In a world saturated with dating apps, it can be tough to stand out. Many apps have resorted to gimmicks like Bitmoji avatars, selfie filters and newsfeeds littered with cats and pandas to stand out from the crowd.
Even Tinder has recently hopped on the Facebook Dating bandwagon by launching a new app called Thorn that is almost identical to its standard app but uses your friends as matchmakers instead of algorithms. But, what if there was another way?
What if you could join Facebook Dating without it feeling like you’re joining a dating site? After all, as much as we love cat photos and selfies with funny faces, most people are not excited about broadcasting their love life online.
As you probably know by now, last week Facebook announced an alternative membership option for users over the age of 18 in New Zealand and Australia that gives users access to a standalone dating service integrated directly into Facebook.
While the details of this new service are still unclear — will it be available globally at some point or just remain limited to those two countries? — we do know what kind of experience it will provide users.
Did you know that Facebook now has a dating app? Maybe you didn’t because it doesn’t seem like the natural place for love connections to flourish. However, by the end of 2018, more than 65 million users had signed up to the service. People are using it to find partners and perhaps even fall in love.
But what is it about Facebook dating that makes it so appealing to users? There are many reasons why people feel more comfortable on social media compared to other apps or websites when looking for love interests.
To begin with, there is no pressure of being face-to-face with someone you barely know yet want to appear interested in them romantically. There is also a sense of security knowing your friends or family can see what you post publicly, especially if they have access to your location. The following explains what happens when you join Facebook Dating…
What is Facebook Dating?
Facebook Dating is a feature within Facebook that lets you find potential romantic partners. You can connect with people based on shared interests, mutual friends, workplace, education, and more. You can use Facebook Dating on both the desktop site and mobile app.
To start, select “Dating” at the top of your Facebook homepage and begin by entering your gender and age. You’ll then be able to specify what types of relationships you’re interested in and who you want to connect with.
Facebook Dating is different from ordinary dating apps like Tinder and Bumble in that it’s designed to help people form long-term relationships. It does this by emphasizing more on in-person interactions and mutual friends, who are more likely to be genuine about your compatibility.
Because Facebook Dating is part of Facebook, it has more ways to get to know someone than a standalone dating app. You can message people on Facebook, stalk their profiles, and even see mutual friends as potential partners.
What does Facebook Dating look like?
When you find someone you like on Facebook Dating, you can either Like them, Send a message, or Poke them. The person you are interested in and have selected on your dating app will be notified by a pop-up notification.
This notification includes your name and profile picture, and lets the other person know that you have ‘liked’ them. If they also like you back, they can choose to send you a message. If the person has chosen not to use Facebook dating, they will not see the notification on their Facebook timeline.
This is an important distinction to note, as there is no way to find out if someone has ‘liked’ you on Facebook Dating unless they also like you back. If both of you have liked each other, you can send Facebook messages to each other.
How do you know if someone likes you on Facebook Dating?
If you have used Facebook Dating and happen to come across that special someone, but are unsure if they like you back, you can check the “Who Liked You” section. Facebook Dating also has a helpful “Who Liked Me” section so you can see who has liked you.
If you have liked someone, but are not interested in pursuing the relationship, you can unlike them. This will not alert them that you have unlike them, instead it will send a notification that you do not want to be contacted by them any longer.
Is it worth joining Facebook Dating?
There are few downsides to Facebook Dating, but it’s best to let your guard down slowly. This dating app doesn’t require you to post your full name, but you do need to use your real name if you want to send messages with your Facebook account.
This protects your identity, but it also means your friends could find out you’re dating someone. Facebook Dating is free to use, but you can pay to boost your profile. This boosts your profile so that people who are not your friends can see your dating profile. If you want to find someone quickly, paying for a boost may be worthwhile.
Facebook Dating is a useful dating app that allows you to date with people from all over the world. This dating app allows you to find people based on mutual interests, workplace, education, and more.
This makes it easier to find someone with whom you have something in common. This is especially helpful if you are looking for a serious relationship, such as a marriage. Facebook Dating is also helpful for people who are not interested in dating right now.
How to use Facebook Dating
- Create your dating profile If you decide to give Facebook Dating a try, you’ll have to create a dating profile. Your dating profile is basically like your normal Facebook profile, but you have the opportunity to mention your romantic and/or sexual interests in it. This can help you attract the people you want to date. Your dating profile shouldn’t be a carbon copy of your normal Facebook profile, though. Instead, try to highlight the things that would appeal to a potential romantic partner.
- Browse potential partners Once you’ve created your dating profile, you can start browsing other people’s dating profiles and seeing who you’re interested in. Click the “Browse” button on the main menu to open a list of potential partners. You’ll see a list of people based on your location, mutual friends, and other factors. You can also click the “Advanced” menu to filter the list based on age, gender, and more.
- Send and receive messages Once you’ve found a few people you’re interested in, you can send them a message. Click the “Send Message” button in the menu on the left and type out a short introduction about yourself. Once you’ve sent a message, you can also see who has sent you a message by clicking the “Messages” button.
- Browse potential partners Once you’ve sent a few messages and started talking to some people on Facebook Dating, you’ll want to start browsing other potential partners. You can do so by clicking the “Browse” button on the main menu. You can also click the “Advanced” menu to filter the list based on age, gender, and more.
- Meet up with your matches in real life At some point, you may want to meet up with a match in real life. This could be a great way to take your dating to the next level.
- Choose Your Interests And Preferences – Before you start swiping, make sure that you have selected the preferences and interests that are important to you. This will help increase the chances of finding someone who is a good match for you.
- Start Swiping – When you have your preferences set, start swiping. You’ll immediately see a feed of potential matches, with their interests, photos and other information like their age and location.
- Get Specific With Advanced Search – If you want to find a specific person, you can use the advanced search function to find them.
- Send A Message – If you see someone you’re interested in, you can send a message from within the app. You can also like someone and see if they like you back.
- Don’t Get Too Distracted – If you start swiping and liking people, it’s easy to get distracted and waste time. Make sure you spend a few minutes each day connecting with people and you should be able to find someone you like without spending too much time on it.
Browse potential partners
When you begin using Facebook Dating, you will begin to see potential matches based on your selected preferences in your news feed. From there, you can “like” these potential matches or select “skip”.
If you like someone, you will be able to see their profile and if they like you back, you will be able to send them a message. If you do not want to like anyone, you can skip people using the “x” button.
If you want to stop seeing certain people, you can “hide” them. There are three ways to browse potential matches on Facebook Dating:
- Searching – You can search for people by name, interest or other information they have included in their dating profile.
- Viewing recommended matches – Facebook Dating will suggest people based on who you have hidden or liked. Click on the “view” button to see their profile.
Send and receive messages
If you like someone and they have liked you back, you can send them a message. You can only send one message per person per day, but you can like as many people as you’d like. Facebook Dating lets you send and receive unlimited messages and you can like as many people as you want.
You can also choose to ignore specific people, but you cannot unignore them. If you want to send a message, but you don’t want the person to know who you are, you can select “create a secret account”.
Meet up with your matches in real life
If the relationship has blossomed and you feel comfortable doing so, you can meet up with your matches in real life. If you want to meet someone but don’t know how to bring up the topic, you can use the “suggested actions”.
Facebook Dating is a great way to find partners with whom you have something in common.
What Happens When You Join Facebook Dating?
Interestingly, in Facebook Dating you can send likes and messages to people you are interested in. Once someone likes you back in Facebook dating, you will match and can start chatting in Dating.
Bear in mind that all people on Facebook Dating must follow the Facebook Community Standards. Facebook Dating profiles and activity cannot be promotional in nature or contain commercial offers.
Conclusion
The internet is a vast place, and there are plenty of dating sites and apps out there for you to try. But if you’re a Facebook user, you may as well use the network you’re already on. If you’re interested in meeting new people, giving Facebook Dating a try couldn’t hurt. Who knows? You may meet someone great. Now that you know what happens when you join Facebook Dating, you can make an informed decision about whether or not you want to use the app.
