DateableWhat to check before you apply for a Board invitation
Before you apply, check you are verified and free that day, the city works, the offer is clear, the first meeting is public, and your note names a detail.
Before you apply, check seven things: you are verified, you are free that day, the city works, you have read the full listing and the host's profile, the offer is clear, the first meeting is public, and your note names one detail from the listing. You get one application per listing, so a few minutes of checking is worth it.
- You are verified.
- You are free that day, and the day before is not a scramble.
- You can get to the city and home again safely.
- You have read the full listing and the host's profile.
- The offer is clear enough that you know what the host provides.
- The first meeting is somewhere public.
- Your note names one detail from the listing.
You are verified
Only verified members can read a full listing and apply, so this check comes first. Verification is a live selfie, holding a pose the app picks, compared to your profile photos by a reviewer. It shows you match your photos. It does not check your identity or age documents, so it tells the host what you look like, not who you are.
You are free that day
A Board invitation says when it is. Check your diary twice. If the host accepts you, you have 48 hours to confirm, and a guest who cancels inside 24 hours or does not show is recorded. Three of those in 90 days pauses applying for 30 days.
If the timing is tight, leave it. If it clashes with work or something you cannot move, leave it. An invitation that has already told you the day is not the place to negotiate. The host chose that day because it works for them. Asking them to shift it is asking them to change their plan, and that is the wrong first move.
Check your diary for the day of the invitation and the day before. Give yourself space to get ready without rushing.
The city works for you
The invitation names a place. Is it somewhere you can easily get to? Is it somewhere safe to travel to at that time of day? Are you comfortable with the route or the travel time?
If the place is an hour away and you are not keen on the drive, or if it is in an area where you would not normally be out after dark, that is a signal to skip this one. An invitation that is inconvenient to accept is an invitation that leaves you resentful before you even meet.
You have read the listing and the host's profile
This is the most important check. Read the whole listing. Read the whole profile. Not skimmed. Read. An invitation on the Board tells you what the host is offering and what they expect. Their profile tells you what kind of person they are.
If the listing is vague, leave it. If the host's profile is three photos with no written word about who they are, that is a yellow flag. If they have written enough to give you a sense of humour or a real interest, that is different. An invitation that came with no thought is not worth your time.
The offer is clear
Every listing has a kind (dinner, event, travel, experience, ongoing, mentoring or other), a duration and an offer: what the host provides, such as hosting the occasion, a gift, an allowance or travel. Read all three and check:
- Do they say who they want to meet?
- Do you know what the host covers, and what, if anything, is left to you?
- Is it a one-off, or an ongoing arrangement?
- If an amount is named, do you understand what it is for?
If you cannot answer these, skip it. The offer is a statement by the host: Dateable never holds or moves money between members. A listing that asks you to pay, put down a deposit or buy gift cards breaks the Board rules, so report it.
The first meeting is in a public place
Board rules refuse listings that make a private home or a hotel room the first meeting place. The venue name is shown only to the accepted guest, but the details should make clear it is a restaurant, a bar, a gallery or somewhere else with people around. "I will pick you up" is a reason to skip: take your own transport to a first meeting. If a listing slipped through with a home or hotel room as the first meeting, skip it and report it.
Your note names one detail from the listing
You apply for an invitation with a note of 50 to 800 characters. "I am interested" tells the host nothing. Name one detail from the listing, say one true thing about you that connects to it, and confirm the day:
You mentioned a long lunch in the Yarra Valley. I spent last autumn driving the wineries there and would happily go back. Sunday the 12th works for me.
