Online Etiquette

How To Respond To A Personal profile
If you read and follow these simple guidelines when you first respond to a person's profile, we guarantee your chances of getting a positive response will increase.

1. Be pro-active
Some people are shy and hesitant to be the first to make contact. So take the first step and make the first move. If you wait for the other person to contact you, you may be waiting a long time. A little time and effort on your part will definitely increase your chances.

2. Respect the conditions in the person's profile
If they are looking for someone in a particular age range, race, location or listing category and you don't meet the criteria, please do not answer the profile. If you do respond make sure you give a good reason and make it clear. Otherwise the person assumes you didn't read their profile carefully or just didn't feel the need to respect their wishes and neither of those will make a good first impression.

3. Respond to all messages you receive
When you send someone a message, I'm sure you expect a reply. Please be sure to return the favor by replying to all messages you receive, if only to acknowledge the effort that was made by the sender. Keep in mind that it may have taken courage on someone's part to write to you in the first place.

4. Reference some information in their profile
When responding to a profile, comment about those things that prompted you to respond to their profile out of the many profiles out there. Use that information as a springboard for conversation. For instance, if they indicated that their favorite movie of all time is "An Inconvenient Truth", tell them your honest reaction to the film and why. Then ask what about the film makes it their favorite. This kind of simple attention to specific things they wrote in the profile not only tells them you read it, but also gives them a reason to write back.

5. Never respond with one-sentence or less, except for our smiles
"I like your pic, call me at 555-555-1212" is not the best response a person makes to a profile. Providing your phone number or email address on first contact may be too aggressive. And please don't demand someone's email address or phone number. You will be ignored and your message will be ignored. Only after several "get to know you" type messages will someone feel comfortable enough to receive or share personal contact information. Take your time, and be patient and sensitive to someone's need to feel comfortable with you.

6. Don't use "mass mailing" techniques
Don't copy your same custom message to several people at once. It sure doesn't say to them "You're special!" And, don't assume that the people on your mailing list don't know each other. They've often gotten the same "form letters." The dead giveaway that a response is a cut-and-paste job is when there's absolutely nothing specific in it about their profile.

7. Be prepared to graciously accept "No" for an answer
Not every person you contact is going to feel the same about you. It may be your location, age or some other factor. You may be disappointed but that's no excuse to be rude. Wish them the best and move on.

8. Spell check, spell check, spell check
Show you care about what and how you write. Opening your initial message is like someone opening the door to meet you for a blind date. How you present yourself in that first message is critical and determines whether you will get a positive response. Use proper punctuation and avoid ALL CAPS. It's the internet version of shouting. Remember, you're not sending a text message so this isn't the time to save keystrokes. If you mean "you", don't type "u". If you're saying "by the way", don't type "btw". After you've established a more casual rapport with someone, you can loosen up a bit. But always remember that your first message is the first personal contact they see from you and it should always look its best.

9. When you describe yourself and your interests, avoid clichés
Believe us, everyone says they love giving massages, walking on the beach, and always puts your happiness first. Be aware that when a person reads these phrases, they have already read them before and have yet to find someone to whom they truly apply.

10. Patience and Persistence
Everyone leads busy lives! They might be out of town, their email server is down, the computer crashed, or they are snowed under by kids or business for a week after you write. Wait awhile, then write back, mention your first message, and include the fact that you are really interested.

11. Always be nice
A closing statement which conveys best wishes for happiness whether they choose to respond or not, speaks volumes about you. It may be the one nice thing they heard all day, and enough to generate a response for you.

Our mission is to help you find your match in the safest, most comfortable and easiest manner possible. Take advantage of the opportunity.