by Kate
8. February 2011 20:10
Love. Such a small word for such a big thing. Something which has spanned millions of years and comes in hundreds of different forms. The inspiration for poetry, paintings and playlists. Something beautiful and sacred, cherished and secret, between two people. Well... until Facebook came along anyway.
Love it or hate it, Facebook has become a crucial part of daily life for 500+ million active users worldwide, and when the key function of the site is to share information about your life it’s inevitable there will be a knock on effect for relationships. In fact for the Facebook generation it’s become just another step of the courtship process: Meet, date, date exclusively, make it “Facebook official”.
But Facebook, it’s not very... romantic, is it? That got us thinking, in a world where paper is increasingly a redundant commodity, what are the most romantic ideas on the web? We’ve come up with 5 ways to say “I love you” online:
1. Put it on an (online) Post-It
Run by Laureen Moyal and Yuliya Gorlovetsky from their lower East Side studio, Iloveyoumorethanblank.com is a more romantic version of postsecret.com, offering users the opportunity to publicly announce what they love their loved ones more than, from the worryingly common “Justin Bieber” to the considerably more romantic “anything”. Suggestion for SEO geeks – “I love you more than Google loves Wikipedia”.
2. Make your lover an online mix tape
What could be more romantic than a mix tape? Whether it’s heavy metal or JLS you’re into, taking the time to create a collection of songs you know your partner will love shows you’re willing to spend time and effort – always a good way to earn brownie points. While there are a lot of *ahem* illegal sites out there which offer this service, a more law abiding way to create an online mix tape would be to open a hypem.com account and fill it with your favourite songs, or share a playlist on Spotify.
3. Share your secret to love (and win dinner at Jamie’s Italian for your troubles)
Ok so it’s a bit of a cop out as it’s one of our campaigns, but it really is very romantic. In a nutshell, Mike and Alanna Clear got married in 2008 and heard shortly afterwards that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Determined that theirs would survive, they started the Going the Distance project, asking hundreds of couples what they think is the secret to a lasting relationship. You can share your secret online at goingthedistance.co.uk or just enjoy the 600+ secrets that have been posted so far.
4. Send a personalised valentine from Moonpig.com
I’m sure 99.9% of you will have already have heard of Moonpig via their catchy TV advert (moooonpig.com) but in case you haven’t, it’s a site where you can create your own personalised gifts and cards by adding photos and customising the message. They’re then sent out to you or direct to your loved one by first class post. While it’s not strictly digital as you do end up with a card at the end, I’m not sure the women of this world are ready to receive Valentines emails just yet.
5. Set up a website for your lover
What could be more romantic than IloveAndyAtalla.com? Well probably your partner’s name rather than head honcho at atom42, but what an idea! Alright it’s a bit nerdy, but we like that kind of thing here at atom. What you put on your site is up to you, but the usual romantic mush – photos/videos of you as a couple, your favourite songs, mementos of your experiences – are always a safe bet. If you’re feeling even MORE creative, consider using your site as a medium to let your lover know what you have planned for the rest of the day... offline of course.