Granted, the timing may be opportune as it appears there's an inverse relationship between the economy and online dating sites. A growing number of the estimated 92 million singles in the U.S. are turning to online dating sites to hunt for dates. Many are cutting back on big nights out and instead choosing to spend more time at home on the Internet surfing through profiles, which can take tons of time. As reported in the Washington Post, Match.com saw it's biggest one-month jump in seven years!

The L.A. Times reports eHarmony.com registrations is seeing signficant increases. And, get this, eHarmony and Match.com reported especially high traffic on days when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted. Apparently, cold weather is also a factor. Both sites can be accessed via AOL Personals.

Related: Online dating do's & don'ts.

WEB SURFERS SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF SPRING ONLINE:
Spring Break Travel Deals, Bathing Suit Season Shape-up, Tips for "Going Green," Fixing-up the House & Managing March Madness Bracketology.

Regina has pinpointed some of spring's most searched for topics to help consumers shake off the cold of winter and put them in the know for shaping-up, fixing-up, saving money and being ahead of the curve for the season's latest and hottest fads and interests.

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL: How can you really be sure you're getting the best price? What happens if the price drops AFTER you click to buy? Good news ... You could be eligible for the new lower fare. We'll show you how to get the credit you deserve and new cyber-savvy ways to use airline miles. Plus, this year, over 250,000 college students will go on Spring Break, and an unprecedented number of webcams will follow the action (for better or worse!). Expect to see the unexpected. We'll show you why & where your teen might think twice about striking the wrong – or even incriminating - pose in this tell-all, social networking age. www.Gadling.com

DIET DIARY: Start a Diet Diary: The multi-billion dollar diet industry isn't exactly known for FREE resources, but one of the most effective things you can do just launched online at ZERO cost. It's a diet diary to plan and track your food & nutrition in-take, plot and record your exercise regime and track your progress. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a recently study indicated people who keep a food diary realize TWICE the weight loss of those who rely solely on dieting and exercise. The newly available tool generates printable graphs & spreadsheets, so you can really see how your diet stacks up against recommended guidelines for the goals you're trying to reach. If you're off-course, it shows up in the reports before it shows up on your waistline! http://www.aolhealth.com/food-diary

MARCH MADNESS: Online bracket challenges are in full force. Regina has tips and sites to help make sure you're Final Four picks are a slam dunk. This year there'll also be hours & hours of basketball coverage online and it may look better than ever with improved video streams comparable to high-def TV. It's one of the first big sports event to take advantage of it & the potentially career-saving "Boss Button" will also be back (not that you need it;). If you're looking to attend the Final Four in person, "sold out" doesn't' meant you can't get tickets online. We'll point you in the right ticket re-sale direction and fill you in on the going rate. www.Fanhouse.com

FREE CLASSIFIEDS: Here's a sign of the times... In response to demand for a way to bring classified listings across the web to one place, a new classifieds service boasts listings from EVERY zip code in and allows you to post your own ad for FREE. At launch, there are more than 40 million listings aggregated from more than 80 million sites, which means less searching and surfing for what you're after and more luck trying. www.classifieds.aol.com

My friend Sara is extremely diligent in her approach to "real food" and she dug up some terrific organic food coupon sites. I'm amazed how terrific these sites are & am excited to save on some of our favorite products & brands. Here's one of my new favorites:

www.mambosprouts.com

Alternative Spring Breaks are nothing new, but President Obama's call for increased community service has inspired legions...including spring breakers.

Students at Georgetown University paying it forward:
http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=40335

• Students participating in the Border Awareness Experience will share meals with immigrants and refugees on the U.S.-Mexico border and spend time with border patrol agents who work in the area surrounding El Paso, Texas

• In the Worker Justice D.C. program, students will learn more about the low-wage working community and its organizers struggling to improve local working conditions.


Background:
USAT: Economy inspires public service
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-03-09-publicservice_N.htm

Thanks for feedback on the CBS piece re: online coupons. It really is an interesting space & I think there's something empowering about sitting down at the computer and "making it happen." Who can afford not to? Here are some interesting stats pulled from the WSJ article "Coupons are Hot. Clipping is Not" by Timothy W. Martin.

In addition to the consumer side of things, there's some real draws for stores & manufactures. Consider these numbers (Source: WSJ)

* Coupon usage has surged about 10%
* Digital-coupon redemption rates are 13% vs 1% for newspaper circular coupons
* Speed to market is shorter -- General Mills can place a coupon online in a week vs 2 months with print media






I personally joined the P&G ESaver Club and have some free Pantene samples headed our way ... They also allow you to transmit coupons on some of their big brand names like Bounty & Crest directly to your grocery store loyalty card (the same "direct-to-card" concept we highlighted in reference to Shortcuts.com.



Hope helpful. I could really get into this .... Next Up: DOUBLING COUPONS & SAVING $ WITH YOUR CELL.

Truly tragic ... Glad Matt gave this attention & hats off to Parry Aftab for continuing to be in forefront. Look forward to doing what we can on our end to help as well. RELATED SEGMENT.

Industry veteran, Larry Magid has been on the forefront of kids safety online from the very beginning. One of his latest posts speaks to Facebook privacy settings. He delves into all of the options. This -- as relayed to Larry -- is one of the areas people ask me about most. So, am pleased to be able to point you in the right direction. Check out: HOW TO USE FACEBOOK PRIVACY SETTINGS. Controlling who can see your profile, who can see certain aspects of your profile, what appears & doesn't on your "wall," & how to UN-TAG photos of YOU posted by your friends on Facebook (VERY key thing to know).

MORE VIDEOS HERE & RELATED ARTICLES.

It's an over-the-top title for an over-the-top, but infectious best-selling book by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, whom you most certainly want to have a non-lunch with after reading the book. The Audio Book, etc. also widely available HERE.

Have shared with bunch of friends & we're comparing notes .... The DAIRY DISASTER CHAPTER seems to have particular "shock & awe" ....

Here's some of the opening lines: "Breast milk can grow an 8-pound newborn into a 24-pound toddler. Sounds pretty fattening, huh? It is. By design, it is intended to allow for the biggest growth spurt of a person's entire life."

Hmmmm ....

They go on to remind us: "Cows' milk, by design, grows a 90-pound calf into a 2,000 pound cow over the course of two years. It allows cows to double their birth weight in 47 days .... "

Hmmmm ....

Next week we're focusing on diet/nutrition TOP SEARCH TERMS & RESOURCES .... STAY TUNED. IN MEANTIME, HERE ARE SOME RELATED LINKS & RESOURCES: Diet, Fitness & Exercise Tips & What's the Latest Diet Craze?

It is important to me (probably far more than it should be), that you are aware you get more bling for your buck online. Apparently, a fair amount of you are in on this. Sales of engagement rings on www.BlueNile.com have now surpassed Tiffany & Co.

Online jewelers don't have to maintain stores, so they're inherently more efficient and approachable. Instead of walking into a store and feeling intimidated/foolish about asking, "Hmmmm ... How much is that?" Online, you get a price quote. And, what's really neat is you can control the price by changing the variables. Some shapes (the ones I like) are more costly than others, clarity will cost you and size is a variable, but not the only variable. Personally, I have bad eyes and am more than willing to trade off clarity ; )

Importantly, all purchases come with a guarantee and certified letter of authenticity. So, it's safe and smart. That's why the average amount spent on an engagement ring at traditional stores is $2750. A Blue Nile executive tells me their average is 20-40% less than you would pay in-store.

Play around with this Build Your Own Ring™ if you're in the market for a ring or if you just want to pretend you are.

RELATED: Free Overnight Fed-Ex Delivery

It appears there's an inverse relationship between the economy and online dating sites. A growing number of the estimated 92 million singles in the U.S. are turning to online dating sites to hunt for dates. Many are cutting back on big nights out and instead choosing to spend more time at home on the Internet surfing through profiles, which can take tons of time. As reported in the Washington Post, Match.com saw it's biggest one-month jump in seven years!

The L.A. Times reports eHarmony.com registrations saw 20 percent increases in 2008. And, get this, eHarmony and Match.com reported especially high traffic on days when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted. Apparently, cold weather is also a factor. Both sites can be accessed via AOL Personals.

While some dating sites are free, consider this: even if you're paying $20 or $30 a month for a membership to a dating site, it's still cheaper than one night out on the town and the success rate is staggering! eHarmony alone boasts sparking a whopping 118 marriages every day! (based on 236 divided by 2). e-Harmony now accounts for 2.5% of all new US marriages. W-O-W. The company's self-commissioned research also indicates, the couples are "happier" than most couples.

If you're sold on the concept or are eager to help a friend or relative get going on this path, here are a few tips:

DON'T: Crop Out your EX
Probably the number one "no no" when it comes to posting a profile photo is cropping out your ex-wife/boyfriend or girlfriend. We've all seen the picture where you've chopped them out ... all except for their hand or arm that's around you ... bad move.

DON'T: Use an Old Picture
Remember, you are going to meet in person at some point. So, those pictures from 10 years ago or 20 pounds ago ... resist the urge.

DO: Be Specific
Help people "get" you. Saying you "love sports" is vague & doesn't tell people a real lot. "Enjoy fly-fishing & never miss a Yankees game" is a lot more telling.

DON'T: Seem Desperate
No need to send five-page emails right out of the box or instant message 24/7. For women it tends to seem "needy" & for men it can be construed as sign of a serial dater.

DO: Adjust Your Profile
Face it, your profile is a marketing campaign. Take a look at what's working for you and what's not. Shop the competition, see what attracts you, and steal some tricks of the trade. You can & should continually change and update your online profile.

DON'T: Move too Fast
Online dating tends to move quickly. For starters, you're both on the site cause you genuinely want to meet someone. Though, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll have same degree of "readiness" in pursuing a relationship. The general sequence is: online dialogue, talk on phone, meet in person at a public place.

DO: Manage Your Expectations
Both in terms of the amount of responses you get & the amount of dates you may need to go on. A lot of times people think, "I know this is THE ONE" based on their initial online exchanges. It's nice to think, but -- remember -- truth is, you're still on the front-end of one of life's easier-said-than-done events. Don't wait too long for first in-person meeting, it only makes the drumroll more intense. You'll know when you meet them, so just go, once you get a sense it could be worthwhile.

DO: Stick with it
If you don't like the responses you're getting, switch it up. This is marketing after all. If you don't like the fish you're seeing in the online sea, stick with it ... The sea is stocked daily & there are always newcomers, especially now with record traffic to top dating sites.

We're talking this week with TV and Radio stations across the country about online resources to help with Valentine's Day ... Personally, I think this site could be one of the most important stops you may ever make on the Internet. It's fully loaded with info for couples. Just watched the movie & got a lot out of it. Have noticed they're selling it almost everywhere right now & displaying it in the "suggested for Valentine's Day" section.

The are tons of other resources with everything from gift ideas to suggestions for a fun (even free) night out. Here's a running list ....

**Switched, www.switched.com: Creative ways to use the tech you already own to make inexpensive gifts and technology gift guides for him and her.

**Digital City, www.digitalcity.com: Great Deals for the Last Minute Valentine.

**AOL Radio, www.radio.aol.com: Offers a music genre within the radio player called "Valentine's Day" focused on Love Songs, Love Stinks, Country Love and Romantic Jazz.

**WalletPop, www.walletpop.com: "Valentine's Day on a Budget."

**StyleList, www.stylelist.com: "Anti-Valentines."

**Asylum, www.asylum.com: Valentine's Day tips from the worlds sexiest women; plus gift guide.

**Gadling, www.gadling.com: Valentine's vacations, deals, and assorted travel tips.


**Luxist, www.luxist.com: Valentine essentials going green.

**AOL Television,www.television.aol.com: Countdown of television's most memorable love triangles of all time.

We're taping a segment for "The View" today. It'll air on Friday. It's about the SECRET LIVES OF TEENS. Here are some startling stats used in compiling what I hope will be a genuinely useful show. Teens really are the first group to grow up online. If you are 15 today, in many cases you have never lived a day with a computer in your home and your classroom. That's unprecedented & it makes technology instinctive for young people in a way it never will be for adults. I spoke with a lot of teen and pre-teen parents in preparation for this segment & must say, am really impressed (and inspired) by how genuinely interested parents are in staying on top of tech trends as they relate to their children. They instinctively seem to know being on top of your teen's online life and helping them mature with and through it, is a critical part of modern day parenting. Parenting is the tricky part. The tech-piece just accelerates things. Here's hoping we can do a little something to help you keep up .... This is the first in a series of related posts. First, the #'s:

TIME SPENT ONLINE
- The average 13-17 year old spends 11.5 hours online per week (Source: OTX Research – Press Release 2008/06-18-08_Teens_and_Internet.pdf)

TEXT SENT MONTHLY
- The average teen ages 13-17 1742 texts monthly according to Nielsen. And that can be conservative!

IMS DAILY
- There are 1.5 Billion AIM messages sent daily (Source: AOL data)

FACEBOOK STATS
- 150 million people currently use Facebook (as of Jan. 7, 2009). The announcement was made on the Facebook company blog by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. If Facebook sustains this rate of growth, the 5-year-old site could hit 200 million users by this spring. To try it, is to get it. Keeping up with it, can be time consuming.

The reported median age is 26, so it's important to know they can be hanging with an older crowd. Looks like approx. 14% of Facebook users are ages 0-17. The 30+ demographic is growing the fastest and has parents and teens crossing paths online. The 30+ Population on Facebook Grew By Over 200% In 2008. Nearly 50 Million Users On Facebook are Over 30. That's "creeping" some kids out - Parents and teenagers meet on Facebook - Internet- msnbc.com

Inside Facebook expects Facebook could cross 200 million monthly active users as early as April, or in about 90 days.

Some more quick Facebook statistics:

- Average user has 100 friends on the site

- More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)

- More than 13 million users update their statuses at least once each day

- More than 3 million users become fans of Pages each day

- More than 800 million photos uploaded to the site each month

- More than 5 million videos uploaded each month

- More than 20 million pieces of content (web links, news stories etc.) shared each month

- More than 2 million events created each month

- More than 20 million active user groups exist on the site

-

CYBERBULLYING
- The most susceptible cyberbullying ages are girls 9-13.
- Sometimes parents are the last to know, because they're afraid you'll take the computer or cellphone (their lifeline) away.

OTHER STATS & RELATED ARTICLES.

- 95% of teens are online (Pew Internet)

- Parents of Teens Regulate Content More Than Time: Though the majority of teen parents do attempt to regulate the amount of time their teen spends online, they are more concerned with the types of Internet sites their teen visits (Pew Internet).

For Parents, a New Concern: Teenagers and Laptops - New York TimesWe used to always tell parents to "keep an eye on the screen" and to "keep the computer in a central location in the house like the kitchen or family room." That's getting a lot less realistic. With laptops, the computer moves around. With cellphones glued to your child's body, unless you shadow them all day ... .this isn't really doable. Also, they can put one screen in back of the other and change it up in a split second. So, as soon as you approach .... up goes the homework.

And, here's my personal favorite article title by gifted writer Michelle Slatalla: 'omg my mom joined facebook!!' - New York Times. I've shared it with every mom I know. Feel free to do same.

So, you could still go to the game ... Certainly -- as covering on MSNBC & FOX throughout the day -- there are still tickets available. In fact, StubHub.com is reporting record volume & lower prices than ever. Some are even predicting tickets could soon go for face value by kick-off with prices plummeting after the first punt.

Face value + use miles to fly and you're so there ....

Or, keep hope alive & imagine yourself here for SuperBowl 2010. Packages already available. No word re: pre-sales. I dare you;)

Or, NOT. None of the above is new norm, which could be why the big game is the second biggest driver of TV sales. This year, 40 seems to be the new 50. As in inches. While the discounts may be deeper on the jumbos, seems we must be coming to our collective flat-screen senses & realizing what we have or can get for under $1000 is .... big enough.

Enough said. Enjoy the game with family & friends + watch for updates re: the "other" game .... ADVERTISING + RATE ADS HERE.

We're returning to FOX's "Mike & Juliet" Show today .... Is always a pleasure & it should be fun to watch the food stylists behind-the-scenes. Juliet (Juliet AnneMarie Huddy bio) is one of the nicest hosts you'll ever meet off-camera & every time I look at Mike (Michael Eugene Joseph Jerrick bio), it reminds me of my cousin Jay. They look so much alike.

Is it really possible to eat out for less than eating at home? It really can be and the big fast food players are playing right into demand for this. Fast food has always been about convenience; in some cases they've learned the hard way (many were late by their own admission to address this) Americans - particularly women - are also trying to be more nutrition conscious; and now more than ever, we're also pinching pennies. Those three trends combined have sparked some really amazing options for consumers looking to make smart choices - for their waistline and their wallet. You're in the driver seat .... Can you walk in and run up a big tab and wolf down thousands of calories, yes (but you can do that at home too). Can you walk in get out for roughly 500 calories and $5 .... Absolutely.

One of the things the web has done is really upped-the-ante on full disclosure. Carb counts, fat grams, sodium levels .... You name it. It'll all there. I have three kids and we take a lot of road trips. Our rule is we can eat fast food when we're on the road, but I challenge them to figure out all this stuff before we stop and they make their pick (and I make mine). My daughter uses my iphone to look it up or reads of the info on a napkin invariably in car from previous weekend;). It makes for a fun little car trivia game (eg. Guess how many calories there are in one small shake?"). There are some real surprises, including some pleasant surprises, which think you'll see when you check out some of the suggested meals on the show and in this blog entry ....


Best ways to really get the prices down?

** Keep an eye out for the latest deals – even if you miss them advertised on TV, you'll find most deals also posted online by logging on to to the web site of your favorite fast food restaurant, i.e., KFC's Unbeatable Feast TV Ad - KFC.com – Dinner for 5 for $3.00 each – 10 pieces of chicken, 3 large sides and 5 biscuits.

**Addl. examples of current value items/deals at top chains:
- Taco Bell - Why Pay More "Why Pay More Value Menu" - 79, 89, 99 cent items on the "Why Pay More" value menu, incl. crispy tacos, soft tacos, beef burritos and more.

- www.Subway.com - getting a lot of mileage out of their $5 FOOTLONG promotion - all day, everyday - how many kids can you feed with a foot long sub - at least 2 little ones. How much would it cost you to buy the deli meet at the store, the bread, the toppings, etc.?

- McDonald's - Dollar Menu News - Due to rising food costs, the McDouble has replaced the Double Cheeseburger on the Dollar Menu. It's almost the same as the Double Cheeseburger but with one less slice of cheese. It has two all-beef patties, mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles and a slice of American cheese on a toasted bun. Via www.WalletPop.com – McDonald's coupon book for $1.00 gets you 12 freebies

- www.Wendys.com - "3Conomics" promotion - choose from three different sandwiches, all offered for just .99 cents each.

**Sign-up for "special offers" online: Most of the fast food sites also encourage you to sign up for "special offers" and printable coupons to be emailed to you, i.e. SUBWAY FRESHBUZZ™ & Sign up for WENDYMAIL & Online Coupons - KFC.com

**Ordering Pizza? Look for online coupon codes: www.papajohns.com - PapaJohns Online Coupon Codes are easy to find online (and you can order your pizza online) – examples: Papa Johns Coupons handpicked by BradsDeals.com and Domino's posts their latest offers right on their site - Our Menu: Coupons. Pizzeria UNO has an Insider's Club. You should never order pizza without a coupon!

So there are some good food deals out there, a lot of this food is not exactly heart-healthy ... maybe it's a better for your bottomline, but what about peoples' waistlines?

**Fast Food Nutrition Info. on the Go:
A lot of fast food chains have continued to roll out healthier options. One great way to find out the nutrition information on the fly is with a mobile applications you can download for free online – here's one for the iPhone - http://www.appsafari.com/food/5704/restaurant-nutrition/ You can look up what your best bet is while you wait in the drive thru line.

**Do you want fries with that Text Message? (Mobile Coupons):
Getting back to cost-savings for a second... some fast-food chains are beginning to experiment with text message special offers/coupon codes which are sent to customers who have opted in to receive them.

- It's cheaper for the fast food restaurants to send out promotions this way (vs. mailing them) and they have the opportunity to go viral, as people fwd. the deals to friends.

- Money Mailer is now moving into "mobile couponing," in which consumers agree to receive coupons via cellphone text messages. In a recent promotion for a fast-food chain, 13 percent of the text message coupons were redeemed, said Steven Gray, chief operating officer of Money Mailer, who said that "5 percent is a good return."

Fast food chain Arby's deploys mobile coupons - Mobile Marketer - Commerce

It's a worldwide phenomen .... SMS Text Serves Up Tasty Results for Fast Food Outlets

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Eating well on a tight budget | SCNow + News Video