Tuesday 18 January 2011

Don’t Forget These Safety Tips When Dating Online


The internet has opened many doors, and numerous opportunities have come up for people in finding their future mate from any corner of the world.

The virtual dating scene may necessitate one to use safety online dating tips since there are many internet users who abuse this very useful tool that can create a security concern to members on dating sites.
To ensure that you are safe and your identity is not unnecessary exposed, you should follow these safety tips to ensure that you have a fun and fulfilling experience while in search of the one you want to date.

1. Join a reputable dating site.
Some people may not see the need to join a reputable site for they may think all dating sites are the same. The truth of the matter is when you find a good dating site that has good reviews and/or ratings, this could be because they take extra precautions for their members’ information to remain secure.

You can search for such a site by checking its background:

• A site that offers confidentiality of your information.

• A ‘Contact Us’ that is visible on their site, preferably with a toll-free # with live reps on the other end.

• Customer service (email and phone) answers your query in a timely and professional manner.

• Has a healthy number of members and GROWING.

• Its online reputation is above par.

You can easily gather the above info by searching online, visiting dating forums and asking questions, and/or by contacting the sites themselves.

2. Email security.
Whenever you join a site in search of an online date, you may be required give out your email address. To best ensure your security, you may want to use a new email address that is not associated with any personal information you do not want prying eyes to see.

The new email address you use can be entirely for dating purposes and you can manage your mails and isolate inappropriate mails with ease. You may want to use other words when creating an email address other than your name.

3. Be clear and precise.
If you know exactly what you want from a dating site then say it. You only want to get the attention of those you believe you’ll be attracted to. There are literally millions of other users who flock in search for their match, so save some time by being more specific.

Also, this is to avoid certain people with unwanted content. You do not want to fall victim to those whose pleasure is to prey on your feelings or maybe even worse.

4. Password safety.
Your password is your key to accessing the dating site. When choosing the right password, you may want to make it as strong as possible. Most people choose passwords just because they are memorable; therefore do not give much thought to their safety.

Even if it means writing your password down and keeping it safe and close whenever you want it then do so. You can make your password as complicated as possible to give it the strength it needs to keep you and your personal details safe.

5. Guard personal information.
The dating playfield can have some unscrupulous people and it is up to you to guard yourself from harm. Your identity should only be known to you, until you are comfortable that you can share it with someone else online. The profile you create should be void of personal information too.

6. Maintaining anonymity.
You may feel tempted to reveal yourself to a date once you have been chatting for a while. Do not be in a rush to do so until you are sure you want to reveal yourself. The anonymity features for IM’s and emails found on some dating sites can keep you safe until you are comfortable.

To avoid your heart from being broken and your personal information kept confidential, make sure to follow these online dating tips. Individuals can date and still have some sense of certainty that they have taken the necessary measures to protect themselves.