Whaattttttt? Fun and Covid in the same sentence? Well, we have had 5 months to get indoctrinated in a different lifestyle. For me, after the first 2 weeks of YouTube yoga and acute loneliness with no one to correct my postures when I got lazy, I totally embraced Zoom.

How? Gathering my 6 siblings, kids, nieces and nephews for a 20+ person Zoom call for Father’s Day. We laughed sooo hard! (Though being the eldest child, I made a list of the order people could talk in so it didn’t turn into mayhem — which won’t happen on a one on one date!).

Can COVID bring you closer in a socially distanced world? Yes. While my one daughter is off to boarding school across the country and my sister lives in Dallas, we do yoga 3x a week by Zoom with our favorite yoga instructor. After the hour session, we generally stay on for another 40-60 minutes and talk about everything . . . and nothing! It is keeping us connected.

Ok, enough of me. Maybe yoga with a sibling is not up your alley but guess what? Over 100 million people in the US are single and many online dating. Yes, my female friends, men!

So, let’s get going:

Tip #1

If you have not used online dating in awhile but your photos are floating somewhere in cyberspace, time to update! Pull up your dating profile and revise, revise, revise! Or, of course, I will be happy to do it for you. Take a look at your photos — update them! Do not post anything that’s more than one year old — unless one of your 5-10 photos is a darling baby pic of you.

Tip #2

Very briefly talk in your dating profile what you have been doing during COVID. Just a line or two — and please make it positive and upbeat.

1. I start with Moscow Mules at 11am. NO
   

2. I have never been a swimmer but I am up to 36 laps a day — and I actually like it. YES
   

After a sentence or two about how COVID has impacted your life, you are done. Let us move on to real dates or dating ala 2020. Look out for pandemic dating whiners and just skip them.

Tip #3

Zoom Dinner Date: here is the set up. Your first date (and your first impression) will be on a Zoom date. There is plenty to talk about from what you are both eating to the wine or craft beer you are drinking to is that your golden lab Cosmo in the background? He is darling! You will get a glimpse into people’s homes, personalities and eating habits. Keep it to an hour. Dress up!

Advantage: You like him, you are ready to progress to a non-internet date.

Disadvantage: Don’t get his vibe? No awkward good night kiss. Easy, a kind-a real online date with no downsides. You had to eat anyway!

Tip #4

Be proactive with online dating.Take a chance on someone you may have skipped right over 6 months ago. In my 20+ years experience I have found it is not the common interests that make or break a relationship — it’s the common values. So, if something grabs you in a dating profile, but he doesn’t read or talk about all his adventure travel, GO FOR IT!

Tip #5

Time to meet in person. Chemistry is what you feel face-to-face. So, you are DONE with Zoom and texting.

Time to meet in person. Did I already say that? Yes, I meant to. A socially distanced drink at an outdoor bistro is perfect. That could progress to Date #2 — a hike. Stand-up paddle boarding. Kayaking. Tennis. Walking a dog together.

Keep it active for the first couple of dates and keep it safe (always tell a friend where you’re going and with whom, and do the 6 feet away thing!).