Online Dating Tips

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Online dating can be a rewarding experience, however, following these online dating tips will help ensure that you remain safe.

1. Trust your instincts! When you begin speaking with someone you met at an online dating service and you find yourself feeling awkward, intimidated or overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to wait before agreeing to meet someone in person.
2. Don’t be in a hurry to share private information! Until you are absolutely comfortable with a person whom you’ve met through an online dating service, you should avoid giving them your home address, your work address and even your last name. One online dating tip is that you should use a cell phone that can’t be traced back to your home telephone number until well after you meet people you’ve met through online dating services in person.
3. If you do agree to meet in person, do so very publicly! It is never recommended when you are meeting a person for the first time that you’ve been introduced to through an online dating service that you do so in a secluded location. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to have someone along with you. Some sites offer the following online dating tips (a) meet in a crowded restaurant, (b) have a friend at the restaurant so they can see you at all times, (c) do not leave and go immediately home, instead head for a mall or store, (d) make sure you have let someone know exactly where you intend to be and when you should be expected back, (e) have someone meet you when you have arranged for your first date to be over and (f) carry your cell phone and have someone call you at a pre-arranged time.
4. Use a free email account and protect private information! You may not want to use your regular email account (and especially not your work email account) but instead if the online dating site you’re using offers an email account, by all means use that! Otherwise, consider signing up for a ‘disposable’ email account (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) and be sure your name doesn’t appear as your user ID.
5. Be aware of information you gather during online messaging or emails! There are often tell tale signs that someone is controlling, manipulative, easily angered in your communications with someone you meet through an online dating service. Be aware of what is being said in all of your communications and watch for inconsistencies!
6. Watch out for married people seeking relationships! Unfortunately, there is a growing trend of married people who are using online dating services as a way of meeting other people. Some telltale signs to watch for are if you are communicating with someone and you discover that there are only certain days and times that you are getting responses from them, that there’s always a ‘schedule’ to adhere to and there is little (if any) discussion about their family. It is estimated that approximately 30% of online dating service users are married!
7. Talk about your online photos and profile! Make sure that the online dating service user is providing an accurate (and current) profile and photo. Ask! Flat out! Once you meet you’ll know immediately if you’ve been told that the photo on the online dating service is recent and if it’s not it’s probably a warning sign that you should not only cut your first date short, but you should perhaps consider not continuing communication with this date as they’re not trustworthy!
8. Beware of online background checks! Some online dating services state that they offer background checks as part of the services that they offer to you. Be leery of this as most states have very strict guidelines as to who can request background checks (and what is included in them). Don’t depend on your online dating service to be providing accurate background information! Also, keep in mind that ‘free’ online dating services have no idea who they’re users are, and online dating for free usually means you’re getting what you paid for!

Online dating can be a rewarding experience. We hope that these online dating tips will help you make your experience fun and safe.