Put Your Phone Down! Country Dating + Phone Etiquette

The world of dating has changed. From meeting in a pub or at a country event, more and more people are turning to online dating sites to find people who share their loves and passions. In fact, we have over 240,000 rural singles waiting to meet other country lovers, and for more than just a roll in the hay. With most people also having smart phones, dating can be 24/7 too so even if you work long and unpredictable hours (we’re looking at you single farmers!) you can send and receive online dating messages via our muddy countryside dating agency. But what happens when it comes to dating etiquette and smart phones? For today’s words of muddy wisdom we’re shining the light on the world of the mobile phone, and investigating how it might just impact on your quest for love in the countryside.

Did you know that a study conducted by dScout found that, on average, people touched their phone 2,617 times a day. The most frequent (read, obsessed) members of the participating group touched their phones more than 5,000 times a day. 5,000 times! Just think how this must impact on your genuine, face to face, interactions with your family, friends and potential muddy lover. There’s even a word for it: ‘phubbing’ is now an official thing. That’s when you snub your companion for your phone.

So it’s time to ask yourself honestly, are you always stuck to your phone? Do you upload images of your life outdoors to Facebook before you’re even taken that much-needed shower? We have nothing against social media, and we love its capacity to support people, promote fantastic causes and connect friends around the globe. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself whether your addiction to your phone is ruining your outdoors dating experience and preventing you from finding love?

We’re gathered all of our muddy wisdom to create some guidelines for you rural daters out there to make sure you don’t accidentally phub your first date.

Put your phone away

Tuck your phone in to your pocket or bag on your first date. This is your chance to show your countryside date who you really are and get to know the person behind the online dating messages – without any distractions.

Put it on silent, and turn off ‘vibrate’

We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of a great conversation and really making a connection and then you hear their phone ping. Your date’s focus is gone, and you can see in their eyes that they’re wondering who’s got in touch. You are no longer the centre of their attention. Don’t be this person.

Don’t be tempted to show your country match endless photos

It’s always nice to show someone a photo or two to illustrate your anecdotes and show off a little more about your life in the countryside, but do they really want to see 100s of photos of your life on a first date? Not only do you risk boring them, it’s also very easy to get distracted by all of those pesky notifications that pop up.

Snapchat or Instagram? Next, next.

In today’s world of online dating and social media, there’s always the temptation to post sneaky pictures of your first date with your countryside-loving single, alongside some suitably humble bragging hashtags. #FitFarmer? #LoveInTheCountryside? #CuteCouple? It’s very possible that your country date won’t be comfortable with having their face splashed all over your social channels, and what’s the point? Take advantage of the date to get to know your muddy love, rather than showing off your dating credentials to your nearest and dearest (and the rest of the world).

Let your friends and family know you’re on a date

Hopefully they’ll respect your time and refrain from trying to contact you whilst you’re out looking for love in the countryside.

But don’t turn off your phone altogether

In the interests of first date safety, we recommend having your phone with you and to hand so that if you need to contact someone, you can do so easily and quickly.

Are you looking for your muddy match? If you haven’t signed up to our countryside dating site Muddy Matches yet then you can register for free and take a look around!