We want to preserve the integrity of our service for the benefit of our members who are seriously using this service for its purposes. Therefore, we have created a list of rules that all members are to adhere to. WE COUNT ON OUR MEMBERS to make us aware of anyone in violation of these rules, so please make sure you contact us right away. Please don’t delete any messages related to the abuse. Violation of any of these rules will result in AMS deactivation of the member, and possibly permanent removal from the service and canceling of membership if serious enough. Once an abuse is reported, we immediately inactivate the person being reported until we properly investigate the situation. Our main goal of investigation is to insure that the accused member resolves the situation so he or she may continue using the service. If there is not a resolve or there is reason to believe there is an irresolvable situation, Ave Maria Singles™ has the right to take the action it judges to be necessary.

Please read these rules carefully.

#1 - Remain active if you are on "Active" status
Everyone who joins Ave Maria Singles owes it to all other members to remain active, whether they are logging in often to conduct searches, or they are using the site passively waiting to be contacted. We don't want to have people drop out without changing their status from "Active" to an inactive status choice. This causes the problem of people writing to you because they think you are still active and using this service. AMS inactivates automatically all those who do not login after 30 days and are still on "Active" status. Please choose the status "Active, but using the site passively" if you only want to receive contacts and will login once you receive a message, or if you know you will be on vacation for a while but still want to get contacts during that time. A $15 reactivation fee is charged to those AMS has inactivated due to not logging in after 30 days and now wish to be active again, or to those who have voluntarily cancelled their membership. Our advice is to login at least once every 30 days or less to check for messages and keep active.

#2 - Use a real name, please
Every member should provide his real name for display on the site. The "Display Name" field is only to be used for those who use a variation of their first name, or a middle initial, or some real name that they go by. "Handle" names or phrases such as "smiley face" or initials are not acceptable.

#3 - Contact those you are interested in discerning only
The purpose of our service is to help members meet their future spouse. All contacts with members must coincide with this purpose in some way. All other reasons for contacting members could result in deactivation and even permanent membership cancellation. For example, you may NOT contact a member to evangelize them on any position they have on any issue you have noticed on their profiles. You also may NOT contact members to promote your business or services, or anything or anyone else's companies, etc. Again, contacts are limited in purpose to seeking your potential future spouse.

#4 - Respect a member's wish to not be contacted again
If a member replies to your message and states they are not interested in further correspondence or states they do not wish to be contacted again, please respect their wish and refrain from replying, even if it is to say "Okay, thanks". No reply is necessary, nor is it permitted on this service.

#5 - Be honest
All information on the profile, all photos, and all message content must be honest and truthful. Any reports of dishonesty can result in deactivation or permanent cancellation. Photos MUST be within two years. Honesty is strictly enforced because of how important it is that our members do not waste time developing trust (which is the cornerstone of a relationship) in a person only to learn that this person was dishonest or misrepresenting himself or herself. Dishonesty is a relationship-killer and causes a great deal of pain to individuals on the receiving end.

#6 - Replying to messages
In the name of Christian charity, all members must reply to those who contact them in some way. It is the right thing to do. All members are adults and can handle rejection. What is not excusable is not receiving the courtesy of a reply. Please make sure you extend this courtesy to all.

#7 - Using the Auto-Reply Buttons Wisely and ONLY When Necessary
Since it is an expectation by members that a reply is received to a message sent, AMS has provided some auto-reply options to use if you are unable to reply for one reason or another. These auto-replies help make it easy to send some kind of reply.  Our "NOT INTERESTED" button sends a very brief but kind message that thanks them for writing and states that you are not interested in further correspondence. The "REPLY LATER" button is useful for letting the person know you will reply and giving you more time to consider a thoughtful reply. The "BLOCK" button makes it so another member is no longer able to contact you in any way. This button was intended to be used to keep people who will not take "no" for an answer from contacting you again and give more comfort to the younger ladies on this service. Our strong advice is to NOT use the "BLOCK" button as a reply! Use the "NOT INTERESTED" button for that. Using the "BLOCK" button where there is no seeming or potential harassment involved can cause hurt feelings on the part of the person who innocently sent an initial message.

#8 - Don't ask women for their personal information on initial contact
To our male members, do NOT ask for a woman's geographic location or identifying information (like name, email address or phone number) when first making contact with any female members. There is absolutely no reason for doing this when making an initial contact. And it just does not look good. Most women will find this suspicious.

#9 - Don't include your personal information in an initial contact
Do not put your full name, email address, phone number or mailing address in your first contact to a member. There is no reason to do this when first contacting a member. And it also looks suspicious, even desperate. Men are particularly "care-free" about providing this information in their initial contacts, but it makes a woman uncomfortable and can really hurt your chances of further communication with that person.

#10 - No inappropriate content in messages
Message contents must not defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others.

#11 - No inappropriate content on the profiles
You must not publish, post, distribute, or disseminate any defamatory, infringing, obscene, pornographic, sexual, indecent, or unlawful material or information.

#12 - No letting others use your membership
Your right to use Ave Maria Singles™ is personal to you -- you may not authorize others to use this service, and you are responsible for all use of this service.

#13 - No using copyright material on the site
You are responsible for ensuring that any material you provide to Ave Maria Singles™ or post within the message system, including but not limited to text, photographs, and sound, does not violate the copyright, trademark, trade secret or any other personal or proprietary rights of any third party or is posted with the permission of the owner(s) of such rights.

#14 - No using anything on our site for commercial gain
Material on Ave Maria Singles™ is for your personal use only. Ave Maria Singles™ contains copyrighted and other proprietary information. You may not in any way make commercial or other unauthorized use, by publication, re-transmission, distribution, performance, caching, or otherwise, of material obtained through Ave Maria Singles™, except as permitted by the Copyright Act or other law.