Tinder Dating App

July 22, 2013 (CHICAGO) -- "Tinder" is one of the hottest new dating apps getting a lot of attention lately. Social media expert Tracy Samantha Schmidt with Crain Communications gives us a 101 on how Tinder works and the safety concerns you need to be aware of.

In a nutshell, it's a dating app that combines the following:

Hot or Not
FourSqaure
Facebook

You can search for people in your area -- as close as a mile away--and by age. So if you wanted to find all the women ages 32-35 within a 2 mile radius of you at that moment, you can do that.

It's also part game, you literally swipe through it hitting the no or yes. If both people hit "yes," they are allowed to message each other.

Also, because it connects to your FB profile, you're able to see what mutual Facebook friends --if any--you have in common. This is a good safety feature because if you decide to meet up with someone, you can ask your mutual FB friend about that person first.

However, there is always the risk of getting Catfished. These profiles can be fake and someone can pretend to be someone they're not. So if you're going to meet in person, it's best to figure out a way to verify that person's identity in some other way, just like you would if you were going on an online date. Also, as with online dating, meet in a public place and be sure to tell someone else where you'll be, who you'll be with and to check on you at a certain time.

crainssocial.com

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