For those who’ve dabbled in the online dating world, I’m sure you can all agree with me when I say…IT. IS. HARD! *wall slide*

We live on our devices. All day long, we’re on social media from our cell phones, laptops, tablets…you name it, our faces are glued to it. So you’d think it’d be easy to build connections with people online, but nope! Getting Cupid to strike is harder than ever before. Could this digital world be hurting those of us who are ready to turn our online flings into real life things? (Yes, that rhymed.)

For me, the fact that I’m always on the go doesn’t help. My line of work keeps me on the road, which means I have very little time for nights on the town in Charlotte. And that means my chances of meeting people while out and about are slim. So here I am, relying on friends and social media to make my connections (it goes down in the DMs!). It’s just so different than meeting someone when I was in school—talking all night on the phone, meeting up for a cute lunch date in the cafe, fake-studying in the library. I miss the early 2000s, when it was all so simple (yes, I’m aging myself)!

But now, we’ve got the endless questions about digital etiquette. Do I text first? Should I double text? How long until we can FaceTime? Should we follow each other on social media? He never answered my text but he’s tweeting—should I block him? 

And then comes online dating. I’ve always been afraid of dating apps, but I’ve heard amazing success stories about couples who’ve met and immediately knew they’d connected with their soulmate. Because it’s so thorough and gets into the specifics of who you are and what you like, your chances of meeting quality prospects is higher.

A few years ago, 2 of my homegirls and I decided to start online dating. We tried every app created. One homegirl and I sat at our work desks literally all day, swiping through the men who showed up near our office. They’ve since given their swiping thumbs a rest, but I’m still in the game.

Most recently, I’m into an app called BLK. It’s for African American Millennials like myself, which I love; finding eligible Black men my age has always been half the battle. I set up my account in about 10 minutes (including the bio, which always takes the longest for me), added my pictures, and got ready to meet my King, LOL. I’ve been spending all of my downtime swiping left and right, hoping to make connections that last past the first “WYD” message after first connecting. UGH. I’m new to this thing, but I’m so excited for the people I’m going to meet. Yes, I’m claiming it!

Photography by: Brandon Grate Photography

Of course I’ll be keeping you guys posted, and I’ll also be back with some online dating safety and etiquette tips.

In the meantime, give BLK a try and join me for some fun! Let’s exchange dating stories, and have a few laughs while we get through this digital dating world.

This post was sponsored by BLK. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

XOXO,

Melisa Chanel