With holiday parties right around the corner, the online dating scene is buzzing. It makes sense- the summer is over, the weather is cooling (only sort of in SF) and that “cozy by the fire” time of year is well on its way. Naturally, people are starting to couple up. I can feel it in the air. But there is something pretty major that many people forget to do before opening themselves up to meeting someone special. Perhaps you’ve heard of “spring cleaning”, but right now, it’s time for a little winter clean up!

The digital age has drastically changed dating. Suppose you already have a great online dating bio and fabulous online dating pictures. You meet someone, either on or offline, that you are interested in. You go on a first date with him or her and your curiosity is piqued. Now that you know their full name, what’s the first thing you do when you get home?

Google them.

Unless they have an extremely common name, you’re probably going to be able to dig up a little extra info on them and depending on their profession; you may just be able to dig up a lot. At the very least you should be able to find their social media accounts. At this point you get to see if the person you met for dinner matches up with their online persona.

What would you think if he was telling you about how successful and busy he is at his job and his LinkedIn profile hasn’t been touched since college?

What if his Facebook status says he’s in a relationship?

If you are in the market for new love, as soon as you finish reading this post, take a few minutes to do an online search of yourself. Look at images and social media accounts the way a potential date might. Go through your old photos on Facebook and delete any images that just don’t feel like you anymore. There’s no reason to keep photos of you with your ex online forever. It just confuses potential dates. Keep in mind that this media is social and out there for the entire world to see. It’s not enough to just turn on strict privacy settings because if your next date goes well, your new “friend” is going to have access to everything. Soon.