In today’s world, meeting new people can be challenging. If you live in a smaller town or city, it can feel like there are not a lot of potential partners available. Online dating has become increasingly popular over the past few years; however, the majority of users still have reservations about it.
This is especially true for millennials. They’re not as keen on online dating as older generations. That might be because most dating apps feel very impersonal and don’t give users much opportunity to get to know each other before asking them out on a date.
People tend to feel more comfortable making connections with strangers through Facebook than other apps because they already trust their friends and family members who use this app to connect with these people again. It also gives them another way to make connections with people they know that might also be looking for love and friendship in their lives again.
You’ll be forgiven if you think that Facebook dating is nothing more than another cynical cash-grab from Mark Zuckerberg and his band of data-hungry hoodie-wearers. But there’s more to this feature than meets the eye.
It’s a response to what users want, and a sign of things to come in digital dating. The trick is figuring out how to use it to your advantage instead of letting it use you. To help you navigate the choppy waters of the latest Facebook feature, here are some tips on finding your way to a meaningful relationship with Facebook dating.
What is Facebook Dating?
Facebook Dating is a new feature from the social network that lets you sign up to try and find a relationship. Dating has been rolled out globally for Facebook users over the age of 18 (sorry, kids). If you’d like to try it, all you need do is sign in to your Facebook account and select “Start Dating” from the menu in the top-right corner.
Facebook Dating is designed to be integrated into your existing Facebook account. All of your friends, likes, and interests stay intact, and are visible to both you and your future love interests. You can also continue to use your existing dating apps and sites alongside Facebook Dating.
Why has Facebook introduced Dating?
Facebook has always been interested in getting you and your friends to share as much content as possible. Dating, however, is different. It’s a feature that encourages you to spend time away from your feed, interacting with your friends’ profiles, swiping through suggested matches, and trying to make a real-life connection.
That’s why Facebook has introduced it. The company wants to see you spending more time on Facebook. There’s no better way to achieve this than by getting you to chase romance. Dating features like quizzes and icebreakers are designed to get you talking to your matches.
While you’re having fun and getting to know each other, you’re not spending your time scrolling through newsfeeds and reading other people’s updates. By encouraging you to spend more time on Facebook, Facebook can make more money from advertising.
Don’t spam people.
So, you’ve signed up for Facebook Dating and you’re eager to start swiping and matching. Before you start messaging every person who shows interest, there are a few things to remember. Firstly, you need to be careful with your data.
Don’t upload pictures of your friends or post their contact details on your Dating profile. If you’re absolutely determined to use your friend’s details, make sure they know you’re doing it. Don’t just swipe left and right and expect your friends to understand. Secondly, don’t spam people.
This is the quickest way to get yourself banned on Facebook Dating. People are on Dating to find a real relationship. Spamming them with a link to your Dating profile or a generic, blanket message is likely to make them block you. Be careful.
Be careful with your data.
No one likes to think about how their data is being used, but you should think about it when you’re on Dating. The fact that Facebook owns the platform means that it has access to all your data, which could make it easier to sell to advertisers.
Facebook has assured users that it won’t sell their dating data, but you should still be careful with what you share. You also need to be careful with what you find out about your matches.
Even though you can see their full names and profile pictures, you can’t see their email addresses, phone numbers, or workplace. If you want to contact your matches, you’ll have to use Facebook Messenger, which means Facebook has access to those conversations. You should be careful what you say in those chats, and think twice before sending sensitive information.
Set clear goals and use smart filters.
Once you’re on Facebook Dating, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of it all. Before you start swiping left and right, though, you need to set some goals for yourself. What are you looking for in a partner?
What are your deal-breakers? How will you know if someone is worth your time? If you have no idea, that’s OK. You’re not alone. Most people don’t know what they’re looking for in a partner until they find it.
There are, however, ways to set some smart filters. You can set your age range, preferred distance, sexual orientation, relationship type, and other preferences, and Facebook Dating will show you matches that fit your criteria. You can also use Facebook Groups to find other people who are on Facebook Dating and see if they want to go on a group date.
Make the most of the discovery phase.
Once you’ve matched with someone on Facebook Dating and you’ve exchanged a few messages, you’ll be prompted to start an icebreaker. This is a fun, lighthearted activity designed to get you talking and feeling more comfortable with your match. It’s incredibly important that you actually complete the icebreaker.
Facebook Dating is designed to get you to commit to one another, but you don’t actually meet each other until you’ve both finished the icebreaker. This is your chance to show off your best self and make a real connection with your match.
You don’t have to spend hours writing a long essay, but some thought and effort is required. The best icebreakers are casual and lighthearted. Avoid anything too heavy or serious.
You can’t know if your match is a psychopath until after you’ve both finished the icebreaker, so keep things light. Make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct, and don’t swear too much. Avoid using emojis unless your match uses them too; they’re too ambiguous.
Remember that appearances are often deceptive.
As you go on more and more dates, you might start to form an impression of the type of people who use Facebook Dating. Remember that appearances are often deceptive. Just because someone has a certain job or looks a certain way, doesn’t mean they’re going to be a great fit for you.
You also shouldn’t judge others by their appearances. If you find yourself doing that, take a step back from Facebook Dating and ask yourself why you’re being so judgmental. There are plenty of incredibly successful people who are on Facebook Dating.
There are also people who don’t work because they have chronic illnesses. There are people with mental health issues. There are people of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. It’s easy to fall into the trap of judging people by their appearances, but you’ll have a much better time if you try to make sure you’re judging people based on who they really are.
Don’t Assume Everyone Is Out to Date
Depending on your age, you may be surprised by the number of older people on Facebook Dating. Yes, there are younger people, but Facebook also has plenty of older users. If you’ve been on other dating apps and sites, you may have gotten the impression that everyone is looking for a relationship.
While it’s true that all of those apps and sites make dating very easy, it’s not always the case that people are looking for a long-term relationship. Don’t assume that everyone on Facebook Dating is out to date you.
Some people are just curious and don’t want to commit to a real-world date. There are also plenty of people who are out to find platonic friends. Before you get too invested in someone, make sure you know what they’re looking for.
Is Dating on Facebook a good idea?
As with any relationship, it’s up to you to decide if you think Dating on Facebook is a good idea. It’s worth noting, however, that Facebook Dating is very different from every other dating app
Don’t waste time on bad dates.
There are plenty of fish in the sea, as they say, and you shouldn’t waste time on bad dates — Facebook or otherwise. But with Facebook dating, you have more information at your disposal. If you are meeting people through a dating app, you don’t have much information to go on besides their photos.
If you are meeting people through Facebook, you have access to their interests and life events. That can give you a lot of insight into a person before you even meet them. If you notice that your potential date can’t seem to get out of the house or is putting a lot of events on their calendar, you may want to ask them about it.
You may find that your potential date is just a shy person or someone who doesn’t know many people in your area.
Keep an eye out for people you actually want to date.
The dating app model isn’t the only way to go, and you may want to avoid it altogether. If you want to take advantage of the new Facebook dating feature and meet people who you actually want to date, you can use the “new friends” option or the “mutual friends” option to start a conversation.
If you are trying to make friends, you can select the “new friends” option and write a short description of who you are looking to meet.
If you know people who are already on Facebook dating, you can select the “mutual friends” option and write a short description of who you are looking to meet. You can also select the “mutual friends” option if you want to date someone who is your friend but doesn’t know that you want to date them.
If you are trying to date someone who is your friend, you may want to send them a message first and make sure that they are single.
There are some benefits to be had from Facebook Dating
As we’ve discussed, Facebook dating allows you to access a wide range of information about potential dates. In theory, this means that you can be much choosier about who you want to date. It also means that you can avoid wasting time on people who aren’t a good match for you.
You can see your potential dates’ interests and see if those align with your own. You can check out the events on their calendar and see if those are the types of activities that you enjoy as well.
All of this information means that you may be able to skip the first date entirely and go straight to the “how do you feel about kids?” conversation. It also means that you can avoid bad first dates that have nothing to do with your potential date and everything to do with your bad mood.
If you know that you don’t click with someone in person, you can end the date early and avoid the awkward end-of-date phone call that never happens.
Don’t rush — there’s no need to meet-and-mingle immediately
You may feel compelled to meet your Facebook date as soon as they show interest in you. Resist that urge. Let things develop naturally between the two of you, no matter how much you want to see your date.
The biggest mistake that people make when using Facebook dating is meeting the person too soon. You don’t know this person yet, so you don’t know what they are really like.
You don’t know if they are trustworthy. You don’t know if they are safe. You don’t know if they are good for you. It’s like meeting someone at a bar or a party. You don’t know them yet, and you don’t know what their intentions are.
You don’t know if you are going to get into a car with them. You don’t know what they are like sober. You don’t know what they are like away from all their friends. You don’t know what they are like when you are alone with them.
Take advantage of the perks that come with Facebook Dating
Obviously, two people interested in dating each other can and should talk about their feelings and see if they are a match. But there are some perks to Facebook dating that you may want to take advantage of.
When you are dating on Facebook, you can see when your date last logged on and what they have been looking at. That may seem like a minor thing, but it can actually help you figure out if your date is interested in you or if they are just a creep.
See: How To Add Facebook Dating Menu On Facebook Mobile App In 2022
If they are looking at your profile and they haven’t logged on in a while, they may have forgotten that they logged into your account. That could be a problem. If they are logged on and looking at your profile and they don’t log out, that’s a huge red flag.
That means that they were logged in when they looked at your profile, and then they forgot to log out. That’s a sure sign that they are up to no good.
Stay safe
Your best bet for staying safe when you are dating on Facebook is to conduct a background check on every person that you are interested in dating. That may sound like a lot of work, but it’s an important part of online dating safety. You may not want to let a complete stranger into your home, or let them know where you work.
When you are dating on Facebook, you can do a background check on the person by using the search function on your computer. Just type their name into the search bar, and then click “Images.” You will see a bunch of results, and you can click on their images to see what comes up. You can also click “Videos” and “News” if you want to find out more about the person.
Know what you’re getting into
While dating is often a bit of a crapshoot, dating on Facebook takes that concept to another level. You don’t know who you are meeting, and you don’t know who you are dealing with. You don’t know what their intentions are. You don’t know if they are who they say they are. Unfortunately, you can’t take the same precautions that you would if you were meeting someone in person.
There’s no way to verify who someone is or confirm that they are who they say they are. You can’t look them in the eye and see if they are trustworthy. You can’t see if they are nervous or if they are who they say they are. You can’t see if they are a good match for you.
That’s why it’s important to take precautions when you are dating on Facebook. It’s important to meet in a public place, and it’s important to let someone know where you are going and who you are meeting. It’s important to let a trusted friend or family member know where you are going and who you are meeting.
It’s important to take these precautions because you don’t know who you are meeting. You don’t know who you are dealing with. You don’t know if they are who they say they are.
What should I write on Facebook Dating?
You will need to tell a short anecdote or pick three adjectives about yourself and use the space to give them context and detail on facebook dating. Additionally, you don’t have be afraid to give a little detail about what you want in a partner on facebook dating.