After Divorce, Avoid Online Dating Faux Pas

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.

Laurie S. Moison (Hall) has written for newspapers in Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Washington, D. C. Author of four books, including "An Affair of the Mind," she has lectured nationally on sexuality, forgiveness, ethics and spirituality. She can be reached at lhall@together.net.