Internet Dating, part 2: First Contact

In Internet Dating, part 1: Setting Yourself Up Safely, I talked about how to set up everything (computer, email, profile, etc) so that your personal information is protected from prying eyes. However, now you're ready to get to know some people, and maybe even go on a date with someone, so let's talk about making first contact safely.

Chatting Safety

For maximum security, you want to use the sites internal chat system instead of your email or phone number when you decide to message someone for the first time. Think of this as your first level of defense. If someone does give you their personal information (email, phone number, or even snail mail address), tell them that you'd, "rather communicate through <insert online dating service here>"

Internet Dating, part 1: Setting Yourself Up Safely

Personally, back when I was single, I really didn't have many options for dating. I didn't want to date anyone I was working with, I wasn't going to school anymore, so that was out of the question. I'm not a bar/club/gym junkie so that wasn't going to work either. I was really left with only a couple options: being set up by people I knew, and online dating.

Gone are the days just bumping into a stranger and asking them out (or asked out by them). It has become very difficult to meet and start a rapport with strangers, especially in the current age of fear and distrust. More and more people are turning to the internet to find their special someone. 

Now most people in the online dating world are nice and not out to hurt anyone, but there are always those 1-2% that will ruin this experience for everyone.  Whether your looking for a possible long-term relationship to the one night stand, you can still use this information to keep you safe. So over the next few blogs I'm going to share three major steps you need to take to date online safety: setting everything up, making contact, and meeting up.