10 Online Dating Rules

The ten online dating rules are designed to keep you from offending your potential date. From there, you stand a chance of getting to know your date better and earning a real first date.

1. No two-facing. One of the best online dating rules is to project the same persona on every dating site you join. Don’t act religious on a religious dating site and then join a non-religious site and act atheist. Many people perform due diligence by checking dating sites to see if their potential date has registered on another site. There are people out there checking up on you, and being found out will hurt your chances of finding a significant other in the long term versus simply being yourself.
2. No lewd or crude jokes. Once you get to know someone and know their sense of humor, feel free to crack a raunchy joke. But telling these jokes before you know them is a severe breach of online dating rules. Keep the jokes innocent and simple until you are much better acquainted.
3. No come-ons. An absolute no-no online dating rule is to never, ever proposition the other person for sex. Coming on to someone too early is a deal-breaker for most people, and it will most likely ruin your chances of moving further with them.
4. No picture, no dates. Another big online dating rule nowadays dictates that you must provide a picture for your potential dates. You don’t necessarily have to post a profile pic, but at some point prior to meeting in person you need to forward pictures so the other person knows if you meet their physical standards.
5. Communicate before you date. Beware of the person who pressures you to meet face-to-face too soon. This is an online dating rule meant to protect you from meeting up with shady characters, not to mention save you time and frustration. For your part, remember that no matter how good someone sounds or how quickly you hit it off, don’t push them to go on a first date with you too soon. Take the time to get to know one another beforehand. You’ll be glad you did.
6. No stalking. An important online dating rule is no stalking. Checking other dating sites to make sure your potential date isn’t two-facing the system is a worthwhile investment, but constantly commenting on their blogs, websites, email, or calling all times of the day is decidedly uncool. It’s also scary behavior, and you could find a restraining order placed against you. A good rule of thumb is to limit your contacts to mutually pre-agreed times.
7. Don’t force personal info. Similar to online dating rule six, this rule keeps you from asking personal questions. Questions concerning insecurities, family history, past romantic relationships, and asking for their home and work address is off limits, to name a few. They’ll let you know when they feel comfortable giving you this information. Forcing it can cause them to look elsewhere for a date.
8. Don’t “overshare.” In keeping with online dating rule seven, don’t offer deeply personal information too soon. In today’s parlance this is called “oversharing.” Not everyone can handle extremely personal details of other's lives before getting to know them over a long period of time. Too much too soon can signal that you’re emotionally insecure or clingy.
9. Don’t be rude. This should go without saying, but too many people feel that “being real” or “telling it like it is” gives them a license to be a jerk. You can state your opinion in a calm and mature fashion while retaining your authenticity. Being overly blunt or in-your-face screams of immaturity and insecurity. Not only can it endanger your chances of getting a date, but it’s also just plain rude.
10. Limit your language. You may routinely cuss like a drunken sailor who’s just stubbed his toe, but when getting to know someone on an online dating site do your best to limit the swears. You don’t have to cut them out altogether, but you should pare down. Swearing too much so early in your fledgling relationship can turn the other person off. This isn’t being fake, it’s being considerate of your potential date.