In the earlier days when the internet was still new to many people, it was often advised that you do not meet anyone in person that you have only talked to online. These days, meeting someone you found on a dating website is much more common. However, it is still important to adhere to a few simple precautions to ensure your safety.
Know Who You Are Meeting
It is wise to put as little information about yourself online as possible. However, when you are meeting someone that you only know from a dating site, it is better to find out as much as possible about that person before the meeting. Therefore, you need to become aware of safe ways to share information online and focus on safe places for contacting people.
Being with the dating sites that vet users before allowing them to post a profile to meet other single people. While the extensive profiles that are submitted to these sites may be faked, it is a considerable amount of work to create a false profile that is thorough and convincing. In addition, some sites connect to Facebook profiles where you can find additional information.
Do not take a profile that you see on a dating site at face value, even on the most reputable sites. You can learn a great deal about a person simply by doing a search on the internet. Now, you are not looking to track down every single detail of their daily life. If you did that, you would be at a loss for conversation on the first date.
Another good idea before meeting someone from a dating site is talk over the telephone. Not everyone likes to converse in the manner, but one or two voice calls should give you a good idea of the type of person you will be meeting. A 45-year-old man claiming to be a 25-year-old woman will find it hard to keep up the charade in a telephone conversation.
Planned Encounter
Once you have done an adequate amount of research, you are ready to set up your plan to meet. Have a number of different well lit public areas in mind. Especially, since with a date you may want to leave the initial meeting location. Therefore, it is always good to have a few safe locations that you can go.
Prior to meeting someone from a dating site in St. Paul, change your smartphone settings to share your location with family or friends. There are also apps available that will help you maintain a virtual buddy system.
