If I didn’t know better, I’d assume Mark Zuckerberg was an evil genius that wanted to ruin dating forever. He claims he created Facebook so we could connect, but was his master plan to help us stalk significant others and poke our exes? If so, he has accomplished his (alleged) goal!

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve perused a man’s profile, or sifted through his friends list suspiciously. The allure is difficult to resist, albeit detrimental. So, is it possible to keep our eye on the prize instead of stalking a potential love?

Let’s take a moment, disconnect and take note of appropriate Facebook behavior when dating.

5 Facebook Tips When Dating

1. Hide Your Facebook Relationship Status: Relationships can take months to become established. Other times relationships are simply off and on. So, why not hide your relationship status on Facebook? You don’t have to check ‘single,’ ‘in a relationship,’ or the once dreaded ‘it’s complicated.’ Just leave it hidden from your profile until what you have is real.

2. Facebook Stalking is a No No (And Crazy): If you spend all day on his Facebook profile, you may be guilty of Facebook stalking. That includes checking his friends’ profiles and analyzing status updates and threads. To remain sane, step away from his photos and give yourself a Facebook break. And don’t show up at his last check-in location either.

3. Don’t Friend (Or Poke) a Recent Ex: I rarely remain friends with exes, whether online or off. For me, it complicates things, especially when dating someone new. So, I keep my exes at bay. If they are my friends on Facebook, it’s only because we’ve been over for years. Still, what’s to say the ex won’t poke me or try to poke me again, literally?! Be smart and keep a safe online distance from your exes. It makes life less complicated.

4. Communication Shouldn’t be Limited to Facebook: You have a significant other and only speak via Facebook chat. That’s a problem! You need real communication and effort. Phone calls, dates, and socializing offline – that is real quality time. Yes, Facebook chat is a great tool to touch base throughout the workday, but when someone is interested in you, they spend time and make time for their love interest or partner.

5. Don’t Argue Via Status Updates: He didn’t take out the trash and your status reads, “I need to marry a trash collector!” Your husband reads your update and comments, “Well, then I’ll marry a super model!” This back and forth is childish and embarrassing. No one should be involved in your virtual screaming match. And please don’t clog my newsfeed with exclamation words, curse words and cap locks. Be smart and keep the fighting (and making up) offline.

If you follow this quick guide, you should survive the minor annoyances that occur when dating and utilizing social media. Don’t let Zuckerberg win. Use Facebook for social networking and avoid a dating catastrophe.