It's been a year since Facebook Dating debuted in the United States of America, and now the time has come for its debut in Europe as well. In its disarming simplicity, Facebook Dating has already garnered countless adhesions both among those looking for friendship stories, and for those who want to go a little further and meet new people on a sentimental level.
Facebook Dating, first of all, is not an App, but a function of Facebook that allows you to use the same login information of your regular account to make many new acquaintances through the classic match system tested by giants such as Tinder or Once. But what is it, exactly? Is it safe for my privacy and that of my Facebook account, or will all my contacts know I'm signed up to a dating service? Let's find out together in this in-depth look at Free Technology.
What is Facebook Dating?
Facebook Dating is a new Facebook feature that makes its debut on October 22, 2020, and will become accessible to all users in just under a few months. It will take just a few technical updates before the service is fine-tuned to perfection and offers everyone of age a fresh and interesting alternative to the usual Apps.
Unlike the usual Apps, however, Facebook Dating takes information from your profile to create a default one within the free dating service. The feature, however, is not bi-directional, meaning that everything you enter on the basic Facebook page can go to your Dating profile, but never vice versa. So, there is no need to create a new account, nor to pay attention to what you are thinking of writing: your privacy will be 100% guaranteed. No contact, whether friend, family or work, will be aware of the fact that you have activated the Dating service or not. This way, your privacy is always put first.
If you are already familiar with popular dating apps, such as OkCupid, Tinder, Once and more, you will find that the information interface is not that different from the usual one. The first thing you need to do to access the Dating service, then, is to accept the rules and conditions of use, so you can select all the data you want to transmit about Dating, possible sharing of location and, of course, privacy info.
What's different about Facebook Dating? Why do people like it so much?
As mentioned above, Facebook Dating works exactly like all other dating apps. After filling out your profile with the information you wish to share with the public, you'll be offered a series of potential matches whose profile you'll be able to view: if you like him/her, "Swipe Right" (or little heart), if you don't like him/her, "Swipe Left" (cross out) and you'll never see him/her again. If the other person also reciprocates the interest, you will be put in contact and you can start chatting at any time.
The main difference between any dating app and Facebook Dating is the great care that has been taken in the algorithm of selection of potential candidates, as well as the thorough search for people who might interest you. In other words, the algorithm works in such a way that the first matches, the most interesting ones, are collected by a data processing that analyzes the places visited in your Facebook profile, common interests and that in some way manifest a certain similarity with your social habits. In short, these are contacts who are not part of your usual circle of friends, but by places they frequent and habits could be part of your potential network.
Even when two people meet in this way, Facebook Dating puts people in contact through its service, carefully avoiding providing information about your real Facebook profile or giving you access to the possibility of writing messages on its Messenger. None of this. It will be you and only you who will decide whether to continue communicating on Dating or switch to another communication system more immediate and direct.
The beauty of Dating are the highly performing privacy regulations: the information comes from your original profile, but not vice versa. None of your contacts will know you're subscribed to the service, reassuring you of your free will.
The Facebook Dating algorithm is therefore based on your constant and continuous use of the world's most popular social network. In other words, if you use Facebook and enter a lot of information about yourself, the matchmaking system will have much more information about you than you would even imagine. The more active your profile is writing to groups, pages and events, for example, or registered in places or doing particular activities such as playing video games or reading, the more the system will do a good job of putting you in touch with the right people.
Building an Attractive Profile for a Targeted Service
Another excellent Dating service is one that helps you, in a few simple steps, by giving you the right advice, to create an attractive profile that will succeed in attracting possible contacts. In short, the winning moves for a successful profile, ideal for sharing not only the highlights of your personality, but also to understand who is compatible in your vicinity that you have not yet had the opportunity to know.
Unlike normal dating services, such as Tinder, the goal of Facebook Dating is to be serious and professional, always. In other words, if Tinder is for adventures, Dating lends itself to finding the perfect match that can establish lasting love. In short: the only way to be among someone's matches, in theory, is to be within a certain geographical distance from him and share concrete interests, and not just lightness and spicy shots.
The profile is initially populated in a completely automatic way with the inclusion of your first name. To this, you will have the option to add your location, gender (cis, trans, non-binary), height, religion, employment, schools attended and whether or not you have children. In addition, you will be given the option to meet one or more circles of people: everyone, women only, men only, trans women, trans men.
Besides this, you will have the opportunity to upload up to 9 pictures of yourself and complete some questions that are meant to get you to know you a bit and break the ice. Once you have completed all these options, you will have the first opportunity to select your matches.
The "secret crush"
One of the peculiarities of Facebook Dating is the "secret crush". If you go to previous events in the groups section of the App, you'll find the "Secret Crush" feature, where you can enter the profile of some people you've met on Facebook groups that you really liked. Users who have received a "Secret Crush" will receive a notification. In case both people enter each other in the crush list, the match will immediately put them in touch so they can start messaging. Facebook ensures that it will never tell this person who put them on the crush list, unless the two people enter into a direct match. This is a very interesting and unique service, which can only be realized thanks to the vast pool of users that Facebook enjoys.
It seems very risky for the security of my data!
The developers of the Facebook Dating service have assured that the data will be jealously guarded and will not be used for promotional purposes or processing of any kind. However, the criticism of this system so "intrusive" in the daily activities that we record on the social has already raised several criticisms around the world. Many youtubers and influencers have experimented extensively with the app and have dedicated themselves to finding its possible flaws. Someone claims to have received friend requests from completely unknown people, while others have received matches well outside of their traditional circle of interests.
The truth we will find out in the coming months, trying and experimenting, with the sincere hope that the promises are kept and that the privacy system helps to filter information with maximum security. On the other hand, many other dating apps suffer from this problem: it has happened to everyone to receive a message request from a perfect stranger who has seen our profile on, for example, Tinder, and that we had discarded, asking for a chance. The situation not only generates a kind of embarrassment, but also raises many doubts about the security of the data that we put in the hands of these applications.
Why choose Facebook Dating?
In a world where almost everyone has tried, at least once, a dating application to broaden a little 'the circle of our horizons, Facebook Dating promises great things from the point of view of online dating. In addition to satisfying the need to find something new and fresh and get out of the circle of "usual faces" on Tinder and company, there is also a strict regulation dedicated to privacy that, we are sure, will become increasingly secure.