you can write to each other. You can get to know each other by learning from friends and family of the guy. Talking to his sister. asking your brother to hang out with him. Or from a chaperoned conversation. Or see how they interact with others.
yes but i don’t think it’s the same as the “talking” that people do today. The Prophet (S) and Khadija (R) interacted like business partners, she liked his honesty and how he did business with people and she asked to marry him through one of her employees and he said yes to her through that same employee. THis is not how people act these days. People use this example to justify long romantic conversations and private dinners at restaurants (supposedly the other clients at the restaurants prevent them from being “alone” with each other). I don’t think islam supports this kind of behavior. By all means they can do what they want, but don’t try to justify.