Facebook has announced that it is officially entering the online dating market. “There are 200 million people on Facebook who list themselves as single,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the company’s annual F8 developer conference. “So clearly there’s something to do here.”
The opt-in feature will match users with people they’re not already connected to on the site. Here’s how Facebook dating service works:
From your profile, click on the heart icon to enter what Facebook is calling your “dating home.” From there, set up a dating profile, which your Facebook friends won’t be able to see.
Browse events nearby and groups that interest you. Unlock the physical world event you’d like to attend.
Your profile is then shared with other people going to that event, and you will be able to see who’s attending and browse their profiles.
You can start a private conversation if you find someone of interest.
Facebook says the conversations will be text only as a “safety measure,” and dating chats will remain separate from Facebook messaging and WhatsApp.
“It mirrors the way people actually date, which is usually at events and institutions that they’re connected to,” said Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer, during his keynote.
