(BPT) – The odds are if you didn’t meet your partner in high school or college, you’ll likely meet them online. In fact, nearly 40% of American couples first meet online. Despite its convenience, it’s not easy to keep up with the ever-changing rules of digital dating. With endless options at your fingertips, how do you make the best of it?
Dating in 2019 left behind a generation suffering from disappointment and swiping fatigue, and now is the time to swipe smarter, not harder. After all, hindsight is 2020. Here’s a go-to guide for taking a fresh approach to dating in the new year:
1. Upgrade and Update Your Profile
You’re constantly growing, and your dating profile should reflect that! In order to attract your person, it’s important to present yourself as accurately as possible. Translation: No Snapchat filters or photos over a year old.
2. Explore Your Options
If you’ve been on the same dating app for two years and have no ring (or great stories) to show for it, it’s time to try something new. Dating apps are like partners … explore your options. There’s no need to be in a committed relationship with the big three anymore (i.e., Bumble, Hinge and Tinder).
3. Don’t Reel in a Catfish
Dating in the 21st century calls for security that most apps somehow still haven’t caught up to. Just because there are plenty of fish in the sea doesn’t mean you have to settle for a catfish. Instead, use apps, like Iris Dating, with fraud detection to make you less vulnerable to scammers. Iris, a new dating app that predicts mutual attraction through artificial intelligence, uses an intensive verification process to filter out potential frauds. So once you train the app, sit back and let it do the matchmaking for you without worrying about catching any catfish – Iris has you covered! (Iris is currently available to New York City singles and will be rolling out in new cities across the country soon.)
4. The Social Media Factor
Social media is out there for you to use – if someone is sharing information about themselves online, it’s fair game to look through their profile. Pro tip: Check their tagged photos to see what they look like in photos posted by their friends!
5. You Can’t Change Him … Be Picky
Dating tips always suggest open mindedness, which is great advice – until it isn’t. Trying to make something work when you know it’s not the right fit just wastes both you and your date’s time. Invest the time to be choosy from the start and you’ll likely increase the odds of a second date.
