Dating and Technology Primer
Okay, I admit it. I am still working on mastering my computer. I have only really used three out of the six technologies listed below. But for your education, here is the latest with the romantic usages.
Mark de la Viña wrote this interesting piece that appeared in the Mercury News on January 29:
Technology in dating: a users manual
E-mail
BEST USE: Making that initial contact, establishing a rapport before moving onto more immediate forms of communication, such as instant messaging or the phone.
ADVANTAGES: A casual way get to know that potential squeeze. Less intrusive and more secure than communicating via phone.
DISADVANTAGES: As the first form of long-term contact, enables unscrupulous suitors to conceal more about themselves than they could face-to-face. Possible lag time between sending and receiving answer.
Text messaging
BEST USE: Confirming a meeting, sending a quick verbal acknowledgment or flirting with someone across a bar.
ADVANTAGES: Short can be sweet; allows a suitor to craft a message, reducing the risk of a foot in the mouth.
DISADVANTAGES: Minimal information exchanged; sore thumbs.
Instant messaging/ online messenger
BEST USE: Moving beyond e-mailing before a phone conversation seems comfortable.
ADVANTAGES: Getting a better sense of a someone’s personality than with text messaging.
DISADVANTAGES: Having to endure bad grammar and entire text written in upper case.
Palmtop (Treo, BlackBerry, etc.)
BEST USE: Sending and receiving e-mail from remote locations.
ADVANTAGES: Ability to reply to e-mail promptly; always wired.
DISADVANTAGES: You’re always wired, so delays and no responses are harder to excuse.
Cell phone
BEST USE: Stepping up toward an actual date.
ADVANTAGES: Accessibility.
DISADVANTAGES: Accessibility.
Landlines
BEST USE: Letting someone know you are really interested.
ADVANTAGES: Privacy; no roaming charges, comfort of home.
DISADVANTAGES: Potentially intrusive; they have your home phone number!
From Your Romance Coach, Kathryn Lord
