It appears in our lives in so many ways, from professional through to social, so why not our love lives? Social media is a great way of engaging in a bit of online flirting. But what should and shouldn’t you be doing to ensure you have fun with social media when dating and that you, most importantly, stay safe?

Do

Connect with real-life crushes; if you’ve got a colleague or friend who you quite fancy, start following them on twitter or indulge in a Facebook ‘poke’ and start up an online conversation.

Don’t

Make friends with random people whose picture you quite fancy at random on sites like Facebook; for a start you don’t really know who they are (that gorgeous Angelina Jolie look-alike in a bikini from Orange County could be a fifty year old man from Aberdeen for all you know). For a second thing, you’ll look tacky to your real friends when they see your friend list!

Do

Have fun and engage in a bit of innocent flirting; getting up the courage to do the same in real life can be difficult!

Don’t

Do this if you are in a real-life relationship; especially if your partner can see it all!

Do

If things heat up, stay in touch through the media portal you have chosen without giving your personal contact details out if you’re not sure about the person’s identity.

Don’t

Meet up without taking steps to ensure they are who they say they are and set a meeting point that is in a busy public place. Seen the film Catfish? Watch it and then think again about a spontaneous meeting.

Do

Publicise nice pictures of yourself doing interesting things online. By keeping them available to your friends only, or making your profile private, you can make sure it’s only the people you want to look at them who can see.

Don’t

Compromise your security or post pictures which are indecent. If you’d rather your boss or your mum didn’t see them, it’s probably best to keep them off the net!

Do

Use dating websites as a way of meeting new people. They can be used in just the same way as social media and provide a platform for secure communication between potential dates. After all, when it comes to free online dating UK cities and towns give some great options for safe meetings and exciting dates.

Don’t

Using a dating site needn’t mean that you compromise on your real-life values. If you are of a particular religion sites exist to meet partners who share your values, many single Christians and single Muslims throughout the UK have profiles online to meet new partners.

Use these tips and enjoy flirting and even dating with the help of social media!