving the social games, it could be quite the opposite. In one study, nearly 50% of the time when social gamers log into social networks, they do so specifically to play social games.

Social games will be big business again in 2011. A recent eMarketer study estimates that social gaming will generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year. It anticipates positive growth in virtual goods, lead-generated, and advertising revenue over the next two years as the amount of gamers continues to increase, so to does the number of those willing to pay for their virtual experience. And as eMarketer’s Paul Verna explains, the situation right now is already pretty impressive:

“Even though fewer than 6% of U.S. social gamers spend money on virtual items, these avid players will produce revenues of $653 million in the U.S. alone this year.”

We feel that social gaming can be a great tool for improving our relationships, and its popularity shows that people are willing to spend the time and energy using social media and social gaming to interact with their friends and family online. Give them a way to make it fun and, yes, even *spicy*, and there is no telling how much time they’ll spend making trades on TradingPost or discovering their partner’s fantasies in a Love Game, but based on the projections above, it’s sure to be a lot.

There is more fun to be had at Tokii for couples this year, but we can’t reveal it all too soon. The count down is running, and if you thought love was in the air in February, wait until you see what the spring brings.