The Ten Commandments of Online Dating

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Is Mrs. Right really only a click away? She sure can be. Online dating is great way to mix, mingle and find someone you can connect with– but here are rules….

1. Thou shall not act too cool to care.  For your profile pic–yeah, if you need to trim your nose hairs or something, do it before you say cheese. And I hate to sound like grandma, but run a comb through your hair and wear something presentable. Oh, and no pictures with you and your ex. Or you and your dog spooning in bed.  Or you with the Hawaiian Tropic girls in Vegas. That’s just weird.
2. Thou shall not search online for a new mate until the present mate is out of the picture. You’d think that would be a given, but unfortunately, it’s not. Just making sure it’s duly noted.
3. Thou shall not be long winded.  When responding, blabbing on and on and on can be annoying. Gals like to know you can get to the point quickly and confidently.
4. Thou shall not forget to use the spell checker. Sounds crazy, huh? Well, lots of girls I know admit they hot the delete button if a message is muddled with bad grammar and typos. Why? It just shows you could care less.
5. Thou shall not act Creepy McCreepy. It’s totally cool to be flirtatious and fun when you’re communicating online, but if you get a feeling you might be crossing the line, than look down—you probably already did. Play it cool, not creepy. Don’t force a real life date or act pushy.  No cursing, arrogance or trying to sound inaccessible.  It’s an instant turn off and honestly, what’s the point?
6. Thou shall not pick a dumb username.  Dumb username pickers, you know who you are. Stop it. The same goes for your headline or status line. “Mr. Loverman” was taken years ago. Writing “Are you the one?” makes you sound lame, and “This site is stupid but I’m so lonely” isn’t going to win you a profile prize or a hot girl either.
7. Thou shall not e- lie. Even from your very first communication, do not inflate anything.  Not your job, not your car, not your shoe size. Even those teeny tiny little white lies can come back to haunt you. And you’ll totally attract the wrong type of girl if you start lying about who you are and what you do. If you still live with mom, own it!
8. Thou shall not be late on the first date.  As the saying goes, if you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late—don’t bother showing up. And since you planned this first date (hint, hint) it’s better to arrive a little early to make sure all goes smooth.
9. Thou shall not act Creepy McCreepy. Yep, this is a repeat but the same goes for face-to-face dates as well. Girls have their guards up when meeting a guy for the first time in real life. One creepy-stalker stare and chances are, you’ll never hear from her again.  Oh, and talking about the crazy night you had in Vegas with the Hawaiian Tropic girls…not a good idea.
10. Thou shall not pretend you fell off the face of the earth. If you’re no longer interested in keep the communication going, or going on the second date, don’t act as if you were suddenly swept into the witness protection program. Tell her the truth, she can take it.

Janene Mascarella is a lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, CNNMoney, American Way, Self, Glamour, Cooking Light, Women’s Health, Woman’s Day, Bella, Mint.com, Currency, Parenting, Parents, Family Circle, American Baby, AOL Travel, and iVillage. Follow her on Twitter @MrsWrite

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