Here you will find answers to questions about how the Country Couples website works. For questions and answers about online dating and how to stay safe, fill out a profile, etc then visit our online dating help page or visit our dating tips blog.

To find out how the site works simply click on the questions below and the answer will be revealed, when you click the next question the first answer will close and the next answer open.

• What is Country Couples and who is it for?

  Country Couples is a friendship and dating service for countryside-minded people over the age of 18, who live in the UK and enjoy (or would like to be in a position to enjoy) a rural way of life. You can send private messages or flirts, visit the forum or chatrooms to make new friends or gain advice and you can attend CC Get Togethers to meet new people offline.

• How do I navigate the site?

  At the top of each page are buttons for:
  
  CC Home - this is the front page of the website and contains all the links to FAQ's, help, pricing, etc.
  
  Members home - this is where you will be taken when you first log in. From here you can send and receive messages, search profiles, add friends, edit your profile and settings, upload photos and see your account settings.
  
  Forum - the forum is a great way to meet the locals and make new friends. If you are not used to using a forum just enter the forum and scroll down to the heading "Getting started in the forum", all the help you need is there.
  
  View Photos - You can search photo's by newest, most commented or most rated. Click on a photo to enlarge it and you can then rate or leave a comment on a photo.
  
  Who's Online - shows everyone currently online, you can click their photo or username to view their profile.
  
  Contact Us - if you have any questions or can't work anything out, just press this tab and we will help you.

• How do I search profiles?

  We have removed the basic search from the front page of the site to protect member's privacy. Only members can search the database. Go to your members page and you will see two search options under the Home button. You can choose advanced search or Latest Members. For advanced search you need to fill in the search criteria, if you are not concerned what colour eyes a person has or their hair colour simply leave these areas blank. Once you submit a search a page showing all matching profiles will be shown. From this page you can save the search, meaning that in future you do not need to input the search criteria, simply save as an appropriate name (eg women 4 friends or men 4 dating), this will save time in the future and if you have selected alerts in your settings then if a new member joins that matches your search criteria you will be sent an alert by email. You can search by photo's. Click the Photos button at the top of any page and you can search by Newest Photos, Most Voted Photos or Most Discussed Photos. On the right you will see a brown link which says More Photos, this will show all photos uploaded to our system. If you are looking for a particular member you have seen in the forum you can press advanced search, at the top left it you will see an entry box which says Name. SImply type in the username of the profile you are looking for and all profiles matching that name will appear (eg if you are looking for bill4444 you can type in bill and enter, this will show all profiles with the word bill in the username).

• Are all the profiles real?

  Our aim is to provide a genuine service for people seeking friendship or a relationship, we do not "create" profiles in order to exaggerate the number of members or to equal out the number of male and female members. We cannot guarantee that members have been honest in their profiles but we can guarantee that each profile has been created by an individual member. Our staff also have profiles on the system, this is in order for you to see when we are online and to make it easier to contact us directly.

• Why won't my photo upload?

  Usually this is due to file size or type but don't worry we are here to help you. If you are a computer whiz ensure your photo is saved as a .jpeg or .gif file and is not over 100kb in size. If you are not a computer whiz then simply email them to us and we'll upload your photos in the right format - (remember to tell us your username).

• Does everyone have to see my photo?

  You can mark your photos as private and only members on your My Connections list will be able to see them. Please be aware that administrators of the site can view private photos and we do not allow nudity at Country Couples, any photos of this nature will be deleted.

• What is the forum and how do I use it?

  The forum is a general meeting place for all members to chat about various topics. The forum cannot be seen by anyone other than registered members of CC. Simply press the Forum button at the top of the page and you will automatically be logged into the forum. Search through the categories of topics to find anything you are interested in, then click that category. You will be shown a list of conversations and choose any you wish to join in. Do not be afraid to simply jump into the middle of a conversation, the more people that discuss an issue the more interesting it becomes. Right underneath the banner picture at the top of the forum page are the words 'Show unread posts since last visit' - this is a particularly useful tool, as it will show you all of the discussions you have joined in and anyone has responded to, meaning you do not have to remember where you have posted comments in the past. If you aren't logged into the forum automatically on your first couple of visits please bear with it - the system needs to learn to recognise you.

• What is the Shoutbox in the forum for?

  The shoutbox is a form of instant messaging and can be seen by any registered member who visits the forum. It allows you to say hello and have a conversation with anyone else logged into the forum at the same time. The conversations in the shoutbox remain visible even after you log out, so please do not be tempted to have a 'private' conversation with another member or reveal any personal contact information about yourself in the shoutbox.

• What about my credit/debit card details, are they safe?

  Country Couples never sees or has access to your payment details. Donations are made through PayPal and all we receive is a notification that 'name' at 'email address' has donated 'this amount'.

• What will you do with my personal details?

  Contact you if there is any issue with your profile, your use of the site, you have a problem with another member and to send you Newsletters. That's it, full stop. The system will automatically send you notification of new messages or comments on your profile but these can be switched off in your profile. At Country Couples your profile details are not sold, loaned, hired, given, shared, distributed, etc., with anyone. We do not use your information for "demographic studies". You will not receive spam from us, your privacy is paramount to Country Couples.

• What if I want to cancel my membership?

  If you have a problem with our site we hope that you will first contact us before deciding to leave. However, if Country Couples simply isn't the right site for you then cancelling membership could not be easier. Log into your Members page, at the bottom of the page (just above the footer image) you will see a large blue button which says Cancel Account, press this button. It will ask for confirmation to ensure you did not press it by mistake, confirm cancellation and all of your details will be removed from our database, including your profile and email address. Once you have cancelled that is it, if you wish to re-join us you need to re-register because you no longer exist on our server.

• Profile approval

  In order to protect our site members and stop offensive behaviour, all new profiles and changes to existing profiles must be manually approved by site administrators before they will become visible on the site. If you have registered and your profile is not approved it will be because it has failed one of our routine security checks. People who use a device which hides their IP address, only select pre-written answers on the registrations form etc., can assume their profile wont be approved!

Applications will be rejected if it is felt that your intentions are not sincere or decent. Don't be afraid to complain. We want your experience with us to be pleasant, successful, hassle free and enjoyable. If any member sends you an email containing anything you feel is inappropriate or offensive please inform Admin. Inappropriate or offensive behaviour will not be tolerated on this site.

Please contact us if you have any further questions about how the site works.