Keep your Expectations in Check for Online Dating Sites

According to the Better Business Bureau, complaints about dating services were up 73 percent in 2008. In my opinion, half the problem is the dating sites themselves, the other half are the expectations of some members. Here are a few points you should consider before joining a dating site to ensure you will not be disappointed with the experience.

1. The love of your life may not be found on a dating site - People do fall in love from meeting each other online but this may not be the case for you. For people who use dating sites, a third find love, a third do not find any long lasting relationships, and a third give up.
2. The cost can add up - You can be expected to pay from $10 to $60 per month on most dating sites over your subscription period. If you find you are not satisfied with the service MAKE SURE to turn off the auto renewal of your dating site membership subscription.
3. Research - Talk to your single friends for their opinions on which dating site is the best, and search for reviews online of dating sites (since you are reading this you are off to a good start). You want to make sure you pick the right dating site for you.
4. Free Trials - Free trial memberships on dating sites usually have a number of limitations. Most of the time, you either have full access for a certain number of days to the dating site, OR you have partial access for an unlimited number of days. On dating sites with partial access this usually means you cannot communicate directly with other members. You can only create a profile, search for members and view profiles.
5. Dating Site Criteria - Before paying your money right away, join as a free member and perform a number of searches to look for your ideal match. If the dating site doesn't allow you to see what type of single members they have then they have something to hide. If you didn't find at least 10 to 20 potential matches in your area, then move on. I recommend joining your 3 top pick dating services using the free trials after you have done your research (Point 3). From there you can pick the best one.
6. Personal e-mail address - When joining any website (not just dating) you may want to use a throw away email address for privacy and safety reasons. These are readily available through Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo. This will keep any unwanted email from reaching your personal account.

For more points on how to avoid entering into a bad relationship with a dating site, read the full article at MSNBC.