Online Dating; Tips and Precautions

In this day and age, online dating has lost the taboo that once came with it and instead of being looked at as a desperate attempt to find a partner, it is now being embraced as yet another part of everyday life. Just because it is no longer full of stereotypes does not mean that it is not still as dangerous as it was when it first became popular. Online dating can be a fantastic way to meet new people and even your soul mate but there are many precautions that one should take when thinking about starting to try online dating as well as when you first decide to meet your new friend in person. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll understand why these precautions are necessary and you will use this advice yourself. As with everything in this world, your number one priority should always be to take care of yourself and make sure that you are safe.

Setting up an Account:

When you first decide to join an online dating site the best piece of advice to take is to make a separate email account dedicated to your online dating social life. If you don’t then you may find that the next morning after having registered at a dating site, your inbox is full to the brim with spam. Many of these sites will not only spam you with junk mail but will spam you with emails about their site. This one reason that it is easier to have a separate email to use just for registering to these sites. Another good reason to have an email dedicated to this new social life, is so that you don’t have to worry about changing your main email if someone starts to become a hassle to you.

Be wary of someone who insists on exchanging emails at the very first contact that you make with them. This is a good sign that you’ll end up with tons of spam the next time you check your inbox. Along with marketing scams I should mention that if at any point in time someone asks you for money or any personal information you should be on alert. There are just as many con and scam artists on these sites as there are people lying about not being married!

Sketchy Characters:

Speaking of married people there are a few tell tale signs that can let you know whether your new friend is possibly married or is just a sketchy character to begin with. The first sign is for them to ask you for your phone number but then not give you theirs is return. Irregular and hurried calls can be a big neon sign pointing to the fact that something is not right with this scenario as well.  A failure to share their last name with you once you have given yours or just asked is another sign to be wary of as well as them not giving any or giving very few details about their friends, family and past relationships.

First Phone Calls:

So you are at that point in your online relationship that you both want to talk to each other on the phone. My advice would be to make the first phone call short and sweet. Why you ask? Because getting into the habit of having long regular phone calls with your potential new partner could mean that the spark you both felt, once you meet face to face will be gone. If you form a solid relationship over the phone, the excitement of meeting them face to face might be a quarter of what it could have been had you guys not gotten into the habit of already talking everyday. Save the daily phone calls for after you meet and are sure that there is something between the two of you. So keep the conversation casual, keep the deep meaningful ones like childhood experiences, life goals and so on for the fact to face time!

In order to protect yourself from a potential stalker it is advised that you use a cell phone, pay phone or borrow a friend’s phone to make your first calls to your new friend. They will still be able to find your personal information with just a cell phone number but it is a little harder than if you give them your land line number. Worse comes to worse use your phone’s blocking system to block out your number. You might think that this is a little extreme or rude but it isn’t. Your safety is always your first priority and if your friend turns out to be a great person

Meeting in Person:

There are some basic and simple guidelines on how to ensure your safety when first meeting your new online friend in person. Firstly ask your friend if they would mind a double or group date for your first face to face contact. You are always safer in groups. If that does not appeal to you than make sure that your evening or date plans involve public places. Never let yourself be alone with the person on your first date. If you decide to forgo the group date idea then make sure you have an exit strategy. Firstly make sure at least two good friends know where you are going and at what time. Never meet a stranger without having people know where you are! Also have a friend call you at a designated time or call them from the bathroom to check up with them. If things are going badly you can have them come pick you up. And by badly I don’t mean that your date is boring. Even if he is boring you should stick around out of respect but if he seems off in some way or sketchy, it’s time to execute your exit strategy at once.

On that note if your date is boring or not at all what he seemed like online when you chatted give him a chance. Many people are themselves online but find it hard to be comfortable around new people in person. So ride it through, pretend that he’s charming even if he’s not and you may just be surprised how he opens up.

A good trick that I personally used to use is to wear your ugliest pair of granny panties. This is not to make you feel un-sexy but rather to ensure that you will not be tempted to jump into bed with the person.

Always carry a condom. Although you’re wearing your granny panties you should still carry a condom. If anything were to happen, you cannot count on your friend having protection on him, so be safe and carry a fresh condom in your wallet on purse at all times. If the condom has been in there for awhile replace it with a new one to make sure that it isn’t pierced or too old.

If at any point you don’t feel safe, trust your instincts and leave. It doesn’t hurt to be safe rather than sorry!

Hope this tips and tricks help you out as you discover the joy of online dating!

Sources:Calling Up Someone You Met Online Dating, Are You Dating Someone You Met Online?, 5 tips for dating someone you met online, Safety Precautions To Take Before Dating Someone You Met Online