Before and After - How Online Dating has Changed Relationships (Infographic)

The world of dating has really changed over the last few years and the ubiquity of dating apps and sites are really driving this. To this end, Carvaka decided it might be a good idea to prepare an infographic on the area to help people around the world improve their sex lives and relationships..

5 Mistakes Women Make In Relationships

By Ekene Agabu

''Before I begin or rather let you into what I have written, I must confess that I had completed this article months ago but was a bit apprehensive in publishing it. I didn’t want to come across as being judgmental and if after reading this you feel judged or put down as a woman, please excuse my unskilled delivery, for that is not my intent. And if you feel that I have crossed the line as man sharing these with you, do not hesitate to express your disdain for my impetus.

Having said that, I feel qualified to write this as a man because I stand as an unbiased observer and also one who has had the opportunity to take advantage of these mistakes. But I must confess, we as men have been @$$#*%*$ . Where we should have given, we took; where we should have loved, we lusted and where we should have preserved, we devoured. As a Man, I must call myself to higher standards. Before I touch you, I must respect you like my mother, protect you like my sister and look out for your best interest like my baby – after all, that’s what I call you when I want you!

Is Marriage the only valid outcome of a Relationship?

Lola Omotayo, Peter Okoye's romantic partner and mother of his two children, recently granted an interview where she spoke about her relationship with him, and how it has been dating one half of one the music group for years now. After the interview, there was a storm of comments on blogs and social media, with a lot of people insisting she was making a mistake by not insisting on a ring.

Solomon Akiyesi et al - Lessons to Learn

Solomon Akiyesi and his many wives. From L - R Ezinne, Lillian and Uloma

After reading yesterday that Solomon Akiyesi had a previous marriage, bringing the number of his church weddings to three, I gave up. I also thought that was the end, but the saga continues as the women have begun to trade "pity me" stories to bloggers. I do pity all three women, in the sense that they are victims of a scam artist, a philandering man who does not even have the common sense to know where to draw the line.

However, I wonder if anyone is seeing this drama as a teachable moment? It could even be worthy of a Law masters or PHD thesis. The question is how seriously do Nigerians take their marriages as a legal contract? Beyond the spiritual vows, and cheating/infidelity, do men and women understand that their marriage certificate is also a binding document that represents an oath to the state? Does the confusion stem from the fact that most of our marriages are two-tiered, the customary usually coming before the registry (church or court). Does repaying a woman's bride price nullify the legally registered marriage?

Let's use the Solomon-Ezinne-Lillian Akiyesi story as a case study.

Lilian met Solomon as a little and naïve girl in 2001. There was no one married to Solomon as at then. Down the line, Solomon got married to Ezinne who said she was pregnant as at then. Lilian moved on with her life. Years later, Solomon and his family came to ask for Lilian's hand in marriage claiming that their son was deceived into marriage as Ezinne was never pregnant and was infact confirmed in the hospital to have damaged her womb a long time ago. On investigation, Solomon's family said all rites have been retrieved and dissolved of the marriage which was based on deceit.

When Will a Guy Initiate a Relationship?

When this question came in from my keyword searches, it was kind of a head-scratching moment. What was this person really looking for? He or she was directed to the post written by Atala on when a relationship actually begins at #1 but to me, it didn't quite seem to answer the question.

I may be wrong, and that post definitely answers the qustion, which was what Atala said seeing that Google search is a pretty accurate mind-reader and tool. But I can't help thinking, what if this asker is a lady, and what she actually means if whether the some things have to happen in a friendship-type relations with a guy before he will try to initiate a relationship.

I don't know if I'm making much sense, but as a lady, I know the gazillion hours of thinking and talking with girlfriends that goes into demystifying the headspace of guys we may like. There's the obvious, "he likes me, he likes me not" to the less obvious, "He asked me to join him and his coworkers for drinks at the pub, he just asked me out on a date!"

10 Signs Your Boo is Ready to Get Married

It is not often that I share posts from women's magazine's like Cosmo because I find that most of the advice in some of their articles is very cookie-cutter. I am usually of the opinion there's no one size fits all in relationships, and everyone has to study the one they're with to know what will work or not. But I saw this article and felt some of the listed tips were generally true.

IK Osakioduwa's #TipsTo GettingAMan - Really?

IK Osakioduwa is a radio show host at Rhythm 93.7 and he is married with two children. He tweeted yesterday that he was vexing on his show, trying to help ladies find guys. Well, he came up with numbered tweets with the hashtag #IksTipsToGettingAMan on Twitter. I saw some discussion around the tips on my timeline and decided to go to his profile and check out all the tips.

How Many Boyfriends Does A Nigerian Girl Have?

I saw this video and I didn't know whether it was made in jest or it was a serious, view-on-the-street kind of documentary. To the question in my title, the majority opinion was from at least 2 or 3 to as many as possible. Before we get our knickers in a twist, remember it is possible the makers of the video had several one-boyfriend respondents and decided to feature more of those with the less conventional 2-or-more opinion. Anyway, this post is not to condemn or support the views in the video, but to muse on some of the points raised.

When Does a Relationship Actually Begin?

So we’re all familiar with the idea of the wedding. You know, the grand ceremony where a couple avow their intention to remain married to each other for better for worse, for richer for poorer, for fairer or uglier, and so on, before friends, family and the whole world. It’s such a public declaration that there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to when exactly the marriage started.