In this day of social networking, up-to-the-second information and the practice known as internet stalking, it’s hard not to dig up the dirt on anyone you know (full disclosure: the writer of this post shares his name with a former vice president. That’s about the worst thing you can find). That’s why this question from Dani in Park Slope is a bit of a toughie: “I’m going on this blind date a friend set up for me. I want to Google and Facebook him, but I feel like that’ll ruin the ‘blind’ part of things. Should I do it?”

We’ll admit, this sounds like a job for The Ethicist in the NY Times Magazine, but we’ll handle this one, Randy Cohen. It’s hard not to avoid the temptation of finding out something weird about your potential date. We fully admit we’d look at the pictures (you know, the one your friend tagged on Facebook that show what your date wore the past two Halloweens, the various states of inebriation at birthday parties, that “we’re trying to look gangsta” shot with his boys, etc), but if you can, take ten minutes to do the search: Google his name, check him out on Facebook and MySpace, even take a look at his resume on LinkedIn. After those ten minutes, put the mouse down, slowly, and walk away.

Now, this is your mantra: whatever impressions I have of Mr. Blind Date, are wrong. A blind date should be judged entirely on what happens during your date. Maybe he’s done with his college partying days and prefers a night in to watch a movie on the couch with you. Perhaps that website he did in high school devoted to Magic: The Gathering was just a phase (though we’d check his closet if you get a chance to see how many boxes of cards he’s hiding). Or (the horror!), he hasn’t updated any of his pages since 2002. If you go into the date thinking that your date is a Magic-playing, hard-drinking, gangsta-hand-symbol-waving guy and go in with that image, you won’t be able to shake it and you may not give a fair chance to someone with potential.

So, dating Law #5,643,012: Thou Shalt Not judge thy date on the basis of thine internet profile.