As an advice columnist for The Washington Post, Carolyn Hax has gained a fanatically loyal following in print, online, and over the airwaves with a very direct, humorous take on matters of the heart. As the number of people seeking her advice surged she began to notice certain recurring dilemmas and snags in the accounts of affairs gone wrong. As she puts it, "The letters I receive form a virtual catalogue of the most counterproductive ways to interact with other human beings. Not just romantically either; platonically, too, and professionally, parentally, and every-otherly." With this in mind she has put together a handbook of some of the most common mistakes made during the pursuit of love. Some of the Don'ts:

- Be desperate, seem desperate, or even stand next to a desperate person without a protective suit

- Start sentences with, "I'm the type of person who..."

- Shop online

- Scan the room for better prospects while we're talking to you

- Stockpile porn

- Have sex before you mean it

- Rule out the possibility that you might always be single

- Look for love

- Read relationship books