I don't undrestand why it is so difficult to date now. In school it was easy, see a boy, flirt a little, and BAM you have a boyfriend! Now, not only is it find a place to see a guy, then try to find one you are attracted too (lately just because he's good looking in general doesn't mean I find him attractive... confusing but true), THEN you flirt from a distance and try to get him to come over and introduce himself so you can flirt up close. If that doesn't work, then you are left with the decision to go over there or not. It's not my first choice, simply because I wish to start things the way I expect them to continue, and I will not spend my time chasing a guy. This first time can be rethought though, as maybe he's shy, I mean there has to be a reason he's single at this age, and shyness is the nicest of the choices.
So after the first contact is made, you have to find the answers to all the questions. Single? Age? Occupation? Living arrangements? All must be answered as soon as possible, as an unacceptable answer to any of them may mean the relationship is doomed before it starts. So this seems fairly simple, but if you speak to friends about it it all gets so much more complicated. I think the solution is to not tell your friends anything about a guy you date, but then you may miss red flags that they would have seen. Also, if you find a great guy and you want to date him, it's hard not to talk to your best friends about it. However, they will have different views on what is an acceptable answer then you, for example age: some people think it matters a lot, others don't care at all, some will be ok if he lives with a room mate, others will call it a deal breaker. This all makes it hard to know exactly what your own opinions are too.
So I guess things are just a lot more difficult and though I can't see why, I will form my own opinions, make my own decisions, and see what happens. Goodness knows I've helped my friends through some pretty dumb dating decisions, now they can help me.