How to Send a Like on Facebook Dating

From the Facebook app, tap Menu, then Dating, and tap like on the person you are interested in. If you want to say something with it, tap any of her photos instead, write a message, and tap send. Either way, nothing opens until she answers: the conversation starts only when she responds to your message or sends a like back.

Facebook Dating gives you two options when someone catches your eye.

1. A plain like. Open the Facebook app, tap Menu, then Dating, and tap like.
2. A like with a message. Tap any photo of her, write a message, and tap send.

The plain like takes a second. The like with a message takes a minute. That minute is usually the better investment, for reasons that come down to what she sees.

Nothing, at first. Sending a like does not open a conversation.

The conversation only starts when she does something back: she responds to your message, or she sends you a like in return. Until then, the ball is in her court, and there is nothing more for you to do.

If she never responds, that is the whole answer. There is no reason to read anything into it and no point waiting on it. Some women are busy, some are not active much, and some were simply not interested. Move on and give your attention to the women who do answer.

A plain like tells her one thing: you found her attractive. So did plenty of other men, and their likes look exactly like yours.

A like with a message tells her more. It shows you actually looked at her, and it gives her something to answer. For a woman scrolling through a pile of likes, that is the difference between a face in a list and a man she has a reason to reply to.

Because you start by tapping one of her photos, write about that photo. Pick the one that gives you the best thing to say, not just the one where she looks best.

Keep it short. One light comment about the photo you tapped, and one easy question she can answer in a line.

If she is holding a surfboard on a gray, windy beach, try: "Either you are very brave or that water was warmer than it looks. Which one?" If she is at a concert, try: "That crowd looks like it was having a great night. Who were you seeing?"

Leave out compliments about her body, anything sexual, and long introductions about yourself. "Hey" and "you're beautiful" give her nothing to reply to, and she has probably seen both already that day.

Sometimes her photos really do not give you anything to say. Every picture is a close-up selfie, with nothing in the background, no activity and no clue about her life.

In that case, a plain like is better than a forced line. A comment on her looks is the only thing left to say, and that is the message women tune out fastest. Send the like and let her decide. If she likes you back, open with a light question or something about your own day. That starts the conversation on better footing than a strained compliment would.

Liking everyone feels productive, but it is not.

When you like every face that looks fine, your attention gets spread across women you would never actually take out. You end up in half-hearted conversations that go nowhere, and the women you really wanted get a rushed, generic line.

Like the women you would genuinely enjoy an evening with, and put a real message on each one. Fewer likes with better messages will usually get you more good conversations than a flood of blank ones.

When she answers your message or likes you back, the conversation is open. This is where most of the work happens.

Reply while her interest is fresh, the same day if you can. Keep your messages short and light, and give her things to react to rather than interviewing her. After a few good exchanges, suggest a drink as an easy, casual idea. A few messages later, ask for her number so you can pick the day and the place.

Choose somewhere public, close to you, and easy to reach. A like is only the knock on the door. The date is the point.