Compatibility was already complicated enough. She's an only-child; he's from a family of 12. He's a meticulous planner; she's fly-by-her-seat spontaneous. But technology is fast adding an entirely new layer of compatibility for would-be couples. And it can suss out the potential for a relationship in a matter of dates, reports Monica Hesse for The Washington Post.

Indeed, mismatched technology preferences can end a romance before it begins. The hardest hit generation? Thirtysomethings, Kelli Lawless, who helms Dating and Mating in America, told the Post.

Apparently, the forty-ish are most likely to be in sync technologically (with … Read More

The other night, when I was having dinner with a guy friend who told me my engagement history might scare off some guys, we also discussed the issue of privacy in a relationship and how big of a deal it can be when that privacy is violated. He maintains that checking your partner's email, cell phone call log, and text messages is totally wrong, whereas I think it's wrong, but not pathological or evil. Frankly, I know many women who do the occasional cell phone check or email glance (and a few women who do oh-so-much more), but what … Read More

Remember when dating simply meant a guy asking out a girl? Maybe he would call her up, maybe he'd do it face to face. Either way, the options were limited, and the results easy to decipher.

Now with email, instant message, texting, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and their brethren at our disposal, we have found plenty of new ways to communicate and even more ways to mess it up. Where there's a new technology, there's a potential relationship dissolving because of its (mis)use. Watch: Facebook Manners And You

"Each form of communication has its own followers and rules, which means … Read More

Four years ago, Heart Wishbringer saw Joe Stravinsky for the first time atop a waterfall overlooking a lush green valley. And while it was hard for her not to notice his dramatic hair (a towering white mohawk) and obvious height (an impressive 7'8"), it was Stravinsky's black, ornamented boots that really caught her eye.

They were "the most intricate boots I'd ever seen," Wishbringer says.

Equally taken with Wishbringer and her porcelain-skinned beauty, Stravinsky threw himself fully into a relationship with her almost immediately, taking her on 12-hour dates to his castle and talking late into the night with her about everything … Read More

Seven percent of people in the United States have rekindled a romantic relationship with the help of the internet, according to a new study. Re-establishing contact with a long-lost love can be pretty intense—just ask Teri L. Waine. Her high school boyfriend found her on Facebook and with him came a flood of old memories. But the United States doesn't stand out when it comes to rehabilitating hook-ups from the past. The world-wide average was 14%. The country with the most internet-inspired love renewals? India. A full 37% of Indians say the web has helped them renew … Read More

Communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. At least that's what's been shoved down the throats of the love-hungry for decades. And perhaps it was true 150 years ago, when the best way to communicate over any real distance was to write down your thoughts, hand them to a dirty guy on a horse, and have him take off into the remains of the day.

Now, in a warm and fluid world of cell phones, text messages, and IMs, anyone can reach out and touch you, anytime, anyplace. Significant others, naturally, are hands-on. They "just want to hear your … Read More

I've had some of the most intimate and intense conversation of my dating life over IM. Sitting at my desk (at my old job!) I would hash out the boundaries of my relationship, try to keep from crying and remain alert, ready to minimize if a co-worker walked behind me.

Over at Nerve (full disclosure: that's where I used to work) Will Doig writes about the non-stop IMathons that happen between sweeties when both of you are at work. Will and his boyfriend IMed so much, "it got so that IMing began to feel as natural as … Read More

You know the drill; dude likes chick, dude spends money on her, chick enjoys the ride, chick gets sick of this scene and seeks greener pastures, dude is devastated, dude starts doing math and realizes that he dropped like 10 million won (roughly $10K) on chick and seeks satisfaction. Chick then explains the nature of 'gifts' and courtship. Dude does not care for her tone one bit, so chick signs document that promises she'll repay whatever just to get dude out of her grill. Chick is reasonably sure that the document is non-binding so she ignores it. Dude gets litigious.

… Read More