DON'T be negative. You may have had some bad experiences in dating and relationships on and offline, but starting your profile out with a statement like "I don't play games, and if you are cheating liar don't bother contacting me" can send men running or set off the "crazy" detector. Start the online dating process with an open mind.

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DON'T be a stalker. If you a message a person and he doesn't answer right away, don't follow up with several nasty emails about how rude he is or how he's missing out on his dream woman. Some people set up accounts and forget about them or don't go through with the process, so you're bound to end up with a few dead ends.

DO use caution when introducing new people to your children. While you may feel comfortable with someone right away, he could end up not being who he says he is. You don't want to be left having to explain an awkward story to your children about why he won't be coming around anymore. Use your best judgment and take into consideration your children's age and maturity level when deciding to introduce them to someone you are seeing.