Researching a Potential Date – Dos and Don’ts

When it comes to online dating, it’s completely up to you whether you research your potential date before you meet up with each other. Some people find it to be reassuring to find out a bit more about someone before meeting up with them, while others feel that it is too nosy.

Here are some dos and don’t for researching your date, if you do wish to do so:

Dos

• Do read their profile carefully to see whether you are compatible. Don’t just skim read it and think ‘they’ll do’.
• Do look at all of the photos on their profile – it’s amazing how different people can look in different lighting or settings.
• Ask a trusted friend to give you a second opinion if you’re unsure about someone.
• Do take a look at your potential date’s Facebook page, but only if you feel comfortable doing so. It will help to reassure you that your potential date is a real person with real friends and can back-up facts such as their marital status and age. On Muddy Matches we work hard to stop scammers from joining the website, but not all sites hand vet their profiles, so it is important to be cautious and to do some research of your own if you are using other dating websites.

Don’t

• Don’t spend hours looking through every photo of them that you can find online – it really kills the mystique.
• Don’t befriend your potential date’s mum, nan, sister and best friend on Facebook before you’ve even met them.
• Don’t hire a private detective to investigate them.
• Don’t ask for their address straight away so that you can stage a stake out.
• Don’t spend your time together discussing what you’ve found out about them thanks to your online snooping.