Why do I need a password to access myoldmate.net?

Before you can use myoldmate.net you need to request a password. Add your email address and we send you a password to gain access. This ensures that information added by someone is genuinely input by the person at that email address.

Is my email address divulged to anyone?

The only time your email address is passed on to someone else is when you try to make contact with them via the confidential message service. 

How does someone contact me?

1. Using the confidential messaging service: When you return to the site after registering, you can add details about yourself for others to search on. If someone finds details of a person they would like to contact, they have the opportunity to send the person a message via the site - using the confidential messaging service. The site sends an email on behalf of the person making the search, but the person searching still doesn't get to know the email address of the person they are wishing to contact. The person receiving the message receives the email address of the person wishing to contact them - so they have the choice whether to make contact or not.

2. Using the message board: This service allows people to exchange messages in the open, for everyone else to see. When someone posts a reply to your message, myoldmate will optionally inform you, via email, that a reply has been made. If, having made contact with someone via the message board, you want to make direct contact - you should use the confidential messaging service outlined above. To do this from the message board, click on the icon against the person you wish to make direct contact with.

I have requested a password but why have I not received it in my email?

Your password is sent from the site to the email address you supplied. Please check that you entered your email address correctly and that your email settings are not blocking email from the site.

Why doesn't my password seem to work?

Your site password is generated automatically when you first register your email address. It is sent to you by email and it is this password that you should enter when you sign in on future visits to the site.

Why can't I get further than the 'Sign-in Details' page?

After signing in to myoldmate.net (via the Welcome page), the Sign-in Details page automatically gets displayed. If, when selecting 'here' to continue, you get sent back to the Welcome page, this indicates that your browser may not be accepting cookies. To remedy this, you should set your browser to accept session cookies. Also, if you have a firewall installed on you PC this may also need changing to accept cookies.

If you are using Internet Explorer (version 6), you may need to enable it to allow our website to download a cookie onto your PC.  This can be done in the following way:

1. Select the Tools menu (from the Internet Explorer toolbar) and then select Internet Options from the drop-down list that appears.
   
2. When the Internet Options screen appears, select the Privacy tab from the top of the page.
   
3. On the next screen there will be a section at the bottom of the page entitled Web Sites.  From this you should select the Edit button.
   
4. The next page will ask you to enter the address of the website you wish to allow to download cookies onto your PC.  You should enter our address - www.myoldmate.net - into this space and then select the Allow button.  Our address will now appear at the bottom of this page, along with the legend "Always Allow".
   
5. You can now close the Internet Options menus by selecting the OK button on both the Edit screen and the main Internet options screen.

If you are using Norton Internet Security, the default Privacy Control settings can cause problems with signing in, as myoldmate uses a certain feature as a security mechanism that Norton incorrectly  interprets as a potential problem. To get around this, open Norton Internet Security, select Privacy Control, Configure, Advanced. Add myoldmate.net to the site list. If it already exists, highlight the myoldmate.net entry. Under Global Settings for myoldmate.net, within 'Information about visited sites' , unset the 'Use default setting', and select the 'Permit' button. We can assure you that under no circumstances does myoldmate track your visits to other web sites. You will notice that some other web sites listed in Privacy Controls require the same settings for them to function correctly as well. 

For more information about cookies click here.

What are session cookies?

Session cookies are used by myoldmate.net to keep track of your signed-in session, and prevent access by unauthorised users. Lots of web sites use cookies in this way.

How do I change my personal details?

When you use the 'Add your details' option for the first time, your details are added into the myoldmate.net web site. If you choose the 'Add your details' option at some time later, your original details will be displayed allowing you to change these if you wish.

How do I remove my personal details, so that others cannot search against these?

Just choose the 'Add your details' option, enter 'REMOVE' in the First Name field and select Submit. In this instance your registered email address will still remain, allowing you to continue to carry out searches for other people.

I've received an email saying that someone with a surname I am looking for has added their details on myoldmate. But how do I find their details?

Select 'General search' on the main options page, and search for their last name (surname). Those details that have been added since you last used myoldmate will be highlighted. Note:- When people add their details to myoldmate, it triggers myoldmate to send an email to those people who are looking for someone with that particular surname. However, very occasionally some people immediately remove their details, which means that their details will no longer be visible.

How do I remove my registered email address from myoldmate.net?

Select 'Feedback' and request the Administrator to do this.