Online Dating: 7 Online Dating Tips to Keep You from Getting Kicked Off

When Melissa McIntosh read the e-mail notifying her that she was no longer subscribed to a major online dating service, at first, she thought maybe there had been a mix-up with her credit card payment. Then, she read further. The reason she had been removed from the membership, the e-mail said, was she had violated policies.”

It took a call to customer service to find out the exact nature of her crime. A newbie to online dating, she had put her e-mail address in her profile thus revealing personal information too early in the game. If she had waited to give it out until, what this site calls open communication,” that would have been OK. But, putting it out there right out of the gate was a no, no. The staff voted her off the island.

This is not the kind of thing you let drop at cocktail parties, just standing there, martini in hand, casually mentioning that you got kicked off an online dating site. All the while, desperately hoping that someone else will say, Yeah, that happened to me, too,” so you don’t have to feel like a total dweeb. To avoid having this happen to you, here are some tips for you.

SEVEN ONLINE DATING FAUX PAS TO AVOID

1. Not reading the fine print.

Not putting personal info in your profile was in the 15-page Terms of Service document that hardly anyone clicks through to read. Reading it, rather than merely clicking the Accept box, would have saved Melissa’s membership.

2.Being a cheater.
Shocking, but true, people lie about marital status when signing up. Even though the major dating sites ask you to be single and available before joining, they usually just take your word on this. But, don’t try that on True.com. True checks public records to make sure you’re telling the truth. If you’re not, True reserves the right to prosecute you for fraud. Sure, there are sites that openly advertise themselves as being hook up sites for married people looking for a fling. This means both parties who meet through the service are aware that there’s a whole lot of cheating going on. If that’s your thing, have the integrity to be honest about it with your spouse; have the respect to engage in this kind of behavior only with the agreement of your spouse, and have the smarts to use safe sex precautions so you don’t bring an STD home to an unsuspecting spouse. That said, representing yourself as available for relationships when you are committed (at least legally) comes under the category of promoting information you know is false and misleading. If you engage in these kinds of shenanigans, you could seriously hack off someone who has paid to be introduced to people who truly are available. If they report you to the dating service, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

3.Having a record.

Thou shalt not be a convicted criminal. True.com checks for prior sex offender and felony convictions. If you attempt to join the site with a prior, you will be busted. They have successfully sued folks who try to get away with this. True CEO Herb Vest says, “We can’t guarantee a criminal or married person cannot get on our site, but I can guarantee they will be sorry when I catch them.”

4.Not playing nice.

Thou shalt not post on the service nor transmit to other members any defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening or racially insensitive comments. Match.com says they reserve the right to investigate and take appropriate action if you engage in this kind of foolishness.

5.Being crude.

Thou shalt not post on the service nor transmit to other members any obscene or sexually oriented material. All the biggies mention this as a big-time faux pas. Ditto for click through links to porno sites or sites soliciting for illegal activities.

6.Being socially awkward.

Do not even think about using an online dating service as a way to recruit for your network marketing business. It’s bad enough you keep trying to show the plan to family and friends. Seeing the 15 million members as potential downline will seriously annoy folks who are having their credit cards billed every month for romantic opportunities, not business opportunities. Ditto for sending chain letters,” junk mail,” and spam.” Mega dittos for engaging in commercial activities and/or sales such as contests, sweepstakes, barters, and advertising without the written permission of the service.

7.Not being of age.

You have to be at least 18 to become a member of the reputable dating services. For example, eHarmony says, As per the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, any information we receive from people we believe to be minors will be purged from our database.” You won’t be purged if you don’t set someone up for a misdemeanor.

Avoiding these faux pas will keep you on the path to finding your true love, If you believe you have been unfairly kicked off a dating website, most have a mechanism for appeal. Simply contact customer service and state your case. If they give the green light, you could be back winking and emailing away. If not, learn your lesson and better luck next time.