In today’s day and age, it is becoming more feasible to meet people online; more specifically for dating. Meeting people online can be exciting and fun but it can also be scary too. While it may be a great way to broaden your sites and embrace those around us, even online, to have a more fulfilling way of existing in life; there comes a time where you must also do this with all your senses about you.
The Popularity of Online Dating: Can you really find love online?
I believe for others that it does exist. Take for example my friend, we will call her, “Annie” and her husband, let’s call him, “Carl”; they have been married for over 10 years now.
When “Annie” met “Carl”, and she told me about him, at first I was both skeptical and envious. “Annie” told me she believed from the very beginning that she had found her soul-mate when she met “Carl”. It was not until I met him for myself that I knew “Annie” meant it. I could see it one Saturday evening while out to dinner with “Annie”, “Carl”, and my date at the time, “Shane”; and with that I knew it was possible. I must interject here, before I continue, that at the time I met “Carl”, I had yet to discover online dating for myself; so you can probably see why I was skeptical.
10+ years later, and I know; though I have yet to see it for myself in my own life that true love can be found online. I think it is just a matter of time for some than it is for others; much like find true love without online dating interaction.
The Safety of Online Dating: What you do not know and do can hurt you…
While you can have success with finding love online, there is a safety factor that you must be aware of before you dive head long into dating online; especially if you have little to know experience with online dating. There are several news reports, past and present that discuss the dark side of online dating and looking for love online. This dark side is full of things that no person, male or female, should discover or experience.
What does this mean? Well, in simple terms, it means you do not know who you are really talking to online until you meet them face to face and even then you do not really know who this person is or what they might do to cause harm or damage to your life and possibly the people in your life as well. It is because of this that there are some vital tips that you should read and understand before you talk to a person online or even meet them in person.
Online Dating Tip Number 1: Use Common Sense
When you first log on to any dating website or even chat room, using the following words “HI, my name is” will be the very first impression you will give to other people you start communicating with online. This greeting is one of the most common introductions that you will use; it is both friendly and offers a non-intimidating sound of confidence, as well as being the ideal segue way into getting to know other people online slowly; more specifically the people you may be interested in meeting in person. When sharing information online, it is very important to take into consideration one thing; you want to be sure that you do not give too much information. This works in your best interest because you do not know the person well enough to get into the details of your daily life and some really private; and very personal information.
What does this mean? In some very easy to understand terms, you want to use common sense. Common sense includes being cautious and pay close attention to specific information that you give in response to questions that you are asked. You do not want to get too comfortable in the beginning and not even until you know for sure you care share the information that many could take advantage of if you are not careful.
Online Dating Tip Number 2: Be Honest; Stick to the Truth
This is quite easy and self-explanatory. It is always best to be truthful in both your profile and while engaged in conversations online. By glamorizing your life and yourself, all the untruths or stretched truths will be found out if you should decide to meet that person face to face. You do not want to be called out on or call someone else out on their dishonesty.
Online Dating Tip Number 3: Ask for what you want; but do not get too personal at the start…
When you are reading profiles and come across the people you may find interest in, do not hesitate to ask for what you want; like a photo, if there is not one already posted. Anybody can make themselves look fantastic on paper but you should see what the person looks like; a sad but real fact is there must be some physical attraction. You do not want to spend endless hours communicating with someone only to find out that there is no sense of physical attraction to that person. Looks are not everything but at the same time it cannot be denied that it does add something to the chemistry that you will share with another person.
Online Dating Tip Number 4: Have a Mutual Respect and Drive for the Potential Relationship
Whatever you do, when you first start talking about meeting each other you need to not let the other person “drive” the date and potential relationship; this goes for figurative speaking and literal speaking. You want to ere on the side of caution and mutually come to the agreement on the venue that you both will arrive in your respective cars. With the same token, you also do not want to let your date dictate where you will go for the date, at which time when you will go for the date, and how you both are to get there; anything else would be a red flag for anything to come later on, things that you do not want to put yourself into. More specifically anything outside of a mutual agreement is NOT the kind of situation you want to be involved with.
Online Dating Tip Number 5: Use Good Judgment…
In the time you surf the internet and as you search for a potential relationship the best thing you can always be sure to do is use good judgment. It is vitally important that you do not let stories you are told or commercials on television give you a false sense of security that the site and the people who are on that site are safe and will be all that you hope it will be; this is dangerous because it will cloud your judgment and ability to keep yourself safe. Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to become tempted or even feel forced into a situation that you are not comfortable with or unable to get yourself out of.
Online dating can bring a fun, exciting, and life-changing moment but it can also bring much more than you ever expected and not in a good way. You want be intelligent and use this time in a safe manner to get the most of this experience; even the ultimate goal of true love.
