Online Dating – How to Have a Safe Experience

This post was written by Chandler Jones on February 2, 2012
Posted Under: Dating Strategies

safe online dating tips Are you ready to plunge into the online dating waters? Welcome to the club! You will find a whole host of people who are ready and waiting to join you in the online dating pool!

There has been an explosion of online dating sites, and people from all walks of life have found it to be a great way to connect with like-minded people. It can be an amazingly fun and exciting way to make connections with those whom you would otherwise never have come across in a lifetime.

However, along with the power of meeting others online comes a certain amount of responsibility. As news stories you may have heard will attest, not everyone takes that responsibility seriously, and some share more than is necessary or prudent about themselves. This includes such information as their full names, permanent emails, home addresses, phone numbers and more, apparently clueless as to the dangers.

While most people mean no harm, not everybody will have your best intentions at heart. After all, your profile could be seen by potentially hundreds of people. Therefore, you should be careful about how much you reveal.

Some online dating sites do a certain amount of pre-screening of new member sign-ups, but most do not. Furthermore, no sites do such things as criminal background checks on their new members. Therefore, there is no way to ensure that all of their members have the best of intentions. It is your responsibility to take the proper precautions.

Never post your permanent e-mail address on your profile or share it with those you correspond with on the dating system. The site will provide all of its members with an anonymous way to contact each other. Use it.

I’m not trying to encourage you to be paranoid. After all, in the online as well as the offline world, there are weirdos as well as those of decent and honorable intentions. You just need to exercise a little caution to separate the good from the bad.

If you have a gut feeling that someone you meet online is not being honest with you, trust your instincts. Don’t be pressured to rush into intimacy with someone you don’t know well. This can be very dangerous.

Take your time after you meet somebody who sparks your interest as well. Chat, send messages, talk on the phone and truly get to know each other before even thinking of meeting face-to-face.

Even then, use caution in giving out your phone number to someone. This is why I say go through all the preliminary steps first. If you have a gut feeling that the person you talked with is not trustworthy, you may not want them to be able to look up your street address based on your phone number.

Never feel obligated to meet someone in person. Back off if they seem like they are trying to pressure you into a face-to-face meeting. If they seem desperate to meet then there may be a reason for it. Remember that you always have the last say in whether to meet or not, and you are even free to change your mind if something doesn’t feel right.

If you are truly paranoid about meeting someone in person, you can bring a friend with you, although I do not feel this should be necessary if you follow the preceeding safety precautions. You should, however, always tell a friend or relative where you will be going in what time you expect to return.

Leave information about your date, such as their name, phone number and a copy of their photo from their online profile, with a friend. Also remember to bring your cell phone along.

Rather than letting your date pick you up at your home, provide your own transportation. Meet in a public area such as a restaurant.

If you follow the above precautions, there is no need to be paranoid in the online dating process. In fact, in many ways it is safer than the traditional dating scene of meeting a stranger in a smoky club or bar.

If you are patient in your efforts to find the right person than you can have a safe and enjoyable online dating experience. The odds will be very small that you will have a problem with safety, but they are very good that you will find that special someone.

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