Lovin’ & Tweetin’ & Pokin’

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d delve into the topic of love online. Sure, you’ve heard of eHarmony and Match.com, but that is so old school. Nowadays, folks are doin’ it 2.0 style, tweetin’ and friendin’ their way to meeting the love of their life … or to at least stay in touch with that cute girl at the bar even if they can’t get her phone number. And you can do it all for free!

It’s pretty easy now to find someone online. So many people are on Facebook and if you know someone’s name and where they live, you can likely find them. At least you can ask to be their friend, and if they accept, you’re on your way toward getting to know them. On Twitter, you can now use the People Search function to look for someone by name or email and start following them and interacting with them.

And of course there’s all the fun stuff that allows you to “flirt” online like poking someone on Facebook. My only experience with this fun feature (because, yes, I’ve been married 10 years this year) is some old man, whom I did not know, who poked me on Facebook. I tried to make my husband jealous with this tidbit, but mostly we got a good chuckle. You can also send your friends flirtatious gifts, etc.

There’s also a Speed Dating 2.0 application on Facebook that allows you to have five minute conversations with a potential date and continue the conversation however you choose if you’re interested. Ah, the fun never ends on Facebook.

Over on Twitter, there’s a whole site dedicated to single Twitterers called Twitterbirds.com. They describe themselves as speed-dating on the Internet.

There are also quite a lot of free social networks like SocialGrid and PassionsNetwork for dating.

So, while I can’t say I’ve experienced love on the Web, I’m guessing many of you have. And I’d love to hear your stories, funny or inspiring. Is the Web a good place to meet a potential partner? For all you singles: here’s hopin’…