How To Have A Safe Online Dating Experience

How To Have A Safe Online Dating Experience

Thinking about putting up a personal profile on one of the many online dating sites? Welcome to the club! You are, or possibly soon will be, in the company of millions of people who've done just that. With the explosion of online personals and dating sites, men and women from all walks of life have found the ultimate vehicle to meet others with common interest. Internet dating is an amazingly fun and exciting way for singles to make connections they couldn't have made otherwise.

However, with the fun and excitement of meeting others online comes great personal responsibility. Unfortunately, as the many news stories attest, not everyone understands that responsibility and post more than necessary information about themselves. Information such as their names, emails, addresses, phone numbers and more on their public profiles, evidently clueless that they may be putting themselves in harms way.

As always, your own personal safety should be top priority when posting information about yourself on the Internet. Never assume that others who view your profile online will have the best intentions. So always be careful of how much you reveal about yourself in a public profile.

Just in case you didn't know, most online dating sites do not pre-screen their new member sign-ups . This means that they cannot ensure that the people on their dating sites have honorable intentions or are safe to deal with. So, this makes you responsible to carefully screen the people who contact you.

With that said, never post your real email address on your profile, nor in the first few emails you exchange with other members. In fact, any information that identifies you in your profile or in emails may open yourself up to become the latest victim on the nightly news. Don't think it can't happen to you, in the world we live in today, you absolutely must be careful.

But before you think it's all bad, let me assure you that it's not. In fact, just as in the off-line world, their are still decent people who can be trusted and whose intentions truly are honorable. You just have to exercise caution.

When you meet someone online and you feel in your gut that they are not being honest with you, there's a good chance that you are right. Use your head, don't rush to intimacy with someone you've just met online . Online intimacy with someone you honestly don't know can be very dangerous. Don't indulge yourself on a whim. Thinking things through can save you a lot of unnecessary troubles.

If you do meet someone who truly sparks your interest, take your time. Exchange phone numbers and get to know the person as much as possible before saying yes to meeting face to face. But, once again, as always, use caution when passing your phone number to someone. If you realize after a phone conversation or two that the person is not trustworthy, you don't want that person to be able to look up your street address with the number you supplied him or her. If possible use an unlisted number or a payphone.

Don't ever feel obligated to meet someone face to face. If they seem like they are trying to push you into meeting with them, back off. If they seem desperate to meet with you, then they most likely have a problem, and should be avoided. No matter what, you still have the last say on whether you are ready to meet the person or not. If something doesn't feel right, you are free to change your mind.

If you do decide to meet with someone you've met online, if at all possible, take a friend. If you do go alone, tell someone reliable where you will be going and what time you'll return. Leave information about the person with your friend. Information such as name, phone number, a copy of the photo your date sent you or that was included on their profile should be enough. Be sure and take your cell phone. Don't let your date pick you up at your home residence. Use your own transportation and meet in a public area. Also, don't ever leave a beverage you may be drinking unattended. With the date-rape drugs floating around out there, you just can't take a chance.

Don't ever rush yourself or allow anyone to push you into doing anything. Take your time and get to know anyone you've met online . It's always better to be safe at home, without a date, than to wind up with a psycho in a very bad situation.

So, if you are patient about finding the right person and take these precautions, then you will have a much safer and enjoyable online dating experience. And who knows, you just might find that special someone.

BONUS : How To Have An Impressive Date With A Woman

Asking her for a date:

• Ask her out in person. Your conversations together is an opportunity for you to discover if both your personalities and ideas are attuned with each other, before you do decide to ask her out for a date.

• When calling through the phone. Don’t forget to mention to her the conversations you had. This will give her the impression that you do listen, making her feel important. Then if you feel that it is time to ask her, go ahead; ask gently, not in a demanding manner.

• Ask when you both are alone. Never ask a girl out on a date in front of others, like her friends. This will either embarrass her, and may say yes or embarrass you, if she says no.

During the date:

• Look good, be neat. Put extra effort to the way you look. Take the time be well groomed, smell nice and choose your clothes well. It must correspond to the place with which your date is set. Make a good impression, so you can charm her and she can be proud of you.

• Do not be late. Prepare for the big day ahead. Make the necessary reservations and planning for your date. If you have planned for it, she will be impressed that you did put some effort on your night together. Be sure that during the “big day” you have no appointments so you won’t be cramming and be on time.

• Be polite. Be sure to make her feel good by complementing the way she looks. And when seated at the table, turn your cell phone off. This will signal to her that you are very much interested in your moment together.

• Say her name. Make it a point to say her name ever so often in your conversations, to make her feel at ease and special.

• Smile. Aside from putting up a positive attitude, your smile is an indication that you are happy to be with her.

• Have a Sense of Humor. Making a woman laugh means you have won half your battle. This means that she is having a nice time and creates a positive atmosphere. This will be an occasion she would remember, because she had fun!

• Be attentive. Listen to what she has to say or is saying, do not interrupt. Let her finish, before you state your opinion and make eye contact.

• Be honest. Let her get to know you by telling her what you do, what interests you, don’t make up stories. If she will not like you for who you are, then she is not worth your time. Show interest in her too, by asking her about her work, hobbies and her likes. Be sensible and honest in initiating such conversations.

• Relax. Do not worry that your date is not having a good time. Go ahead and ask her. Just manage yourself well and enjoy the evening. Keep the conversations open and ask questions. Be sincere.

• Do not pretend. Be yourself. Pretending into somebody that you’re not, will not work in the long run. The truth will always come out sooner or later. It is a rewarding feeling if someone is drawn to you for who you really are.

• Never compare. It will be very unfair of you if you compare your date to your past girlfriend. Keep in mind that she is a totally different person with her own personality. Take the time to discover her; you might be pleased if you do. Comparing won’t get you anywhere. An important thing to remember, do not ever articulate your comparisons with your date, this will surely lead to disaster.

• Never tell your date about your break-up. Keep in mind that you asked her out so you both could have fun together. She is not your therapist, so do not recount your past relationship. Burry the past and move on. Here is a woman in front of you who is interested to know you more. Get to know her too, initiate a conversation that could lead to a common interest.

• Enjoy. Dating should be exciting and relaxing. A woman could sense if you are enjoying or not. Don’t stress yourself trying so hard to make it “The Perfect date” because it won’t be. But you both can enjoy it. After all, you did invite her out because you liked her in the first place. Be spontaneous and have fun.