Romantic benefits

Dating is basically a decision-making process on the woman's part. Indeed, for women -- well, for most women anyways -- jumping into bed with a guy is not a decision they take lightly, because they want to make sure there is a substantial chance of a solid relationship with the man.

Now I'm not saying that the decision to "jump into bed" is the most important decision per se, I'm just saying that it seems to be the female decision that carries the greatest potential for psychological fulfillment -- or damage.

It's also the point of no return. After a woman has given "herself" to a man, well, there's no going back.

So dating is basically an information-intensive process where the woman tries to get as much relevant information as possible from the man, before she makes her irreversible decision.

I know I'm stating the obvious, but sometimes, the obvious is not so obvious, especially in an emotionally charged situation like dating! Perhaps men are nervous when they date, but there doesn't seem to be any good reason for being nervous: it's just a process where the gentleman reveals as much about himself as possible, in a calm and confident manner.

(Of course, it's easier said than done. I'm rarely calm and confident myself when dating! Fortunately, I'm a great poker player so I can hide all my emotions!).

In a way, LinkedIn enables men to divulge as much information as possible, so the woman (who may be separated by only one or two degrees of separation) can "check him out" even before meeting him. (Photos could be a useful feature here).

Assuming that women are most interested in men who are responsible and professionally successful, then LinkedIn could really save a lot of time during the pre-dating phase. (Compare that with Lavalife, where a woman often has no idea what the man is doing or how well he's doing career-wise. Since LinkedIn profiles are publicly viewable, a man is much less likely to lie about his professional achievements).

In future posts, we'll explore how men and women can use LinkedIn to strategically surf cyber seas in search of love. Of course, I'm no expert in this field, but thanks to the Free Speech Act, I'm allowed to legally ramble and offer musings on this exciting topic!