How Facebook Stalking Impacts Online Dating

Women are guilty of Facebook stalking and it can impact your online dating results because nearly 50% of women will look you up on Facebook before your first date.

Have you ever checked out a potential date on Facebook prior to your date?  No?  Well, women are going to do their “due diligence” and do a little fact finding based on your Facebook profile.

The term “Facebook stalking” may be an overreach because it’s not “stalking” in the traditional sense but you should assume any women you’re meeting of dating site will look you up on Facebook to get information about you prior to your first date.

Take my advice and change your Facebook profile to “private” and clean up anything bad on your timeline.  Why?  40% of internet users will search the internet to gather information on a potential date.  The main resource; Facebook.

Women may cancel on you if they find pictures or anything on your timeline that offends them.

Facebook Stalking Is Very Real

Match.com surveyed over 5,000 singles and found 48% of women use Facebook to research a man prior to going on a first date.  In addition, they discovered that 38% of singles would cancel a date based on information they found on Facebook.

It’s easy to search for someone on Facebook once you have their full name or phone number and you should assume that whoever you’re meeting from a dating site is going to look you up on Facebook.

You have no idea what may turn a woman off.  Something as simple as “liking” a harmless post or sharing a video may offend a woman.

Don’t Add Your Dates As Facebook Friends

In addition to researching dates on Facebook, many people add their dates as “friends” before they meet.  Here are some tidbits Match.com uncovered about Facebook and online dating:

• One out of six younger singles (ages 21-34) thinks it’s okay to “friend” your new date before your first date ever occurs.
• 26% of the same group thinks it’s OK to add a date as a Facebook friend after 2-3 dates.
• 11% of singles between ages 35-44 wait to “friend” a date on Facebook until it becomes an exclusive relationship.

Be wary if you ever receive a message like this from a woman.

Final Thoughts

You should lock down your Facebook profile to avoid any unwanted Facebook stalkers.  Keep it private, not public.

More importantly, don’t add a potential date as a Facebook friend until you establish a committed relationship with someone.  You don’t know that person so it’s best to be safe when it comes to “friending” people on Facebook.

As for your Facebook profile, a harmless picture or comment on your timeline may sway a potential date to cancel on you.  This is why it’s important to keep your profile private.

I’m not saying to change who you are; if a woman doesn’t accept you for who you are that’s her loss. Move on. There are plenty of women out there.  But be smart about what you post on your timeline.

Posting pictures of you alongside hot women, political rants, drunken bar club pictures, etc… should be avoided.  If there’s a cloud of doubt in your mind about what you’re posting on Facebook it’s probably best to not do it.