Online Dating Etiquette -- Part 1

Online dating is supposed to be anonymous, at least in the beginning, but when you live in the same city as the people in your dating pool -- and let's hope you do -- you're bound to have locked eyes with at least a few of your potential matches in real life.

Despite the fact that Internet romance has become a socially acceptable norm, most people are still at least a little hesitant to admit they've turned to the tubes for love. It's something many of us do, but no one's chomping at the bit to announce it to the class. Imagine the awkwardness, then, when someone you know shows up among your matches. Get ready for it, because it's bound to happen and can be handled in one of several ways:

• If it's someone you're attracted to: You must be livin' right, because Fate has just handed you the perfect opportunity to make small talk and see if they've been eyeing you back. I'm envisioning a playful email expressing your utter surprise that they're doing the online dating thing and subtly hinting at your interest in turning a casual acquaintance into something more permanent. Either way, you get to open the door and see if they sail through.

• If it's someone you've met in passing but don't want to go out with: The polite thing to do is move on. There's no need to belabor the point that neither of you has a significant other by contacting him or her through the dating service or bringing it up during casual party conversation. If that person wanted everyone to know they were looking online, they would have brought a megaphone and broadcasted it to the room. Pretend you never saw their profile, and hope they're courteous enough to do the same for you.   

• If it's someone you hate: The danger of online dating is that you're likely to come across someone you'd rather not have seen, like an ex. The beauty is that you get to do so in the privacy of your own home, and no one ever has to know -- least of all the object of your disgust. If the very sight of a profile makes your face contort in horrible and extremely unattractive ways, it's probably safe to say you don't want to date the person it belongs to. It's also probably safe to say you don't want them knowing you're on the site too, so the best thing to do is block them immediately and without hesitation. Believe me, they'd thank you for it, if the two of you were still speaking.