Dating Information

Great Tips For A Safe Online Dating Experience


Dating can be scary no matter how or where you meet. Maybe he hasn't shaved in five years. Perhaps, she has a reputation as the Black Widow after never being called back for a second date. Any date is a toss up. Dating is sort of how Forrest Gump described life; it's like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're going to get.

Because of the anonymity of online dating, it can be trickier than conventional dating. Appearances and descriptions can be misleading, and unfortunately in other cases, just downright deceiving. By following a few tips, online daters can successfully experience safe dates and avoid being a guest on one of those "disastrous internet dating" talk shows.

Tip #1: Trust your instincts and use common sense. If this person rubs you the wrong way via email, imagine how he or she will make you feel in person. Don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Tip #2: Enjoy your anonymity online. Using your dating service's secure messaging system, you can communicate without giving out personal information until you feel comfortable. The last thing you need is your very own email stalker.

Tip #3: Be Realistic. Even most reality television shows don't have happy endings these days. Just because this person sounds like the perfect fit, it doesn't mean that you should start ordering the wedding invitations just yet. You have to read a book before you can give a real summary. This date might not be your last first date. If it doesn't lead to a second date, move on to the next person on your list.

Tip #4: In case you've been stranded on a deserted island for the past thirty years and fail to realize that unfortunately there are some cruel and sick people in this world, this message needs to be heard. First Dates Should Be in Public! Never ever agree to meet at the other person's place or to pick them up. Also, be sure and let a friend or family member know your plans for the evening. Stay alert on the first date. If you must have an alcoholic beverage, have only one and do not leave your drink unattended.

Tip #5: Try meeting during the day, perhaps on your lunch break. If the date isn't going as planned, you have a perfect reason to cut the outing short.

Tip #6: Red Flags. As in all traffic signs, red means stop. Don't ignore things that leap out at you about the person. These things are warning signs and include such behaviors:

a) Refuses to answer your questions directly. Is the person hiding something?

b) Makes disrespectful comments about others. How will the person describe you?

c) Inconsistent information which doesn't match prior information from profile, chat, emails, and phone calls. Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire.

d) Avoids phone contact. Why? Marriage?

If the fates are kind, then you will only have pleasant dates as a result of your online matching, but just in case, it's always good to be prepared.

Ann Bendis writes about online dating and relationships at http://www.singleattractions.com


MORE RESOURCES:

CBS News

National Briefing | South South Carolina: Apology for Racist Policies
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
By AP Bob Jones University is apologizing for racist policies that included a ban on interracial dating and its unwillingness to admit blacks until 1971. ...
Nation Digest College apologizes for racist past Seattle Times
Bob Jones Univ. apologizes for racist policies The Associated Press
Bob Jones’ president apologizes The State
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription) - Phoenix New Times
all 265 news articles


New York Daily News

eHarmony Preps Gay Dating Site After Settling Discrimination Suit
Marketing Vox News - 23 hours ago
Dating site eHarmony settled a discrimination lawsuit brought by the New Jersey's Division for Civil Rights (DCR), which accused the relationship site of ...
UPDATE 1-Suit forces eHarmony to offer gay dating service Reuters
Christian-Founded Dating Website eHarmony Forced to Cater to ... Lifesite
EHarmony Settles Dispute Over Gay Matches Wall Street Journal
EDGE Boston - PC Magazine
all 298 news articles


Contactmusic.com

Hartnett Dating Miller?
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - Nov 20, 2008
... Actor Josh Hartnett was reportedly spotted enjoying another intimate evening in London with British star Sienna Miller, fueling rumors they are dating. ...
Sienna Miller Dating Josh Hartnett Even Though He’s Not Married Actress Archives
Sienna Miller and Josh Hartnett Dating? MTV UK
Sienna Miller and Josh Hartnett Dating? Bodog Beat
Hollyscoop - Tango
all 38 news articles


Monsters and Critics.com

Emily Blunt's dating John Krasinski
Monsters and Critics.com - Nov 21, 2008
'The Devil Wears Prada' actress - who split from Canadian singer Michael Buble earlier this year after a three-year relationship - is said to have spent a ...
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski Dating AceShowbiz
Emily Blunt Finds Love After Michael Buble Split Post Chronicle
all 32 news articles


Whitney Casey: Treat dating like a business
Houston Chronicle, United States - 17 hours ago
Dating and relationship-building is exactly like making a sale,” author Jess McCann explains. “There’s strategy to making it work. ...


"Boom": an apocalyptic dating game
Seattle Times, United States - Nov 21, 2008
Played by Gretchen Krich, Barbara can freeze the action, or drum up a mood by bashing away on a timpani, and her role in this apocalyptic dating game is ...


Law center awarded $1 million grant for teen dating violence ...
Oakland Tribune, CA - 4 hours ago
The goal of the four-year initiative, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships, is to raise awareness of teen dating violence as a public health ...


Find dating style you won't immediately sabotage
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 21 hours ago
You seem to be completely paralyzed by the prospect of Internet dating -- so I wonder why the idea is even attractive to you. It almost seems as though you ...


Speed dating: Find true love - 7 minutes at a time
Prattville Progress, AL - 16 hours ago
By Alicia Harper Dating an attorney, a golf er, a movie buff, an air man, an auto broker, a couple of divorcees, a couple of restaurant employees and a guy ...


Does a dating service 'stigma' still exist?
Portsmouth Herald News, NH - Nov 21, 2008
By Steve Penner When I first started the dating service LunchDates in 1982, scores of single men and women immediately contacted us and expressed an ...

Dating - Google News

home | site map
© 2008