1. The commenting system has changed. Many readers leave great comments, but the regular commenting system leaves much room for improvement. Due to this, the commenting system has been replaced by Disqus, with will allow more social commenting throughout the website.
2. Subscribe to blog posts through e-mail. Previously, there was an option to subscribe to the blog via e-mail, through FeedBurner. While it has been a great service, it has been replaced with another e-mail subscription service.
3. New design incoming. Single City Guy has undergone 3 re-designs, and it’s time for a new one. The new design will be happening “soon”, and will feature better legibility, speed, and the ability to interact with other social media platforms (such as Pinterest).
4. Guest Authors/Contributors. In the past I’ve always welcomed guest authors and contributors, and now I’ll be asking for more! There’s  several major changes to the content that appears on Single City Guy, which will need other voices to appear on the website. There will be a call for guest authors, and regular contributors to Single City Guy in the near future, who are willing to talk honestly about the many aspects of the male lifestyle.

There’s been a lot of progress to the evolution of Single City Guy, stay-tuned, as many of these changes will happen shortly!

There’s plenty of Holiday Party hookup stories, but is it good form to rely on them to find your next date, during the holiday season? Check the poll below, and leave some comments to share your thoughts!

An interesting dating even for those in New York City, “The Art of the Date: A Gallery Walk on the LES” is a night of great art, singles, and free drinks. With art from four LES galleries: Lesley Heller Workspace, Lost Weekend NYC, Dino Eli Gallery, and Stephan Stoyanov, the evening will combine art with flirting. The event is free, and only has single male tickets, but a waiting list for women.

The Art of the Date, happens on November 16th, 2011 from 6pm – 9pm  at the Lower East Side Visitors Center 54 Orchard Street (btw Grand & Hester). For registration, visit the Eventbrite registration page.

These ads from the Ad Council, and their new Bedsider campaign makes a very clear point, “You didn’t give up on sex, so don’t give up on birth control.” While the topic, is very much a hot button issue, the campaign makes a very valid point. Too often are we eager to talk about sex, but not eager to talk about ways to  prevent unwanted pregnancies. The conversation isn’t a female only topic, we men also hold a responsibility in the matter as well!

Using contraceptives, while having sex, helps prevent an unwanted pregnancy. This isn’t like a couple who’s engaged and find out they have a child on the way, this is more like the one-night stand, turning into your baby’s mama. Some birth control methods are necessary in today’s dating world, because they also prevent against any STD’s/STI’s. Let’s be honest, who really wants gonorrhea?

A part of the topic surrounding birth control, is the lack of knowledge, or having access to free birth control options. The Bedsider (along with great commercials), has a wealth of resources to find free contraceptive options, birth control reminders (aimed primarily at women), some helpful facts about contraceptives, and most importantly, a list of the types of birth control methods.

While the website is primarily geared towards women, there’s a lot of information and tools for men to read, check out, and understand. Because, if we guys are going to have sex, we should at least be informed of what all the options are as well!

That’s the question of this weeks poll. Is it okay to ever hit, flirt, or try to date the friends of someone you’ve dated? Or are you crossing the line? Answer the poll, and share your thoughts below!

Since introduced to The Game, I’ve followed the world of the pick-up artist (PUA), even hanging out with them for a short time. As I’ve expressed many times in the past, I have a frustration with the entire PUA world and culture, mainly because it places an emphasis in the wrong places. Not to my surprise, members of the pick-up artist community don’t like me or my style (more on that in a future post). Pick-up artists have some value in the dating scene, not everything they discuss or do is pure garbage; some of what they teach, and do makes a lot of sense and is effective. I believe their current value to dating, and the dating world has passed. Pick-up artists have replaced jocks, muscle heads, and the overconfident womanizer, as the bottom rung of male. Unlike these other guys, Pick-Up Artists have only make dating harder, even for themselves.

The PUA community may raise their arms in anger, and disgust to this notion. They may claim they’ve given tools to men to make their dating lives easier, which in some cases is true. The truth is, the goal of the Pick-Up Artist community have turned from genuinely trying to help men get past the defenses of women to purely sleep with as many attractive women as possible. That community and lifestyle has garnered a lot of attention, and has entered the female continuousness. This means they aren’t easily impressed by someone who uses a line that’s been used by many PUA’s, or suckered in by one of their many “magic” tricks. I don’t have a problem with this side-effect. I believe every woman should read The Game, so they are aware of the silly things some men will try to do, just to lay them. A real man shouldn’t have to use these sorts of games and tricks to get and maintain a woman’s attention.

My issue lies further beneath the surface, and usually begins when woman has dated, or fooled around with a pick-up artist. While you pick up some tricks as a dating blogger, I’m nowhere near the status of their sort of foolery. The things I’ve learned, from friends, professionals, and dating material, is how to be the best version of myself, and how to convey that to the world at large. When I take these lessons, and apply them at the bar, I’ve had a certain resistance from women I’ve not expected, and one woman hit the nail on the head this past weekend.

“One of the guys I deal with is a pick-up artist, so I’m very weary of guys like you… like where did all of that suave come from?” She explained to me. As she spoke those words, things became crystal clear. There have been enough women, who have dated pick-up artists, that anything that seems like one adds an extra guard. My natural charm, presentation, and presence, can come off as if I’m a “one of those guys”, just skimming for chicks. If anything, I have to spend more time trying to explain why I’m not one, without tripping over her bullshit meter.

With the woman above, I ended up with her number, but after a few texts haven’t received any response. Why? I’m sure she thinks that I’m some sort of guy trying to run game on her. Multiply this by the amount of women, PUA’s have met and dated, multiply that by the friends these women have told about PUA’s, and you begin to see the problem. Every woman is on her guard about being played by some guy, especially if he’s someone who does this for a living. What was supposedly a tool that helped men, has now become a hinderance and has made approaching women more difficult.

Image Source: Flickr

Paul is a great guy, a wonderful coach, and you should be able to reach him personally, without a middle man. To contact Paul Carrick Brunson, use the following methods:

Via e-mail thru amber@onedegreefrom.me
Via Twitter: @PaulCBrunson

- Single City Guy (not Paul Carrick Brunson)

I’ve had my share of experiences with wingmen, either in the form of friends, or professionals. My experiences have led me to understanding the importance of having the right wingman by your side. The best guy in the world, could be the worse wingman for you. Finding the right guy often includes style, someone who pays attention to detail, and able to remove distractions from the equation. A good wingman is able to find which girl you’re interested in, and offer the right opportunity for you to close the deal, and get her number. You and your wingman should be playing more like a team, instead of people in a star-studded lineup.

While there’s many videos, and articles that describe what a good wingman is, this Dormtainment video is a great (and comedic) example of what a wingman should be able to do for you.