The online dating guidelines below have been put together to help you avoid uncomfortable situations and other problems. Please read carefully and refer to these often!

Keep your anonymity.
TAKE YOUR TIME, and ask lots of questions. Don't give out any personal information, including your email address. Use Mingle Mail first, which allows you to send and receive mail without using your real address. Get a good idea of what a person may be like before you give them your email address. You can set up free email accounts through services such as Yahoo, Juno, Hotmail, and others. Never give out your last name, home address, phone number, work information, or any other identifying information in your profile or initial emails. Don't communicate with anyone who attempts to pressure you into giving this information. Simply ignore them.

Use common sense and be cautious.
Don't believe everything you read or are told, whether it is on a profile, in a Mingle Mail, on the message boards, or in the chat room. Watch out for a person who is simply too good to be true. Watch closely for odd behavior, the person may not be what he or she says. Trust yourself and your gut! You're responsible to take all the time you need to make sure a person is honest and trustworthy. If your gut tells you that someone is lying, they very likely are. Dont get hurt by becoming prematurely intimate with someone. Don't be in a rush to fall in love, it will happen when it happens.

Ask for a photo.
A photo will verify a person's profile information and give you a good idea of appearance. If you keep getting excuses, it is probable that he or she is trying to hide something. Our site will scan in a photo for free, so there really aren't any good excuses for not doing it. A person may also send you a photo of somebody else. Be cautious.

Use the telephone, a pay phone first :)
At the right time, a phone call will tell you many things about a persons ability to communicate. Keep your number anonymous if possible, and use the conversation to find out more about the person to make sure you want to meet. Also call a coworker, a friend, or a family member. The more people you talk to, the safer and more sure you will be. Only share your phone number when you feel absolutely sure about trusting the person. If you are being pressured to meet, ask to speak to the persons mother first.

Meet only when you are ready.
Many times our excitement about a person makes us impatient.........Be Patient! One of the wonderful things about meeting somebody online is that you can gain so much information about a person before you feel you need to meet. You have NO obligation to meet anyone, ever. Stay away from that people that make you uncomfortable.

Warning signs.
Behavior such as anger, demeaning or disrespectful comments, physically inappropriate comments and behavior, intense frustration or attempts at pressuring or controlling you are obvious warning signs. Stay away from people like this, just ignore them. Below are a few more things to watch for:

• Information about age, interests, appearance, marital status, profession, employment, and other information is inconsistent.

• Will not speak to you on the phone after establishing an ongoing relationship.

• Dodges and will not directly answer questions.

• In person is quite different from his or her online profile.

• Will not introduce you to friends, professional associates or family members.