Batting a coquettish eye from across the room at Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome is so last century. These days, it's all about flirting with the fingertips.

Typing or texting to social media site Twitter is becoming a go-to way to flirt and find love as people become more comfortable in the Web 2.0 world.

And Valentine's Day weekend speed dating events in Toronto and across the country will bring the usually virtual experience of Twitter to an in-the-flesh gathering of singles.

"Flitter," a flirting game that will debut at events hosted by speed dating company FastLife, will give singles the chance to tweet flirty messages to others at the event.

Each attendee will be identified by a number, and guests are encouraged to bring their smartphones so they can tweet flirty messages about #102's smouldering beauty, for example. The tweets will show up on a large screen for all to see.

Speaking to CTV's Canada AM earlier this week, FastLife founders Justin and Annabelle Parfitt said flirting through Twitter allows people to come out of their shells and begin to interact.

"It's basically the new way to flirt," Annabelle said.

The tweet's 140 characters (in which people answer the question, "What are you doing?") are a fit for flirtation because tweeting is how Twitter users draw followers, says Jeffrey Kishner, editor of TechCoquette, a blog that explores the complexities of dating in the digital age.

"There's something about the form where you're basically relying on your wit to seduce someone," he told CTV.ca. "You're trying to win people over with your intelligence."

The immediacy of the medium also makes it appealing for would-be flirters, he said.

For those ready to take their 140-character banter to a new level, there are several Twitter dating websites that aim to help singles connect. TechCoquette features a run-down of the pros and cons of dating services TweetLove, My Tweetheart.com, Flirt140.com and 140Love.com.

But even though flirting on Twitter is quick and easy, it shouldn't be undertaken without some precaution.

"Unless you're doing DMs (direct messages), it's totally public," Kishner cautioned.

That means salacious tweets will show up in Google searches in real time and have the potential to harm a tweeter's personal reputation, he said.