Frequently Asked Questions
Who are HIVMatch?
Hivmatch.co.uk is an established dating company specialising solely for the HIV community irrespective of race, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation. Establised in July 2006 we were the UK's first online HIV dating website and are by far the largest exclusively HIV/AIDS dating site in the country. There are just two of us running the site, (Rich and Nigel) and therefore we can hopefully give you a more personal service. We are always around 7 days a week and most hours of the day if you would ever like to email us.
Will the site work on my old pc?
Yes, the site will work on computers running Windows XP, Windows VISTA and Windows 7 but you MUST use Internet Explorer 7 or above. New versions of Firefox will work well along with Safari if you have a MAC.
How do I use the various features on the site?
The site has been totally redesigned so hopefully all of the featues will very easy to use without ant detailed explanation. If you have any questions then please email: info@hivmatch.co.uk or use the contact form on the Contact Us section of the website. We will add any frequently asked questions to this section.
What does Buddies/Friendship mean?
You all now have a tick box in your profiles to become a buddy. If you would be happy for another member to contact you for support or advice as opposed to dating then please tick this box and save your profile. When we see young members join the site we have often thought that the best people to offer support are other members so hopefully this feature will be used. We would love every member to also be a buddy as this is a community based site offering support as well as dating.
How many photos can I upload?
You can now upload unlimited photographs and put comments next to them.
How many members are there on the site?
The numbers of members on the site can fluctuate at anyone time. If you do a search for members profiles you will never see all the actual members who may be able to see you. This is because a siginifcant mumber of our members initially hide their profiles until they get some confidence in dating again. They would prefer to just respond to other members profiles and then make their own ones searchable. The key is to make your profile as friendly and detailed as possible as some one may find you before you find them :)
Why do you need my email address?
Hivmatch need to take details of members email address on registration to comply with government legislation to combat money laundering. After you have registered we will ONLY contact you through the internal email within the site which is fully encrypted. This will help to guarantee your personal privacy. You have the choice to have email notifications sent to your external email address however.
How do I meet the right person safely?
It is important that you describe yourself fully in your profile and continue to progress any interest at a pace you are comfortable with to establish a healthy relationship. Most people are normal, caring and honest but please always be sensible at first about divulging too much specific personal information.
Security Tips:
Guard your identity:
Don't share your real name, personal phone numbers, place of work, home address or any other identifying information while chatting or emailing until you are comfortable doing so. Never post personal contact information in your profile. Don't risk having this information fall into the wrong hands.
Remain anonymous:
Hivmatch allows you to send emails to other members on the site internally without revealing your email address. In all instances we strongly recommend that you do use a third party email address just for dating purposes just to be cautious.
Detective work:
To ensure the personal privacy of all our members we only ask for the bare minimum amount of information. On this basis anyone could join as with almost every other online dating site. We therefore strongly suggest you ask as many questions to your potential match as possible and make sure that they are consistent with their answers. If they give you any firm facts, don?t hesitate to check them first before you meet.
Be cautious about any sob stories that could lead to the member trying to borrow money or sell you something at a future meeting.
If the person has nothing to hide they will not mind and it will only confirm what a serious member you are.
Meeting in person the first time:
Ultimately, this is what it is all about for our membership but please take the following safety precautions:
- Always meet in a public place
- Tell a friend or family member where you are going and who you are meeting
- Try to stay sober and keep an eye on your drink and any personal information
- Ask the friend to phone you after the date at a certain time to check it went ok
- Decide carefully about letting them know where you live
- Finally, trust your gut instinct about what ever you decide?
?true and honest members will understand your initial caution and it will reflect well and only enhance any chance of a potential relationship.
Which charity are we donating to?
We have been asking our members which charity they would like us to make a yearly donation to. When we have a significant number of replies and a clear favourite we will contact the charity and put the details on the home page.
What will we do about inappropriate messages or photographs?
We hope this will not be too much of a problem on the basis of the community nature of the site. If this does happen however we reserve the right to temporarily suspend any member or remove them from the site for breaching the Terms and Conditions. If you do not like something there is a good chance that the rest of the members will agree with you so let us know. Please email us to report any such instances. Also use this address for any feedback on what is good, bad, or missing on the site.
Who do I contact to do with anything about the site?
Please email: info@hivmatch.co.uk
What do I do if I do not receive my logon information after registration?
Please check your SPAM/Junk email folder in case it has been sent there in error.
If it is not there then please contact us in case your have entered your email address incorrectly and we will help you quickly.
Do I need to upload a picture of myself to put in my profile?
No. A picture is completely voluntary if you feel uncomfortable in doing so initially. You will however get the most responses with a picture when your feel happy to do so. It is however a good idea to upload a picture of something that represents you until you feel comfortable to upload your own picture.
Even if your network security is very good, what about hackers?
No web site in the world is ever completely secure. If anyone did manage to hack in your postal address and email address would show as complete gobbledygook due to the encryption. The encryption is of a military standard and secure.
Hivmatch is registered with the governments Information Comissioner's Office to fully comply with the 1998 Data Protection Act ensuring we follow good secure practice. We will also have an SSL certificate from May 2009.
Definition of: SSL certificate
Refers to the digital certificate used with the most popular security protocol on the Internet. When you make a purchase on the Web and notice the closed lock icon at the top or bottom of your browser or the HTTPS:// prefix in the URL, it means you have established a secure SSL connection.
Your browser has examined the signed certificate received from the Web site, determined it to be authentic and secret keys have been computed at both ends of the connection. All the information you enter online is encrypted before being sent to the server.
What if someone joined the site just to find out information on members in their area?
They would only be able to see your internal email address that we gave you which would not give them any clues to your identity. If they were abusive they would be suspended or removed from the site. You need to chat to members and really get to know them before divulging any specific personal information or before agreeing to meet.
What about safer sex?
You are all over 18 years of age and make your own decisions. We do however always promote safe sex as part of the ethos of the site but of course it is ultimately your informed choice.
How do I know this is a reputable site in it for the long term?
We have been advertising on Google since May 2006 getting feedback from our potential members. We then invested thousands of pounds paying for the site to be designed from scratch before registering officially with Companies House. Finally you will notice that our membership subscriptions are paid for via Paypal who are the UK?s leading independent provider of secure online payments. We have successfully complied with all their stipulations aimed at protecting them and you the customer. We have also been featured on Radio 4, London Tonight and on many regional television and radio stations along with most of the major newspapers.
How are we going to get new members for you all to view over the coming year?
We are currently advertising on Google where we are the top advert on page 1 for HIV dating. We will also be advertising in various gay, lesbian and heterosexual publications to ensure an ever growing site. We have also worked with Heart Radio in November 2009 to discuss HIV and dating. We also offer the personal touch to online dating and have many customer referals.
Any more questions???
Just email us and say hello and we will answer any further questions :)