Meeting Someone Online And Planning Real Dates

Online dating sites are a great place to meet new friends and potential romantic partners. The nice thing about an online dating site is that you don't need to dress up and pass any "visual inspection" at first. This gives you the chance for people to get to know you based on who you are, and not only on how you look.

Don't kid yourself though, the anonymity of sitting behind your computer does not give you a license to be dishonest or rude. In fact, as we suggested earlier, the more you let people see the "real you", the better chances you have of finding your other half. This is why so many friendships are formed on the forums and blogs.

How do you go from meeting people online to actually planning a real date?

Be honest
You don't like when someone is dishonest with you, do you? Well, you need to be open and honest with people up front. You don't have to share personal details with this online stranger, but don't pretend to be something or someone that you are not. Otherwise you are only going to be attracting people who are looking for the person that you are pretending to be not who you really are. This won't end well... sooner or later.

Be respectful
Be sensitive about other peoples' feelings and backgrounds, and think twice before making jokes about politics, religion or other sensitive topics. Silly jokes that you might consider innocent and funny could seriously hurt or offend people.

Don't fake photos
Misleading profile pictures are probably the most common source of disappointment in relationships that start on a dating site. We understand that you have no intentions of showing your worst photos, and that's fine. Just make sure that your picture is actually you, and that it's current and accurate of how you look today.

Develop common activities online
Think you found someone you want to go on a real date with? Don't just yet. Spend some time doing what we call "online dates", such as playing online games, chatting, or participating in the same forums. This will allow you to learn more about the person and see how s/he reacts in a variety of group and private situations.

Use this time to get to know each other better and make sure you really want to take things further and meet this person face to face. You need to feel comfortable with a person before you meet them face to face. Use caution and don't share personal information about yourself and your family early on. Use onsite features to get to know the member well first.

The meeting
So you decided that it's time to meet your online potential romantic partner. This is a big step. Always meet in a public place, somewhere that is busy, where you can feel comfortable and safe. Make sure that you let other people know where you are going to be and for how long. Ask a friend to call you during your date. This provides you with an opportunity to leave your date if you aren't feeling comfortable. If things are going well, you can still ask your friend to call you back later.

Be sure to use common sense, and take common sense precautions. We've already talked about the danger of online dating scams. It's easy to let your guard down after a few successful dates, but you can never afford to do this. Stay alert, and be safe, and enjoy meeting new people and making new friends online.