Advice

Online dating consistently straddles a very fine line, with one foot in the Internet, a place of anonymity, and the other in the real world, assuming you will eventually meet face-to-face. When you're first getting to know someone online, it's a natural instinct for many to provide every bit of their online identity, including information like their social networking pages.

But should you add a potential date to your Facebook?

On one hand, checking out a date's Facebook might seem like a good idea. After all, dating involves the somewhat scary issue of safety, and any additional information you gather may help you make an informed decision.

On the other hand, your own Facebook page may be saying much more about you than you realize. Not only do many people have their places of work listed, some even include their addresses. Those “status updates” often say quite a bit about a person's daily routine. Even your friends' comments can be telling about your life.

Everyone knows what it's like to have an awkward first date, regardless of how it was initiated, and often the instinctive “get away from me” vibe comes only when you meet in person. If a date does go drastically wrong, the information that you thought helped you appear honest and open can quickly become a stalker's playground.

This problem is not limited to the world of online dating; any person has the potential to be dangerous. However, most tips about dating and online safety tend to emphasize the Internet as an anonymous, safe place, and that precautions only need to be taken when meeting in person.

Today, that is simply not the case. It's often easier to find out more about a coworker or family friend from their Facebook than through face-to-face conversation.

Just this week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Facebook will be tweaking some of their privacy options and settings, but his responsibility only goes so far. When it comes to personal information, especially about your job or family, remember to treat the Internet like you would a crowd in the grocery store – it's okay to hold back until you feel your trust has been earned.

To read reviews on some dating options for this Social Network, check out our Facebook Dating Applications list.

Sometimes, you're single and want to find love, but you're on the road between two things. You may think about hanging up our hat and not dating for while, but why put your life on hold, right? Let's look at some examples of reasons why people push the Pause button on their dating life.

Losing Weight
You're thinking, "I'm too fat to date. Nobody will want to date me. I'll lose 20/30/40/50+ pounds first, then I'll get back into the dating scene." Why hold yourself back from emotional connection with other people just because you're not at your physical ideal? Do what you can to look your best in your current condition - get a new haircut, some snappy clothes, whatever you can do to be your best at your current weight.

In your dating profile, you should write about the new lifestyle you've adopted in an attempt to lose weight and become more healthy. Are you doing the Couch to 5k program? Playing Wii Fit and EA Active? Working out with your best friend? Recently switched to a vegetarian diet? Write about your new lifestyle with passion and you'll attract people who live that lifestyle or want to adopt it themselves.

Unemployed
Unemployment is a reality for over 10% of Americans. You may think your dating life is doomed since you're out of work, but it doesn't have to be that way. Fancy dinners may be out of the budget, but there are plenty of inexpensive ways to have a romantic evening out.

In your dating profile, it's best not to mention you're unemployed. Write about the other aspects of your life that are going well. Maybe you've taken up knitting hats and mittens for the kids at the homeless shelter, or you've improved your tennis game. When the question of "what do you do for work?" comes up, be honest about your current situation. It may cost you the date, but in this economic climate, you'll find more sympathetic ears.

Moving to a New City
Congrats, you got a new job! Only problem is that it's in a new city and you're slated to move in two months. While you will be pretty busy packing, saying goodbye to your old friends, getting your utilities and things scheduled to turn off in the old place and on in the new place, etc etc, you don't have to completely put your dating life on hold.

Switch your dating profile over to your new location early. In your profile, mention that you're moving to town in a couple months to start a new job, so you figured you'd start getting to know new friends ahead of time. Folks are pretty open to the idea of showing a newcomer their favorite places in town, so you have a very convenient "problem" that potential romantic partners can "fix" for you.

Being in transition doesn't mean your dating life goes on Pause mode. Be honest about where you are and where you're going and you can continue the search for the best match for you.

Dating can be a fun and intoxicating experience, especially when two people meet and hit it off, right off the bat. One issue you should bear in mind when it's time for the relationship to move to the next level is proper safety and the possibilities of contracting an STD. We've all heard the stories, the facts, and seen the hundreds of commercials on TV but many people still don't take all of this information as seriously as they should.

When meeting the new possible love of your life the last thing anyone ever thinks about is the likeliness of this wonderful person living with a sexually transmitted disease, but statistically speaking it's more of a possibility then you may think. With more than one in five people in the US living with an STD it's a pretty serious social problem and should be treated as such.

Education is the key to keeping yourself protected from becoming one of these statistics. So let's go over some common STDs and their myths, how there transmitted, and simple things you can do to keep yourself safe.

It's amazing how much a little red plastic cup can say about you, without you even realizing it.

A good deal of my regular clientele are folks in their 20s and 30s. They fall into two groups (with a little overlap): The Settled Down (focused on career or already with kids) and the Livin' It Up (single/never married, working for the weekend, still partying a bit). If we're going to get really stereotypical, members of the two groups prefer to date their own kind. The Settlers prefer to date other Settlers and the Livins prefer to date other Livins.

Problem is, there's a large group of Livins who are dying to become Settlers. They party, but they look forward to the day when they can just chill out on a Friday night and watch a movie with their One and Only Love. And the only way to achieve that dream is to either a) Date a Settler or b) Date another Livin' that's dying to become a Settler.

I'm blessed with a wide variety of friends. Straight friends, gay friends, bi friends, transgendered friends, transsexual friends. Not only are they great people, but they give me a glimpse into their worlds, especially when it comes to online dating. In this article, I want to specifically address the concerns of bisexual men in the online dating world.

Some people will argue that there's "no such thing" as bisexual men - that as soon as a man is with another man, he becomes gay and that is that. (Funny how women can be bi and that's perfectly acceptable, if not lauded!) It's a pretty narrow-minded view, but if it's yours, go ahead and click through to another article. There's nothing to see here for you.

As a bisexual man, you're dealing with narrow-minded people, both male and female. There are women who are just as weirded out by the idea of a bisexual man as men are. In fact, I have a friend who hides his bisexuality from his wife. He doesn't act on it, but he dated men before they met and continues to fantasize about men to this day. But he loves his wife and is very much attracted to her too. He keeps his bi tendencies under wraps because he'd rather not risk losing her.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from bisexual men who list their sexuality honestly on their dating profile is that they get plenty of attention from men (both gay and bi) but hardly any emails from women. This may not be a huge problem if you don't mind dating men, but if you're feeling the pull toward the fairer sex, the pickings are slim.

Oftentimes, what works to overcome this issue is posting two dating profiles - one as a gay man and one as a straight man. This works very well on free sites, but obviously will cost you double if you are on a paid site. (I've never tried it before, but I'm thinking you may even need a different credit card to register two paid profiles.)

Since gay men aren't going to be searching for straight men (usually!), your alter ego won't show up in their searches. Since straight women aren't going to be searching for gay men, they won't find your gay side. You're still bisexual, but a little more separated than usual. Is it deceptive? A little. But you are straight AND gay, so it's not entirely a lie.

Any bisexual men have additional tips on how they manage their online dating presence?

It's the gift that keeps on giving. Worse than an unwanted present from grandma, chances are that if you have an STD it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Is your romantic life over? Only if you choose to let it be over.

Join a site for other singles with STDs

There are plenty of dating sites out there that cater to singles with STDs. Everyone is positive for something, and usually they list what it is on their profile. Why not look for someone who understands what it's like to walk in your shoes? There's transparency from the start, so you don't have to have that awkward talk before things get serious. Everything's on the table.