This isn’t your grandfather’s time any more. For better or worse, the rules have long since changed, giving way to alternate ways of romance thanks to the innovations of technology. With texting, dating apps and social media, there are so many more opportunities to find (and keep close) significant others. But what’s the right way to go about it? Stick around. We’ll tell you.
Use Technology to Your Advantage.
First off, use it. Don’t limit yourself to just cruising the local bar or book club. Your competition certainly isn’t. Meeting someone online has long since lost its stigma, so get out there and start looking! Pick your site or app based on what you want. Is it a fling? Something short-term? Hardcore, 4-evah monogamy? Some apps and sites will cater specifically to the type of relationship you’d like, while others such as Hardline give you the opportunity to look at multiple options or switch your tastes on a whim. This is probably the best gay dating tip out there, so make sure you take it with more than a grain of salt.
Know Your Internet Fingerprint is Part of Your First Impression
When you find that potential someone special, know that they may Google you as soon as they learn your last name. And since this often happens just before or during your first date, you need to know what about you pops up first in a search engine. Is it your undergrad thesis? A bunch of hate speech on your blog about people of another race? A picture of you puking on a unicorn? This stuff matters. Social media follows us wherever we go, documenting both our triumphs and our failures. Your date will judge you accordingly.
Don’t Play the 24-48 Hour Game
You may have heard of that old rule to not contact someone until about two days after a date. That’s bullshit. Not only is it simply silly if you really like someone and think you hit it off, it’s also wholly unrealistic with technology these days. Just about all forms of non-physical contact are now instant. If you haven’t texted your date by the next day, you’re giving the message that you’re either not interested or pretending to be a coy moron. Nobody likes games. Just text the dude and tell him you had an awesome time.
Turn Your Phone Off While on a Date
What is this blasphemy?! As much as Hardline appreciates your enthusiasm for constantly traipsing through our wares, it’s incredibly rude to look at your phone while you’re on a date. You know the concept of a date, right? It’s to get to know one another, not stare at a little screen while you finger-flick through Facebook. It’s never okay to ignore your date. Put the phone in your pocket and keep it there. No sound, no vibration. At worst put it on silent, at best turn it off completely.
Don’t Change Your Profile Picture Into a Photo of Both You and Him
So now you two have really hit it off. But don’t go crazy overnight. Changing any social media profile pics into the two of you sends the message that you think he completes you, that you can’t exist in full without him. In chick flicks that’s romantic, but in the real world it’s unhealthy and unrealistic. You have (or should have) an entire life outside of your beau. Don’t water your entire persona done to your current relationship. There’s just so much more to you. Also, it could just plain freak him out if you didn’t get his okay first.
