Online dating is at an all time high. People of all ages and stages and mind set are taking advantage of interpersonal ads and available technology to find a match that is just right. That brings into question how safe is online dating? Below are a set of recommendations and safe guards that need to be considered when participating in online dating.

Choosing

First and foremost find an online dating service that you are comfortable with. What makes an online dating service trust worthy; online dating services should have detailed privacy policies in place, as well as very specific guidelines as to what kind of information they collect and how that information is used. So do some research about the website or service you are interested in joining before filling out any personal information. Currently almost all dating services have systems in place that allow you to chat, send private messages to other members without giving away the details of your identity. Your personal information should always be the last thing to give out even when you have found an online dating service that appeals to you and matches your interests and lifestyle. Please under no circumstance should you give out your phone number, address, or any other personal information online. The internet is a public area and you do not want your personal information in the wrong hands. It is a good idea to limit your correspondence to anonymous chats particularly through the online dating service until you get to know the other person well enough to share a little more personal information.

Anonymity

With the proliferation of online communities like Yahoo, Msn, Google etc it is easy to create a semi-anonymous identity via free email that allows people to reach you. Use this identity for your online dating correspondence. You can also set up a voicemail account and a post office box. There are times when you may feel compatibility at first, and then wish you had not given away your information. Providing personally identifying details should come fairly late in the game.

Calling

If you are at the point where vocal communication is necessary use a public phone, some online services provide PC-to-PC communication. If you want to use your cell phone or use your home phone number, call the person yourself and do not forget to block the Caller ID before making the phone call. Keep in mind that if you give your home phone number, you have practically given out your home address. If your contact has given you a toll -free number be wary. The number you call from is always listed on the itemized phone bill. It is always a good idea to call directory assistance or look up the number online to ensure that the number you were given matches with the name. There is nothing against been too careful. You can always do a Google search on the name.

Meeting

This can be considered the most important step of all to consider so put some extra planning into it. Choose a public place to meet, at a time when lots of people are going to be around. Do not under any circumstance go to their home or bring them to your place. Let a couple of people know where you are going and how to get in touch with you while you are meeting, possible set up a time to receive a call from one of your friends to checkup on you. Let your friends also know when your meeting or date will be over. It is not a bad idea to take a friend along for the first meeting, and suggest that the other person do the same. This is to provide comfort for both parties. In some cultures you do not leave your food or drink unattended, this will be a good place to practice that. If you need to excuse yourself from the table during the date, take your drink with you or order another drink when you return. If you start to feel sick, call a friend immediately and move to a security guard station or information desk. Do not take in alcoholic beverages. It is important that you be able to drive yourself home. If you travel for this first date, make sure as not to reveal where you are lodged. Why all this fuse? Well there are some people out there who are going to want to take advantage of you some might even want to hurt you. So just be careful. Follow your instinct. Ask a lot of questions of potential matches, and be aware and skeptical of anything they say that contradicts something they may have said previously or anything they stated in their online dating profile.

To sum it all up online dating has advantages where you kind of interviewing potential partners before you meet them, but anyone can pretend to be someone they are not, so be smart and read between the lines. Remember that online dating services cannot completely guarantee your safety in any kind of dating situation; they can do so to an extent by blocking some members from bothering you. That is as far as they can protect you. But you can greatly decrease your risk by remaining alert and using common sense and better judgment.