Thousands of people use online dating sites every year, and most of them have a good experience. Some of them even get married. Online dating site users should exercise some caution. As with any website where people connect "virtually," other people are not always who they claim to be. To avoid danger, online daters should use common-sense strategies that keep them safe according to law enforcement experts.
A
few years ago online dating was considered this taboo thing that no one wanted
to admit to doing. Now it's a totally normal and acceptable way to possibly meet
a love connection. According to Match.com, more than 40 million Americans use online dating services. With online dating comes the potential for stalkers and
liars. It's easy to hide behind a computer screen and do all sorts of immoral
things.
So
many people have turned to the Internet to find love. For every awesome person
on a dating website, there are even more creepy people. Don't let it turn you
off to online dating, but do take care of yourself and keep your life as
private as you can until you get to know someone. These tips are a good place
to start with in the world of online dating.
Be Choosy With the Photos You Use Your profile photos can reveal a lot more than you realize.
Don't post a photo of you, say, standing on your front stoop, or in front of
your office. In fact, you might even want to take safety precautions a step
further by only using generic photos that you took specifically for the dating
site. Your online dating images
should be used only for online
dating.
Take a separate set of images, selfies, whatever and only
use them in your online dating profiles. Profile photos can be dropped into
Google Image Search, bringing up all sorts of identifying information. So it's
best to take a whole fresh set of pictures, instead of reusing images from
Facebook, Instagram, or your company bio.
Don't Give Away Too Much Information. That
intelligent person you're talking to might not be who they say they are. That's
precisely why you should save revealing your phone number, address, and even
your last name for once you really get to know someone. It is best to use your
first name only during initial conversations and provide more detailed personal
information only after you've met in person and gotten to know one another well. Legitimate online
daters will understand the reasons for doing this and will be doing the same
themselves.
Don't Let Your Date Walk You Home You
shouldn't let them walk you home.
It's a sad thing, but not everyone has your best interests at heart. And that's
why you don't want them to know where you live until they've been approved by
you and your friends. Odds are your date is nice and well intentioned, and I
get that you don't want to be rude? Say your feet hurt, you're exhausted,
anything to just politely hop in a cab and head home on your own, even if it's
only a few blocks away. Basically it's better to be overly cautious than to
find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Don't Rush Out To Meet Them If you're in a dry dating spell, or feel like you're quickly
clicking with someone, it can be tempting to rush out for a date after only one
or two conversations. But resist the urge to move too fast, lest you find
yourself in a rough situation. Studies show that relationships develop faster
online. The advice is to wait at least one week before you meet face-to-face. Before
you meet in person, move the conversation from online to phone. During a phone
chat you'll get a better sense of whether your personalities click. By taking
it slow, you are more likely to see inconsistencies in their behaviors and
actions.
Meet Up In A Public Place So
you've been chatting online for a few weeks, you've made your initial phone
calls, and everything seems legitimate. Now is the time to meet up with this
person and
have your first official date. Do
keep in mind a few safety tips. First of all, you should drive yourself and
arrive separately. That way, if this person ends up being less than desirable,
you can easily leave on your own accord without having an awkward (and maybe
even dangerous) shared car ride home. You'll also want to meet in a popular
restaurant that has the potential for larger crowds. It's much safer than a
lonesome walk in a park, or a date that involves getting stuck in their house.
Remember It's OK To End It If You Feel Uncomfortable Whether it's in person or online, it can be tough to leave a
situation when it starts to go downhill. Maybe you feel like you owe the other
person your time. In reality, you don't owe anyone anything. If you want to leave,
or delete their messages, go ahead and do it. If you're feeling uncomfortable,
something is wrong. So get out. It doesn't matter how charming and attractive
the other person is, if the situation feels "off," it probably
is. Remember, under no circumstances
are you obligated to continue a date or an online interaction.
“A great piece of advice for online dating is to stand out from the
crowd. So greetings like ‘hello’ and ‘hi’ are very common, they do less well
than things that are a little bit quirky or a little bit weird, like ‘howdy’ or
‘holla.’ The rarer your salutation, the better it does, in general.” (Christian Rudder) [i]
[i] Sources used:
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“6 Tips for Safe Online Dating According To Experts”
By Carolyn Steber
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