Online dating has had its fair share of bad press. MSN posts articles occasionally that deal with the different horror stories dealing with online personals that have turned out to be a disaster. Why? It is because some people do not look at the fine print of dating personals to understand the difference between a stalker, a married individual looking for some extracurricular fun or someone who is genuinely interested in finding a potential partner?

Not all personal ads are alike. Many may seem to describe that perfect someone but you have to pay close attention to the ad. There are con artists out there and though the internet has brought us closer together, it has also increased the likelihood of running afoul by a less than scrupulous person.

If an ad seems too good to be true, chances are that it is. If the person's photo seems like a professional picture or they mention another website or make a reference to immediate love...delete the ad, block the person and avoid them like the plague.

Online dating sites often employ writers to revamp a person's personal ad for a fee. A great way to tell if a person's ad has been written by another person is by the first few email exchanges. If the person's ad had exceptional grammar and was descriptive yet their email messages are filled with errors, it is a big clue that the site helped write the personal ad for them.

If you still want to give online dating a shot, you absolutely must have safety precautions in place before you agree to give the person your phone number or meet them for a date. Cell phones can now be traced back to an individual's address, so giving out your cell phone number is not safe anymore. The key is to treat every ad with a bit of skepticism and a healthy dose of common sense.

Singles sites abound on the internet but not everyone is single. There are some websites such as Eharmony that screen for married individuals looking for an affair but it is not a foolproof method.

Some online dating websites are perfectly fine with married people looking for other people but it is a slippery slope. Personal ads should be required to ask if someone is married but ultimately you have to take the responsibility for yourself to look for signs that the person is already taken.

With a little caution and attention to detail, online dating can lead to many wonderful adventures in the dating world. People all over the world are finding their matches online and are having great success. It is not impossible to find the person of your dreams, you just have to keep your eyes wide open and avoid the potholes along the way to true love.