Tips & Advice for Safe Online Dating

After several months of friends nagging me I decided it was time to sign up to a dating website.  My first concern was whether it was safe. In hind sight online dating is generally safe as it lets you get to know your potential matches before you meet them.  If you don’t like the sound of them from their email’s this gives a clear indication that they are not the right person.

However to stay safe with online & real dating there are some simple rules to observe:

Safety tips for online dating:

Take your time:
Read as many profiles as you can, take your time before deciding to make contact or send a wink!

Gut instinct – trust it:
Don’t carry on communicating unless it feels right.

Do not take people at face value:
We’ve all told the odd lie on a CV, it’s the same with all dating sites.

Ask questions:
-Look for inconsistencies, but try not to make it sound like the Spanish inquisition.

Being Rude:
If someone becomes intrusive, rude or abusive stop contact and report them to the site management immediately.

Contact details:
Do not give out your full contact details until you feel comfortable in doing so, just a phone number to start off with.

Before meeting:
Once you decide that it could be the one, arrange to talk on the phone or through online VoIP chat on the dating site before arranging to meet for the first time.

Safety tips for real dating:

• Do not meet in a back alley! Fairly obvious (hopefully) meet in a well lit public place
• Do let a close friend know where you are going and who you are meeting, give them contact details too.
• Do take your phone and keep it switched on.
• Do text or call the friend during and after the date to let them know you are OK.
• Do not accept a ride home on the first date or tell them where you live.
• On the first date ensure you have an exit strategy, set a time limit for when you need to go by.
• Never feel pressured in to meeting someone again, if you feel it is not right let them know.

Happy dating and stay safe!