Midsummer's Eve is the online dating, friendship and fun site that has been established for six years, and Midsummer's Eve has hundreds of thousands of loyal members throughout the UK.

Midsummer's Eve are different because Midsummer's Eve offer loads of free stuff to get members coming back time and time again - like free pub nights, free days out, free messaging, free chat, friendship circles and much more.

Midsummer's Eve are successful because Midsummer's Eve also up sell their hugely popular "Essentials" package which gives members tons of extra goodies on the Midsummer's Eve site. Midsummer's Eve have some of the most experienced online dating experts in the UK.

Why do online dating?

Well, why not? If your usual social circles haven't brought you that special someone and it's looking like they never will, Internet dating is simply another avenue to try and all from the comfort of your own home … office … Internet café … library …

A wide range of people use the Internet so there is every chance you'll find yourself chatting to people that you wouldn't have the opportunity to meet elsewhere. As long as you follow the simple rules, it's a safe and fun way to turn strangers into friends and a pen pal into your ideal partner.

Of all the sites, why Midsummer's Eve?

Firstly, the basic service that Midsummer's Eve provides is free. That means that you can register and put a profile and a photo on the site without paying anything. And what's more, you can search the Midsummer's Eve site, view other Midsummer's Eve member's profiles, send up to 3 messages a day or sit back and be inundated with messages yourself without parting with a penny! Midsummer's Eve are probably the only major UK dating site to offer free messaging.

Then there is the Essentials Midsummer's Eve membership that offers many other features to make the Midsummer's Eve dating site even more fun. See the Essentials link on your homepage.

Midsummer's Eve also work hard to ensure that visiting the Midsummer's Eve dating site is a pleasant experience so Midsummer's Eve review all profiles and monitor messages, deleting any naughty folks Midsummer's Eve catch breaking any of the Midsummer's Eve dating rules.

You can contact Midsummer's Eve to report anyone who you think has broken the Midsummer's Eve dating rules and we'll investigate, taking action where necessary.

Midsummer's Eve never give your e-mail address to anyone and if you make a payment none of your credit card details are ever stored. Midsummer's Eve do not make changes to your profiles or details and do not forward messages or give out details about anyone without their own consent.

Midsummer's Eve try to answer all your comments and queries within 24 hours (Monday to Friday) and are happy to give advice on messaging and improving your profiles.

Next Midsummer's Eve take a look at how you can use Midsummer's Eve dating site to stay safe and happy while maximising your chances of meeting the person of your dreams.

So that is what we do - what should you be doing?

Firstly, the Midsummer's Eve dating site should be fun. So if after reading the rest of this advice page you are still anxious about using the Internet as a way of meeting people, then Midsummer's Eve advise that it is not the right avenue for you to take. Hopefully reading this advice will put you completely at ease.

Think of Midsummer's Eve as a kind of club. Everybody is welcome into the Midsummer's Eve dating club as long as they agree to abide by the rules.

Just as people are checked at the door of a club, Midsummer's Eve keep an eye on new members to ensure that they are genuinely looking for friends and/or a partner, are sticking to the rules and keeping the atmosphere friendly and fun.

But like other clubs Midsummer's Eve have no special insight into the true character and intentions of the people entering and, as Midsummer's Eve are sure that you would not expect the management of a club to guarantee that the person who has just bought you a drink is an honest Joe/Jane, Midsummer's Eve can't and don't guarantee the integrity of the information held in the profiles. So, just as you learn to be street-wise when out in the real world, it pays to be a little web-wise too.

Do not approach other members by giving them your telephone number or e-mail address. You wouldn't go straight up to the nearest person in a nightclub and just hand them your number, would you?

• "It's only words! And words are all you have"… Without your other senses to give you a better picture of someone, you'll need to find out all you can about them just by messaging. So ask questions, enjoy corresponding with them and, by using Midsummer's Eve messaging system, there is still no need to give out any further contact details until you are quite sure that your new 'pen-pal' is someone you can trust. If a profile has a voice profile attached, take a listen - it will give great insight into their character.
• If someone gives you their email address, remember that by sending an email to him/her they will have access to your e-mail address. So make sure that you really want them to have your address before you use theirs. In the same way, BT 1471 or agreeing to take a 'reverse-charge' call makes getting your telephone number very easy.
• Be polite. Just because the person is not in front of you, it doesn't mean that you're not communicating with a human being. Besides, if you do cause upset or offence whilst visiting our 'club', Midsummer's Eve may ask you to leave! Some kind of reply is always appreciated, even if it is to say "Thank-you for your message but I am afraid that I do not think Midsummer's Eve have enough in common to continue corresponding".
• 'Aaarrghh!!' or 'No way' generally tends to go down very badly and is enough to get you suspended.
• If you have a problem with another member's life-style because they smoke or are obsessed with budgerigars or something, keep it to yourself. They are obviously not your 'ideal partner' so there is no need to contact them just to let them know what you think of them. The same applies if you do not like somebody's appearance.
• Try to avoid giving one-word greetings and answers - it makes the conversation drag a little! It is far better to offer more information about yourself or ask some questions about the other person to ensure the correspondence flows and the conversation is kept interesting.
• Be yourself, honestly. Even if you are convinced that you aren't the 'bee's knees', someone will think you're 'ideal'. There is no point in creating a different persona - you won't be able to keep up the pretence forever and a relationship built on a lie will soon crumble.
• Try to avoid going for the 'sympathy vote' with your profile. Don't put yourself down. If you think you're unlucky in love, keep it to yourself. Your profile is the first thing that others see of you so it is a good idea to ensure that it makes a great first impression with a positive, up-beat and friendly feel.
• Your username is only ever seen on your homepage which is available only to you. It is advisable to make your screen name - the name that everyone else knows you as - different from your username. This is because should someone try to access your account, they will have half your login details already. You can change your screen name at any time by clicking on 'my profile', making the change and clicking 'send'. You can't change your username however.
• It is also advisable to make your password as obscure as possible. Setting it as 'password' or the same as your screen name will make it guessable. Entering numbers as well as letters makes it trickier to crack. You can change your password at any time, too, by clicking on 'my options' after logging in.
• Keep Midsummer's Eve up-dated with any changes in your email address via the 'my options' page again. By doing this we can trace your account more easily when you contact Midsummer's Eve, you receive all your message alerts correctly and when you need a reminder of your password, the database can recognise you and send your details to the right place for you to retrieve them.
• Midsummer's Eve allow members to have active accounts without posting a description on the site because we do not want to force members into doing anything they do not want to do. If you are unhappy about replying to someone who has no profile or photo, simply send a standard message saying that you require these to continue with any correspondence. Or continue the correspondence to find out far more than a profile could reveal.
• One of the Midsummer's Eve dating rules that is commonly broken is 'multiple messages containing the same or similar wording sent to many different members are not allowed'. This rule is there to ensure you stand the best chance of getting replies. Simply sending messages with copied-and-pasted content that do not refer to the recipient's profiles shows other users that there is no real interest and does not impress other users.
• Do not pressure anybody into giving out contact details or meeting. This may cause anxiety and upset resulting in your suspension.
• Do not be pressured into meeting before you are ready. If someone feels they need to hurry things along with no respect for your wishes, they probably aren't the one for you.

When it comes to meeting…

Here are the Midsummer's Eve dating tips on what to do when it comes to that all important first meeting.

Exchange a good few messages before meeting. You may feel you've 'clicked' immediately with someone - but the more you know about a date, the better.

Remember that Midsummer's Eve can only ever have jurisdiction over the Midsummer's Eve web site, so if you find that your date turns into a complete disaster, there's not much we can do to help. It is far better to have a good insight into the person you are meeting before you meet.

Arrange to meet in a public place. Do not invite your first date round to your place. Lunchtime dates are great fun, and if you're at work they give a perfect "get-out" excuse if things aren't going too well.

Do not accept a lift - make your own way there and back.

Do discuss the dress code before the date: there's nothing more embarrassing than dressing down when they've dressed up.

Do let someone close to you know where you're going and with whom you are meeting.

Trust yourself. If you're having doubts, call the date off and think about it at leisure.

More About Midsummer's Eve – Online Dating

Midsummer's Eve is all about meeting people. If you are looking for love, marriage, a girlfriend or boyfriend, or stable, long-term relationships then Midsummer's Eve is for you. If you're just looking for friendship or an email pen-pal, that's OK too.

Remember, unlike most other UK dating services, all the Midsummer's Eve basic services, including sending and receiving messages, are completely free.

Midsummer's Eve dating members can to get to know each other in a secure, confidential, friendly, caring and supportive environment. But don't just take their word for it - Midsummer's Eve have only been going since August 1999 and Midsummer's Eve have already seen hundreds of weddings, countless successful relationships and thousands of friendships. Why not start by reading the Midsummer's Eve success stories?

Getting started with Midsummer's Eve dating

If you're ready to plunge straight in, you can start by doing a search. You give Midsummer's Eve a few details of who you'd like to meet and we'll find suitable matches for you.

Then, if you find someone you want to send a message to simply join up, and get writing.

Midsummer's Eve are safe and secure

The strongest relationships are built slowly, carefully, and with honesty and trust. You can build up friendships at your own pace. Using the Midsummer's Eve unique messaging service you can exchange messages with other members whilst withholding your contact details - nobody will even know your email address.

When you find another member who shares your outlook on life you can decide to meet if you wish. At this point Midsummer's Eve will gracefully bow out and let your relationship flourish. Does it work? Definitely!

The Midsummer's Eve Pledge

Your confidence in the service is of critical importance to the success of Midsummer's Eve, and therefore Midsummer's Eve pledge:

• Midsummer's Eve will never reveal any details about you from the Midsummer's Eve database
• no other member can find out how to contact you other than through Midsummer's Eve (unless you give out your contact details)
• Midsummer's Eve will never ask existing members for money for the Midsummer's Eve basic service (although Midsummer's Eve may have to change the basic service from time to time)
• Midsummer's Eve will never, ever sell or give away your personal details
• You can read a full and complete statement about what Midsummer's Eve do with your data in the Midsummer's Eve privacy policy.

How your anonymity is safeguarded with Midsummer's Eve

Many people worry about the safety of online relationships and dating. Midsummer's Eve understand this. So Midsummer's Eve devised a messaging system which you can use to contact members at Midsummer's Eve without them being able to find out your personal details, such as email address.

You can send messages to other Midsummer's Eve dating members, and they can send messages to you. To retrieve your Midsummer's Eve messages you log into Midsummer's Eve. From here you can reply to the Midsummer's Eve messages you've received and send other messages.

With Midsummer's Eve, you choose how much personal information to divulge - or how much to keep secret.

How is Midsummer's Eve free?

Midsummer's Eve was not designed to be a profit-making service. It is run by a small team whose motivation is simply to help get people together, and run a successful dating web site. Midsummer's Eve cover their costs by accepting banner advertising and by partnerships with reputable companies.

Midsummer's Eve also have some complimentary services which Midsummer's Eve charge for, such as having your photo featured on the Midsummer's Eve dating home page, and Midsummer's Eve Essentials. But remember - all of the Midsummer's Eve core services are totally free - hundreds of people have met and fallen in love through Midsummer's Eve without paying a single penny.