Manners Cost Nothing

Manners cost nothing is the sort of quip that you probably heard from your parents as a child when you forgot to say please or thank you, but it’s also an important thing to remember as a grown-up. Online dating can feel more detached than meeting someone in a bar or through friends, but the same rules of engagement should apply to help to protect peoples’ feelings.

Messages – Receiving a message from someone you have had your eye on is great, but if you receive a message from someone you are not interested in hearing from you are left with a dilemma; to reply or not to reply.

The easiest route is to ignore the message and it may even seem like the kindest way of approaching things. However, the person who sent the message will be wondering what happened and waiting hopefully for a reply.

The kindest option is to send a version of ‘thanks, but no thanks’ so that the person is not kept in suspense.

Here are some examples of rejection messages that let people know that you aren’t interested:

“Thank you for your message. You seem like a lovely person from your profile, but I don’t think that we would be compatible. I wish you all the best in your search”.

“Thank you for getting in touch. I don’t think that we would be a very good match, but I’m sure you it won’t be long before you meet your perfect match”.

Can’t make a date – If you know well in advance that you might not be able to make your date, let the person know about your situation so that it doesn’t come as a surprise if you cannot make it.

It’s important to exchange mobile numbers before meeting up, so that if you get stuck in traffic or have a family emergency you can let your date know that you will be late or that you won’t be able to make it. Don’t exchange landline numbers, as they are linked to your address and it could compromise your safety.

Whatever you do, never just decide not to turn up as it’s upsetting to be stood up.

Hiding your profile – If you’re planning to go away for a while and won’t be accessing your Muddy Matches account, the best thing to do is to hide your account so that people can’t contact you. Hiding your account means you can easily unhide it at a later date, rather than cancelling it and having to start again.