Online dating and technology make it a lot easier to hook up with people. Unfortunately, it also makes it a lot easier to break up with a partner. If you’re tempted to break it off with your beloved, though, the toughest way – in person, face-to-face, is best. That way you can air out all grievances and both parties can have complete closure. Plus, you really need to prepare yourself for an in the flesh meeting. Breaking up by other methods may cause you to break things off a bit too hastily, without thinking things through. Here are three popular, but ultimately tacky, break-up methods you should avoid.

Stop Calling, Emailing, etc.

Cutting off all contact with someone-no calls, emails or texts, seems to be the most popular way to break up with someone. Everyone has initiated a breakup this way at some point, or been at the receiving end. It’s a classic passive-aggressive, avoidance technique. Breaking up is unpleasant. So, you reason, don’t come clean and confront the person, just fall off the face of the earth. Most people, except hardcore stalker types, will gather that you don’t want to see them anymore after several unanswered calls. Yes, cutting off all contact will get him/her out of your life, but it frames you as conniving and immature. Confronting someone is hard, but just disappearing will cause more hard feelings in the end. Even someone you can’t stand anymore deserves the truth.

Texting

Texting is the quickest, easiest form of communication. Just dash off “Sorry. It’s Over” and get on with therest of your life. It’s just as cowardly as and even crueler than the “stop calling” ruse. Even a short-term relationship deserves to end via more than a few letters typed on your iPhone. This break-up tactic basically tells the person on the other end that they are/were disposable. It makes you look arrogant. If your ex doesn’t call you out on this one, karma will.

Email

Email gives you more time to think about what to say – you can go into long-winded explanations if you want, and you can avoid the quickness of a text reply. It’s still the coward’s way out and delays the dumpee’s response, since most people don’t check emails as often as they check text messages. It gives you more time to formulate a comeback to their irate response (if they respond at all). Like the texting and no contact methods, it infers that you just want to wipe your hands of the whole mess and not have to deal with emotions of any kind. Unless you’re dumping a one-night stand, you probably have unearthed emotions that need to be aired out with your ex in person.