text: Modern technology is supposed to be making our lives easier, but often all it does is create more pitfalls. 21st century additions like a Facebook page, an Instagram profile and a smart phone often end up doing more damage to a budding relationship than good. These days we are more connected than ever, but that regularly pushes a potential partner further away. Smart phones and social media often cause nightmare for men and women on dates (picture posed by models) On a date in the 1990s, the biggest fails a person could be responsible for were a lack of conversation, food in the teeth or a man asking the woman to split the bill. Nowadays, the man or woman is also likely to try and photograph their food or keep checking their phone at the table. Girls are often caught out spending too much time in the bathroom, while they compare notes on their evening with friends as their date is sat back at the table. And after the evening is over both parties can fall foul of the temptation to get in touch too quickly - texting within hours of the meeting or checking out the other person's Facebook profile immediately. While on a date it is considered rude to leave your phone on the table  (picture posed by models) To save the embarrassment of being chucked before the relationship has heated up because of your addiction to technology, Blu e-cigarettes have listed the top ten ways to avoid showing yourself up. They include leaving conversations about the dating app Tinder to evenings with your friends, and checking with a potential boyfriend or girlfriend before changing your relationship on Facebook. - Keep phones off the dining table; your date wants to see your face, not your screen. - Don’t be tempted to take a snap of your food for instagram - it will look like you’re more interested in your followers than your date. - Refrain from ‘checking in’ your location online too; it could easily turn into a ‘live-tweet’ scenario or worse, a ‘helpful’ friend might drop by to see how it’s going. - Keep it offline; immediately changing your relationship status on Facebook if the date’s gone well is a sure-fire way to scare off your date. - If it goes really well, it might be time to move the chat away from text; take it to the next level and give them a call a few days after the date. - Do keep your taxi app handy in case you need to make a quick exit from a date disaster and you don’t have any cash . - If you must update your friends on how the date’s going, use snapchat – it won’t leave any evidence! - Don’t brag about the number of matches you’ve had on Tinder, they won’t appreciate it . - Don’t assume your date will find that funny cat meme as hilarious as your friends did! - And finally, leave the Google Glass at home, as recording your companion for post-date analysis isn’t likely to get you a second date .
target: Social media and smart phones cause a minefield of problems while dating .
  Being clingy on Facebook or constantly on your mobile can be off-putting .
  FEMAIL provides ten tips for stress-free dating .