Safety First, Intimacy Second
By Jeff Cohen, freelance writer (cohenwriting@aol.com)
Online dating is all about finding romance in cyberspace. Whether you’re looking for a casual relationship, something more serious, or even marriage, the end goal is to make a romantic connection.
It can be tempting to jump into intimacy too quick. Before you take the leap into offline love and romance, follow these tips for online dating safety. These simple, straightforward strategies will help weed out the small population of online daters who join for all the wrong reasons.
First, protect your personal information. Quality online dating sites will never give out your personal email information or telephone number without your express permission. Choose wisely before you escalate an anonymous online encounter into a more personalized conversation where another single knows your personal information or where you live. In many cases, giving out a cell phone number is safer than a home number to avoid other people matching the number to your home address.
Second, see if the online dating site you join performs background checks. You’re not looking for full-scale CIA clearance, just some indication from the online site that they’ve authenticated members before accepting their membership fees.
Third, if you agree to a date, choose a public place and tell a close friend or family member about the date. There’s no reason to have a quiet dinner at their place on the first date or invite them to your place. Additionally, ask your friend or family member to call you later that night to make sure you got home okay.
Fourth, control your alcohol consumption. There’s nothing wrong with a couple of drinks to loosen up or help the conversation flow. The key is to stay in control. Drinking to the point of losing self-control will leave a bad impression on a date. In the worst case it could lead to being taken advantage of by your date.
Fifth, never take a ride. Keeping with the theme of a public place for your first date, don’t agree to any rides with your date. While it can be tempting to take a nice ride up the coast and watch the sunset together, it’s not safe until you know your date better. Save the rides for later in the relationship when trust has been established.
Sixth, be sure to carry extra money. You never know when the restaurant will be more than expected or your date continues to a second destination that drains your cash. Carry extra money for the date so you’re not dependent on the other person for transportation home at the end of the night.
Finally, keep it all in perspective and have fun on your date. These tips are not intended to scare you or ruin your dating experience. They’re meant to be a common sense guide to keep it all in perspective and give you the best possible odds of a safe dating experience.
The odds are you won’t come across someone with bad intentions. Still, in the rare case that you do, it’s nice to know you’re armed with the tips to be safe online.
Jeff Cohen is the author of the e-book, 30 Minute Guide to Online Dating. It's a must-read for anyone looking to master the art of online dating without wasting hours of valuable time. To learn more about the e-book and purchase a copy, please visit our Online Dating eBook order page.
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