Updated 24 May, 2012, 1:00 pm IST

5 Point Safety When Dating Online

26 Feb, 2010, 3:34 pm IST | by Gareth Mankoo

Dating online is an interesting way to socialize without really bothering about what to wear or where to take your date.

Dating online is an interesting way to socialize without really bothering about what to wear or where to take your date. However, it also has its own problems that creep up since you do not know who it is on the other end of the line. Here are some tips that will help you date online safely.

When you log on to your social networking/dating site make sure that you do not enter your personally identifiable information. You can use a pseudo name if you wish to remain completely safe.

Once you gain the confidence that the person you are communicating with is genuine, then you can go ahead and share your real information. Sharing your real name will help people trace your whereabouts.

The person on the other end of the line doesn't always happen to be who he/she claims to be. The only way you can ensure that the person is genuine is by meeting him/her.

When you put forth the idea of a date, make sure that you pick a public place. Also judge his/her reaction to the same. If there's an evident readiness to meet then the person is most probably genuine.

Avoid revealing personal information like your residential address, your full name and other details that will help the person stalk you if the date doesn't go well.

Giving your cellphone number should serve the purpose, avoid giving away your residential number since it can be used to trace your whereabouts. Give the person a call and see if the sounds you hear match the surroundings he/she describes to you.

Avoid getting too hooked on to online dating sites. At first, many people sign up for these sites with nothing more than a search for a partner in mind.

Later on this develops into some kind of habit or addiction leading to complications and problems for one's self as well as for one's partner. Do not use online dating sites as pastime tools. These have often been the cause of making and breaking relationships.

Don't make haste in trying to get to someone you find to be your perfect match. Take it slow. First keep conversations limited to chats and emails. After a week or two, you can exchange numbers.

Meeting the person comes in much later, when you're sure that you aren't dealing with a fraud. Make sure that you pick a pretty crowded place to meet rather than a secluded spot.

Tags: dating , online