If I'm right about my Facebook history, they started as a date - rating service. Didn't they? And when that didn't work out so well, Mark Z. changed course and (cue the music) the rest is history.
But for a long, long, time now, I believe, people have been using Facebook to match up, for good or ill. I have had people I don't know proposition me via Facebook, though I never followed up on any of them. But just knowing they were out there was (for me at least) pretty creepy.
My sister had a much worse experience, though. She befriended someone in real time and thought he would be a friend to her (and her husband). Instead, he flew into a rage when she didn't return his romantic interest, hacked her page, got into her computer and terrorized her and forced her to leave Facebook altogether. He also ruined her computer, which she has pretty much given up.
This happened three years ago and I think he is still pretty much going his merry way on Facebook. I have blocked him because he tried to friend me to get to my sister. It has not been a pretty picture.And I did report him, though I don't know that it did much good.
I guess my hope with this whole Facebook dating thing is that they start keeping track of how people are treating each other and pay attention when someone says their page has been hacked. I also hope that Facebook is responsible enough to build in precautions for anyone who is under 18 and for that matter, any age, because it is easy to take advantage of someone, regardless of how grown up we are all supposed to be.
At the same time, I'm not sure Facebook (or any platform) is really able to keep track of all the people out there and what happens if some of them start dating each other. So... Facebook is getting into the dating business but...
Be careful. Be cautious. Let the buyer beware.
Couple photo: Francesco
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