When it comes to online dating, I always tell everyone the same thing, it’s far beyond safer then actual dating. It is an extremely safe way to date because of the distance that’s actually between the two dating. It let’s you to not only flip through profiles like as if you’re picking from a date vending machine but you are able to judge this person on who they really are, once you start chatting with them, before you judge them on something they would have worn on a date or perhaps their size even. You will learn that you get a much stronger bond with the person when you start online. You will learn that size doesn’t matter and nor does looks when you meet online. And once you fall in love with their personality, once you meet they will truly look beautiful to you no matter what they really looked like, and that’s when you think ‘Wow, how many like her did I turn down or didn’t want to get to know only because they were slightly over weight..?’ At that point you will feel dumb, but also have a feeling of self satisfaction that here you are in love with one that was like the ones you may have turned down before. That goes to show a few things, don’t judge a book by its cover and not to judge someone on first appearances. So meeting online makes people more comfortable and also allows you to pace yourself, take it slow if needed and be selective because of all the choices you have. But honestly, if your first one is great, maybe you should stick with that one and not look for more ‘just in case’.
Now, despite all that, there are some fairly simple basic safety rules to online dating that you should probably observe before you go out there and give a website, or your potential physical date, from the online site, any personal contact information to arrange to meet them and all that good jazz. Yeah, it’s only online, but that hasn’t stopped people from getting carried away before, and it won’t stop them from getting carried away down the road, so take things slow, make sure you keep your head during it all, online dating is pretty blissful and fun but keep cool just in case something arises and you are too comfortable to say no, when you should have said no. These tips are rather obvious, yes, but they will keep you safe and will ensure your safety. You need to make sure you only have good online dating experiences, and this will help that. Because you never truly know, Mr or Miss right may be the first you end up talking with.
1. Here we go, first is to always trust your instincts.. always. It’s gotten you this far in life already, I’m sure it won’t mess up now.
2. Never ever ever in a million years publish or give your phone number or e-mail address. Dating sites probably have their own chat system, use that. Leave off the personal information like that until later down the road where you two keep talking.
3. Don’t jump into the very first profile you see, browse around the dating vending machine. Check out all the different profiles and really get a feel at just who may be the perfect one for you.
4. Don’t believe the first thing people say and don’t believe everything people say. People lie, and more so online, so be weary. Not saying ALL do, but some do, so just watch out.
5. Always ask a lot of questions when chatting with your date or potential dates. Information is important.
6. You need to make sure you are comfortable with the person you are chatting with online, and you need to feel so at all times, if at any point you don’t it MIGHT be a sign that perhaps this person isn’t the best suited for you.
7. If you talk to someone that becomes rude, mean, abusive or controlling (don’t jump the gun on that one though, you may misinterpret what they really meant) block them as soon as you possibly can. There’s no way in heck you should date someone like that.
8. If you didn’t meet them in person, don’t give out your home or work address to them. Always arrange to meet at a local place nearby when arranging to meet. Never do so at your house. It’s for your own safety.
9. Before you go all goo goo over someone that asks you to actually go out on a date sometime, you need to make sure you know as much as you possibly can about this person, maybe even ask for one of their friends numbers to ask them questions as well, you need to know what you can before meeting someone in person.
10. Don’t let the person on the other end talk you into anything that you don’t want to or not comfortable with, you are in charge of yourself, not this person.
11. You need to take your time to getting to know someone, don’t rush it, and don’t judge it. Just get to know them.
12. Sometime impatience is a good thing, but to know if the person is patient would be if he or she is happy to wait to meet until you are ready for it. Otherwise if that’s not your type then you’ll know what to do then.
13. Make sure that the person you are talking to is willing to give you photos and information about himself or herself. If they are open to doing so then you know that you’ll find out if they were lying or telling the truth.
14. Once a date starts to be an idea played with, chat on the phone finally before arranging it.
15. When you finally meet, always meet in a public, well lit place. And make sure you let family and good friends know where you will be and when you should be home. Just in case something happens of course, for your own safety.
16. If you need to and you’re able to, always take a moment out of the date to step out and call a friend or family to let them know everything’s okay.
17. Always carry a cell phone on you at all times during these things.
18. After your first date, don’t accept a ride home from your date, always make sure a friend or family picks you up ON TIME or before the scheduled time, just in case.
Some of these may seem sort of obvious or perhaps overkill to some, but in reality you are doing this with a complete stranger that you met over the internet. You have no proof of all the information they said is true or not, and this is the first step of finding it all out. Following these rules will make sure your date is safe and relaxing. So enjoy yourself, be careful and have a good time. Good luck.
