Stay Safe With Online Dating
Online dating is an incredibly popular practice nowadays, and it is one that some people rush into a little too fast. This could potentially put you in harm’s way because you never know who you are actually talking to on the web. All you can see is a profile and written words from an email. You don’t know who a person really is until you meet in person. That is why it is important to stay safe when you start dating online because you may be putting yourself at risk. Here are some tips to help you stay protected when you start dating on the web.
Ask A Lot Of Questions
While it may seem a little rude to interrogate someone you want to date, that is essentially what you have to do online. If someone says that he or she works in a certain profession, ask questions about that profession to see if the person actually knows what he or she is talking about. You can usually tell if someone is lying early on because he or she will hesitate with answers or give ones that just don’t make sense. If the person tells one story the first time you ask a question and tells a completely different story the second time you ask the question, you know he or she is not a trustworthy person to date.
Setup A Video Chat
When you have had a few email conversations back and forth with a person, you should set up a video chat online to see the person before you meet in person. That way, you can make sure that the person actually looks like the image you may have seen in his or her profile. You can use Skype to chat with someone for free online, and that way you never have to leave the house for that face to face encounter. Just make sure that you don’t have any information on your Skype profile that someone could use to stalk you later. You always need to be cautious.
Meet In A Public Place
If you decide to schedule a meeting with someone, you need to make sure that it is in a public place. That way you have witnesses all around you to see if something goes wrong. The worst thing you can do is invite the person over for dinner at your house during your first meeting. You need something that is much more public than that for the first few dates you have. Once you are comfortable with the person in public, you can consider allowing him or her to come over with you.
Take It Slow
The key to truly being safe on the web is to take everything slow. Don’t rush into meeting someone in person, and don’t rush into an official relationship status. A good relationship will be worth the wait, so you just need to take your time. If you get caught up in your feelings too quickly, you could have a lapse of good judgment. By taking the relationship one day at a time though, you can analyze the situation and truly determine if it is safe to go out with someone.
