There's a common saying that goes "Why bother paying for a service if you can have it done for free?" And while that applies to some things in life, I don't think it megapersonals  to dating online, particularly the free online dating sites.

Good dating websites request their joining members to pay as much as $50 per month to use their services for a very simple reason... They deliver what they promise and many paid members are happy to be paying for great services that they are promised.

That is why I only recommend paid dating sites to my readers and not the free online dating sites. But at the same time, I do recognise that many people have financial difficulties that make it difficult for them to sign up for a paid site. And if that happens to be you, here are 4 minimum guidelines which I believe you should look for in free online dating sites before you sign up for one.

Respect For Your Personal Information

I'm sure you've received lots of spam emails in your email inbox before, and you wonder how those emails even found their way into your mailbox. That happens because companies that sent you those spam emails have purchased your name and email from other companies that don't respect your personal information.

Many free online dating sites earn their money this way, by selling your personal information. They don't care if you benefit from their services because you're not even paying for them in the first place.

So if you really want to date for free online, do your research and sign up for one that at least promises to not sell your personal information to anybody.

Dating Profile Options

Visit some free online dating sites (you can find them by typing "free online dating sites" on google.com) and get a feel of what you can put into your dating profile.

For example, do they allow you to state if you're looking for friendship or love? Or are you able to specify your interests and your idea of an ideal soul mate? If not, don't bother because you'll have a hard time finding someone suitable with limited profile information.

Has a Filter Feature

That means you can choose to filter people and only allow suitable people to contact you. That includes people of a certain age group, gender, interest or hobby.

Such a filtering feature can help you to cut down on your time to look for a suitable date, so make sure you find a site that has this feature.

Has Various Communication Options

Sometimes, you just want to chat with other people and not look for your Mr or Ms Right on the outset. So a good free online dating site should have its own forum, chat rooms, or other communication options like instant messaging and e-mailing.

If a site doesn't offer that, it's difficult to talk to people so it's best you don't waste your time on a site like that.

The truth is, I don't recommend free online dating sites. But if you insist on trying your luck on finding a date on a free site, then at least go for one that has the 4 criteria that I just mentioned.

And if you're wondering why I strongly don't recommend free online dating sites, here's an article [http://romancepaper.com/online-dating-guide/the-top-3-reasons-why-you-should-avoid-free-single-dating-sites/] that will help you understand why