Understanding Facebook as a Dating Tool

Let's face it, there's more than one way to meet other singles. And it usually involves social media.

Facebook has become a really popular way to check out potential dates. After all, it's convenient (how many times a day do you check it?), informative, and accessible. But social media has taken the mystery out of dating - it used to take a while to get to know someone's tastes and preferences, and now you have access to all that kind of information - provided she posts about it. There's no such thing as a blind date anymore if you do your research before meeting!

Because Facebook puts it all out there, you should be aware of your privacy settings and also what you're posting, even if it seems trivial to you. Potential dates could take a comment or photo the wrong way - like if you post pictures of yourself with your girlfriends getting drunk at a bar, or if you make sarcastic and flirty comments to some of your male friends' posts. Sure, it may seem like nothing to you - but to a total stranger, it might be enough to turn them off, or at least to question you.

Following are some ways people use Facebook for dating purposes - so be aware before you start friending your matches!

They see where you go. People use Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to announce where they're going or where they've been. Unfortunately, it might mean that your matches or potential dates know what you're up to even if you want to keep that more private.

They see what you really look like. Maybe you posted your four best photos on Match.com, but you get tagged on some not so classy ones in Facebook. Don't assume your dates won't find them. If there's something you don't want them seeing, untag yourself or delete it.

They see your friends. Sometimes potential dates will search through your friends to see who else they might find attractive or want to ask out. Harsh, but true. Others will look to see how many guy or girl friends you have, or how often they comment (if they get jealous or curious about you). Instead of friending your matches quickly, I would suggest waiting until you're dating each other before you give each other access to your Facebook pages, just to avoid misunderstandings.

Advice: Don't jump to conclusions. Many people post status updates about the cool things they're doing, but take it with a grain of salt. Many times people's status updates are a lot more exciting than their real lives, so don't make assumptions about how busy someone is or how popular. Get to know them face-to-face first.

To find out more about this social network and how it stacks up when used like a dating service you can read our Facebook review.