Social Networks

As much as we all wish it would go away (this is 2012, after all!), online dating still hasn't managed to break free from the last, lingering vestiges of social stigma. Most of us are fully onboard the online dating boat, but for those stick-in-the-muds who are still holding out, the Internet has provided other options.

Yes, you can date online without actually dating online.

The secret is social media. Your Facebook page, your Twitter stream, your Pinterest account...each one is an opportunity to date on the World Wide Web without actually joining an online dating site. Barbara Maldonado recently spoke with the Huffington Post about her experience of foregoing traditional online dating in favor of a more social strategy.

Maldonado met her fiancé, Russell Roering, during a "Tweetup," a real-life meetup event organized via Twitter. "It was a book signing by Chris Brogan, who wrote this social media book, 'Trust Agent,'" she told HuffPo. "So we had that in common."

Online dating is going strong, but another digital avenue people are using to meet others includes something a little more - public.

Many singles are turning to social networks - Facebook, Twitter, and even Yelp to find love. While online dating sites still remain a popular way to connect romantically, people are starting to think outside the box. But what exactly does this mean?

We spend a lot of time online, and especially on social networks. We go to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and the like to connect with others multiple times a day - to see what's going on in the world, and to talk about things that interest us. It's only natural to look through friends of friends for potential dates, or to check out the comments people make, to see if there might be a digital connection.

The Huffington Post even talked about Yelp being a place where romantic connections are made, simply because people connected to someone else's writing or the kind of critiques and praises they gave to certain restaurants, bars or coffee shops in their areas.

The idea behind using social networks to meet others, even romantically is this: when you can talk about a shared interest, it's easy to start a casual conversation, flirt, and eventually meet in person. It takes the stress out of dating by - well, taking the dating out of it - like the profiles and awkward emails explaining what you're looking for in a partner.

So what exactly does this mean? Just because someone is on Facebook or Twitter doesn't mean they're single - so are people just taking more chances and asking someone out anyway? Or is it a more relaxed and easier way to start talking and eventually meet up? Is there more risk to reaching out through these social networks, that you might not get someone who's truly interested, or looking, or even honest?

It's true that many people lie in their online dating profiles. But social networking sites don't always accurately reflect information either - like whether or not someone's already married or in a relationship. It's good to find out in person how available they are before you get too involved online.

While social networks make it easier for people to meet, so do dating sites. I think the more avenues you have to meet people, the more opportunities you have to meet the right person. Matching algorithms don't always mean love, but neither does liking the same bands. Sometimes, it's intangible - what attracts two people. So shouldn't you keep an open mind and look at the many ways you can meet, online and offline? Love is all about taking chances.

To find out how different social networks like Facebook and Meetup stack up when someone is searching for love, you can check out our Social Networks review category.

Most of us are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or some form of social media. Maybe you even have a blog. Whatever the case, it seems these days we all have an online persona as well as an in-person one. And sometimes, you don't want these worlds to meet - (or at least you don't want your boss to discover you're secretly complaining about your job in 140 characters or less). So how do you manage all of these identities when you're dating?

If you blog or tweet about your awful dates, what happens if you meet someone you like? Do you tell him about your blog or propensity to share these intimate details, wait a few weeks to see if the relationship goes anywhere, or do you erase all links to your real-life self and hope he doesn't stumble across it?

And if you're not so inclined to blog or tweet about your dates, are there some Facebook posts or pictures you'd rather not admit to - like when your friend tagged you one embarrassingly drunken night out? Or when you posted a rant on your ex's wall?

Chances are there are some things you don't want on display for someone you're just meeting. But if you want to keep them private, it may be harder than you think - especially when it comes to dating. With the help of Google, Facebook, and a little sloothing, your date could discover some of your well-hidden secrets. And if they are doing their due diligence, they will.

Before you panic, there are some definite steps you can take to make sure your online persona comes off as swimmingly as your real-life one does when you meet in person:

Adjust your Facebook privacy settings. This is a really easy fix. Don't assume your information is private because you haven't changed any settings recently and Facebook wouldn't dare make your information public. There have been some adjustments on Facebook's part over the last few months to make information more accessible unless you say no, so be sure to check your settings often and make sure you have your privacy settings as high as possible.

Protect your tweets. It is possible to have separate Twitter accounts - one for work and one for your private life. Just make sure you never mix them up! (I had a friend who did this and almost lost her job.) If you want to use your real name, then protect your tweets so only followers can see them. Otherwise, I suggest changing your handle (or name) so that you're more anonymous.

Don't friend or follow anyone you just met. This means don't exchange Facebook names so you can "friend" each other as a way to get in contact. Do you want the new girl you're interested in to see your picture with another girl, or read your fringe political viewpoints? Keep social media out of the picture until you've been dating a few weeks (or months)! Otherwise you could be misunderstood.

Own up to your past. If you have something online that might be a red flag to potential dates, it's best to disclose it upfront. A friend of mine started dating someone only to find out he had a website with another woman - announcing their engagement! Even though the two were broken up by the time he met my friend, she couldn't get past her initial shock that he hadn't mentioned it. So the relationship never got off the ground.

Bottom line? Pay attention to your digital trail, and know how you come across.

For more information on how to use social networks for dating, you can check out our Facebook review and our Twitter review.

The "Are You Interested" Facebook application is owned by SNAP Interactive. This app recently became the largest dating application on Facebook with 13,262,420 monthly active users. Just a month ago they had only around 8,424,000 monthly active users. Snap Interactive also posted 3rd quarter revenues of $1.65 million which was an increase of over 100 percent when compared to the same period last year. With these rising revenue numbers it looks like Snap Interactive new found traffic is of high quality.

The second largest Facebook dating application is Zoosk with 7,514,381 monthly active users. While "Are you Interested" may have a larger Facebook presence, Zoosk still has a much larger overall membership base thanks to the popularity of their dating website. Zoosk Facebook users also get to interact with the members of the dating website, and vice versa.

For more on this story, check out All Facebook. To find out more about dating on Facebook, please take a look at our Facebook Dating reviews category.

On FriendFinder Networks corporate site they are claiming to be the largest social networking company in the world. The numbers they give to support this are:

• 250,000,000+ total profiles in their database since inception (for all websites).
• On average, over 150,000 new members per day.
• Over 10,000 private label social networking and live video sites in their network.

While FriendFinder Networks may be the largest social networking company in terms of number of profiles created, but how relevant are all those profiles. FriendFinder got its start way back in 1996, 12 years ago. I am sure many of these profiles are unused now or duplicates within the same site and across multiple sites. Adult FriendFinder, the largest site in the Network, says on their home page they have over 29 million active members. An active member to FriendFinder is someone with a valid email account who has logged in within at least 2 years. Now 2 years is a long time to be considered an active member but at least FriendFinder publishes how these numbers are calculate. Most dating sites do not. I would consider the largest social networking sites to be the ones with the most number of active profiles. In my opinion an active profile is one in which someone has used it in at least 2 months (and this is stretching it). I'm sure this honour would go to either Myspace or Facebook.

While we are on the subject, why are more and more dating sites calling themselves social networking sites? Sure they have social networking features but the main goal of the site is dating and to match you with a compatible person. If you are not single, there is no point in joining any dating site or the ones that call themselves Social Networks. These sites really should be called Social Networks for Singles.

Here is FriendFinder Networks corporate home page. For more information on the FriendFinder dating site, read our review.

Reuters has an interview with Match.com's Chief Executive Thomas Enraght-Moony. In it they talk of the huge growth of social networking sites like Myspace and FaceBook. The results of all the visitors to these sites have only been good news for online dating in general and Match.com itself. According to the company social networking sites help singles with "their comfort level with exposing their personalities online". This means as visitors of social networking sites get use to the amount of personal information displayed on its web pages, they have less qualms of using this type of their own information with an online dating service.

The article also explores the rising competition Match.com has been receiving from rival dating services. Match.com had slower global growth last year but profits where up due to a fee increase. A large part of the profits goes into television, print and internet advertising.

Read our review of Match.com for more information.

Related Stories: Match.com and their Little Black Book, Match.com is about to launch a Facebook Application