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| By: Sha - at March 7, 2013 |
Ways to Stay Safe When Dating Online
 The
Internet is a place for people from all parts of the world to meet. Online
dating sites are growing in popularity every single day. Online dating is
perceived to be a more dangerous activity than it really is, with the worst
results getting a majority of media coverage. The most important part of online
dating safety is vigilance, which is entirely up to your actions. You are in the
best position to make sure your guard is kept up with everyone you encounter
online. There is no person who can protect your online experiences better than you.
Everyone should know what the safety measures are and how to implement them in
order to avoid any unpleasant or dangerous consequences. Keep in mind that
either offline or online, dating always involves some amount of risk.
How to Stay Safe Online
Since there is less worry of being judged or even being seen when dating online,
people can develop trust with others online very quickly. People tend to be more
open with their feelings and are more honest when interacting with individuals
in an online setting. Users feel that they can speak freely with their potential
partners in a much more relaxed atmosphere. But many people take advantage of
online dating by lying frequently, using fake profiles, and by having dishonest
motives. The following tips will help you stay safe online:
People Can Be Anybody Online
 People
can be anybody they want online and they can behave in unusual ways completely
different than their normal behavior. They do this to appear more desirable to
you, to charm or to please you. They can behave in certain ways to get your
sympathy or support, and to seek out dishonest financial gains. Some behave
differently than their usual ways only to protect themselves online. Even with
all the negative aspects of online dating, there are a lot of good honest and
nice people looking for their soul mates on the Internet. It is essential for
you to know how to spot the fake ones, and the ways to protect your privacy when
meeting people online. Never rush to get familiar with people on the Internet
and become emotionally attached too quickly.
Guard Your Identity
It is strongly recommended that you never give out your real name, home address,
personal email address, phone or mobile numbers on a dating profile. Never post
the addresses of the place of your employment, current or past school, college
or university. People can be extremely resourceful with the information you
provide online. They can easily track your personal information such as address,
phone number, age and other details on the Internet or offline simply by using
your first and last name and the city you live in. Social networking sites have
become full with predators, lurking in for loads of personal information people
share when they post. Never share your personal information with a stranger on
social networking sites. You can always limit the access that people have to
your personal details. Even if you are starting to get closer to someone online,
it still may not be time to start trusting them completely.
Learn to Keep Your Online Information Safe
 Many
people do not know how to keep their online information safe, and easily become
victims of fraudsters online as well as offline. Never use shared computers
unless you are 100% sure that your login information will not be stored or
traced. Always check that you have logged out before you quit any program or
application online. Many computers have automatic login features and this causes
a potentially serious security threat. Never save your CV/resume, profile, etc
on a shared computer, but if you do make sure that you delete them permanently.
Another common practice to help protect your information is deleting files
completely from the recycle bin so they cannot be resorted by other users.
Opening Up to an Online Interest
You should take time to get to know the person you are interested in. You should
remember that it takes time to build up a solid and trustworthy connection with
anybody, be it online or offline. If things are developing too quickly there
just might be something wrong. It takes quality time to build trust and
intimacy. If you want to chat live online, use instant chat or messaging
services provided by many dating sites. To correspond with your prospective
virtual partner, use the email services through the dating sites or use a
separate email account that does not use your personal information. If you need
to talk, use Skype or any other software used to talk online. Do not use
personal phones, emails, and video until you are comfortable and ready to reveal
more to your prospective partner.
If anyone is asking you repeatedly to do
something that you do not want to do, then end all communication right away.
Anyone asking for your personal and financial information should be blocked
immediately.
People May Not Be as They Appear
It can be tempting to fall for nice profiles, descriptions, and even pictures
that people have posted on their online profiles. What you need to understand is
many daters can fill their profiles with fake information, and the pictures can
be of someone else or they may not be current. You have every reason to believe
that many people may have other motives to post profiles on dating sites other
than to find a partner. They can be predators, stalkers, thieves, etc.
Be very Careful and Get to Know the Person very well before
Planning Meetings in Person
This is a crucial step to take when deciding on a date with a person you have
meet through a dating site. You should have several emails and phone
conversations with your prospective virtual partner prior to deciding to meet in
person. You should also ask yourself if the person you want to meet face-to-face
is someone you could potentially have a relationship with. Do you believe that
you have got all the information needed to arrange a meeting in person? Do you
feel confident that he or she is who they say they are? Do you really feel
comfortable, confident and ready to meet in person with him/her? If your answers
are yes to all of these queries, go ahead to meet in person with your
prospective partner. Choose a public, crowded, and familiar place such as a
coffee shop or cafe for the venue of your first date. Tell a family member or a
friend about your plans, especially the location of your first date. Always
carry a mobile phone with you and never go to any remote or private areas.
Always keep an eye on your food and beverage. Do not accept an invitation to go
to your date’s home or invite your date to your home on a first date. Be
optimistic about your first date but stay alert at the same time. All these
safety cautions are to make your dating a safe success, and are not meant to
spoil it.
Conclusion
Online
dating has already become a popular way for millions of people to meet and
possibly to find their soul mate. Online dating has some advantages over offline
or conventional dating in that singles can find compatible matches out of
thousands of potential profiles. Online dating does have some disadvantages and
risks. The media has traditionally focused on the negative stories arising from
online dating but lately more of the positive encounters are making headlines.
Online dating makes it possible for people from all walks of life, different
continents, and radically different lifestyles to begin chatting and possibly
falling in love.
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