You’re a hip, single dude who considers himself a modern man. You enjoy black and white movies, wear the occasional 120 thread-count collared shirt, you’ve tried caviar, and can make a mean gimlet. But, as a guy on the dating scene, did you know that there are a few technological blunders that can send a flat-out bad signal?

Dating guru Chiara Atik, who writes for a popular dating site, recently detailed the “6 Technology Red Flags” a guy can display that could turn off a potential date partner. Amongst them are what any hip, single woman in 2011 would consider obvious: Having a hotmail e-mail address, leaving unnecessary voicemails, and owning a feature phone (sorry Chiara, that’s the actual term for “flip phone”), are all red flags. After brief discussions around the TMC (News - Alert) office, these ladies who write about technology every day had a few items to add.

1. Wearing a wireless headset everywhere you go. Come on, bro, it’s just plain unnecessary. Yes, the devices were made to live on your ear, but when we’re on a date, I don’t want to have to look at that little blinking blue light the whole time. Also, the fact that you might get a phone call while we’re, say, at the park, and you will most likely answer it because, hey, that thing is already on your head and you might as well, is slightly annoying.
2. Using a Nextel phone. You know, the ones that beep really loudly so it’s obvious to everyone else in the store/on the street that you are talking about what you’re going to do later. Those were so 2002. Just get a real phone. Even if it is a feature phone. Those Nextel phones are basically uncool walkie-talkies. Owning a walkie-talkie would actually be cooler and would make for a fun date twist.
3. Owning a stereo system with several oversized speakers. So, there are all these companies that make cool, powerful speakers now, that also happen to be small. You don’t need the big honkin’ boom box-sized speakers to hear what comes out of your computer or TV anymore, and it’s kind of a turn off for some women. We’re not saying go out and replace your speaker set should you own a large one, but at least own a sweet retro record player to go with it.
4. Using AOL (News - Alert) Instant Messenger. No one uses AIM after the age of 18. It’s just the way the world works. It’s like you stop eating applesauce after the age of 4. It’s just something you don’t do from that point on. Get GChat. Get Skype (News - Alert). Get anything else. AIM is old school, and not in the cool way. Women will judge you for it. You have been advised.
5. Being sketchy with your response time. If you are one of the hip dudes who has a smartphone, you are most likely on it a lot, and women know you’re on it a lot. We see you constantly looking at it, swiping at it, smirking at it, showing it to others. That’s OK. Smartphones are really awesome. We love them, too. What’s not OK is answering a text message from us within 5 minutes, and then not answering the next one for a whole day. We know you saw it. Your smartphone told you.

Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.

Edited by Tammy Wolf