Carole Markin's Do's and Don'ts for Online Dating
Recently, Carole Markin sued Match.com in California state court after she was allegedly raped by a man she met on the site; he turned out to be a convicted sex offender. The case is still currently pending, but because Markin has come forward about her rape case, she has become a hero to many women and men who have had suffered similar traumatic experiences while on a date.
Ironically, during the 90s, Markin published a humorous book series titled “Bad Dates.” While many bad dates can be looked at as funny in retrospect, some cannot. Markin’s suit against Match.com asks for no money but for Match.com to block registered sexual predators from signing up for the paid service. Match.com has said they will implement background checks and sexual predator screening, but has yet to do so.
While online dating presents many opportunities for good dates, fun bad dates and possibly some just plain miserable ones, it still remains a bit daunting. We asked Carole Markin to give us her “Do’s and Don’ts” regarding online dating. So, before you head out with the man or woman of your dreams—someone you just met on an online dating site—take these dating tips from Carole Markin to heart.
- Read the potential date's profile carefully looking for things that would knock them out of the running for you. Look for spelling and grammar errors and other things that might alienate you such as “He has four kids and makes $10,000 a year." In this case he would be expecting you to support his family.
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- Before you meet, email back and forth through the dating site system. Don’t hit reply so that they get your real email address.
- Be willing to give your last name out on the second date.
- Why give your last name on the second date? After the first round, more than likely you feel somewhat comfortable, so at this point you need to do your research on them. Thank god for the internet. With a first and last name you can really find out who your potential mate is. If you can, try to get the last name on the first date, but just now they'll want yours in return.
- Meet in a public place for an hour or an hour and a half. Coffee, drinks, not dinner. Have somewhere to go later.
- Drive your own car and park where it cannot be seen.
- Don’t talk too much before meeting. Just establish that you two might get along and speak enough to tell if you’d have things to discuss on the date.
- Dress accordingly- -appropriately.
- Don’t come of as if the date is an interview. However, in your mind make it an interview. Is this person worth my time and effort, start in the present and move backwards and forwards. If they tell you too much bad information about their ex’s, you don’t want the headache- -you maybe that ex.
- Try to find out information about their work. Men generally like to brag about their work, and the same goes with the woman. If their proud of what they do no matter what they do more than ofter their content with their life. Any negativity in the work place will more than likely find it's way into the relationship. Let them talk and tell you everything. People tend to be most honest on the first date when they are trying to impress you.
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