Single men and women in the 21st Century are learning quickly that social media has completely changed the game. Hours before you meet a blind date, he or she not only knows where you went for vacation last summer, but how you looked in your bathing suit or swim trunks and how drunk you got on the beach!
The truth of the matter is: Social media has totally changed the dating game and far too many singles are losing! Smart daters have Googled or researched love interests on Facebook before their first meal together. And, chances are Facebook profiles are sabotaging many daters’ love lives.
Here are some simple rules that you should consider when dating in the Social Networking era.
Rule #1 – Know how to lock up that Facebook page. Reserve your impressions for face to face. It should be very important to give a great first impression based on who you truly are and not who you are perceived to be.
Also, invest some time to figure out those privacy settings. Hide your list of friends and most importantly, screen out who can see your photos. This further reinforces the likelihood that your initial face-to-face meeting will actually be your real first impression.
Rule #2 – Facebook is an excellent way to project your personal brand through the Internet. Pictures of your vacation, style of dress and partying can have a negative effect. Really examine how you want to come across to your potential matches. At least while your trying to find “the one” really think about how you are projecting yourself online.
Rule #3 – Be careful with your posts. Using profanity in status updates and posts in general are a “no no.” Unless its part of your persona, openly discussing controversial political and other polarizing topics can result in offending more than you attract.
These are basic rules that can help today’s social media savvy men and women be smart about finding love in the technology era and protecting themselves in the process.
Sarah Kathryn Smith has over a decade of experience and matchmaking, with more than 200 marriages and more than 5,000 serious relationships to her credit. She has been featured in hundreds of media outlets, including Oprah, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Wall Street Journal and even Playboy.
Valery Amador, Daily Venus Diva -- Daily Venus Diva.
This is why I’m SO glad I met and dated my husband while Facebook was still just for students at Harvard!!! I can only imagine trying to date in the age of Facebook and Twitter. We met on an online personals site, but at least it was a profile specifically for dating purposes. I had a MySpace back then, but that was before social networking was really popular.