Dating Online – Do's & Don'ts

Dating Online has the potential to be incredibly exciting. Falling in love is a powerful aphrodisiac and it's all too easy to get caught up in the thrill of messages, photos and emails from potential soulmates. You might soon find yourself making decisions you'll live to regret.

But it's not just about being sensible on that all-important first date - it's also about the things you do and the decisions you make that take you to that first crucial meeting. Here’s my Do's & Don'ts to help keep you safe in your dating adventures:

Don'ts...

Don’t use your real name or any identifying information in your online dating profile or other details. Be careful when you do give out personal information and consider:

What the other person might want the information for.
Could they use that information to harm you?

Don’t assume that other online daters are being completely honest. That's not to say you shouldn't trust people - just be careful.

Don’t reply to online daters who give out their email address in their first message to you - particularly if they give you a lot of spiel about how much they like and admire you and want you to be part of their lives. This is a classic tactic of people who're looking for money.

Don’t give out your email address before you’ve even met. Even though it’s difficult to trace people’s home addresses from their email, it can be done.

Don’t enter a credit or debit card number unless you can see a small padlock in the window frame of the web browser (not the web page itself). Also, the address of the website should start with “https://”. (This might not appear until you reach the page where you enter your card details). If you have any doubts about the site, keep away from it.

Don’t set up your computer to remember your passwords.

Do's...

Do make up an alias to use on dating sites and keep a separate email account so it’s easier to keep track of messages.

Do take care when communicating with other online daters. Remember - the only information you may have about the other person is what they tell you. It may not be the truth.

Do change your password regularly and try to use a mix of letters and numbers that will be difficult for others to guess.

Do read the terms and conditions and any other small print details on fee-paying websites.

Do check emails and messages regularly – many Internet daters spend a lot of time online and if you aren’t around to read new messages, you might miss out on that all-important match. However, don't become addicted to online dating - remember your real life!

Do spend time completing your membership profile properly - the more appealing your profile is, the better your chance of success.

Do be aware of Internet scams. These tend to be, though not exclusively, from far eastern countries and often involve emailing thousands of online dating site members at a time, claiming to be the perfect love-match. All you need to do to find perfect happiness, is to fund their air-fare/pay for their passport or visa/or simply send cash!