What do I have to watch out for with online dating?

Online is the most dangerous of all as you can not see their face or hear their voice which might tip you off to the fact that someone is bad or bad for you. IT is too easy to lie and hide who and what you are online. Online dating is also just as painful as going out in real life and dating but with the difference in that if you meet up you have no way of knowing your really being played by someone who wants to cause harm or is not a good candidate for relationships in general.

 

There's quite a few things to watch out for. If you do happen to meet someone who you connect with don't give too much information out until you really get to know them. Personal information as simple as your cell phone number can be looked up to find out where you live or are located. People can lie very easily on the Internet so you may not be given the truth about who you are talking to. If for any reason you send pictures to whoever you meet have them write something on a piece of paper and take a picture with it to prove that they are who they say they are. If it ever gets to the point you decide to meet up do it in a public place where people are around at all times that's usually the safest. either way whether you decide to go through with online dating or not just make sure to keep yourself guarded and safe. I would even suggest watching a tv show on mtv called catfish. It's a great show that shows the different outcomes of online dating from real teens and young adults that do it...some turn out to be the person they said they were some people don't and in general it's entertaining and shows you that a lot of people do hide some things about themselves.

 

You have to be extremely cautious with online dating as you cannot see/hear the person you're commutating with. They can easily pretend to be someome theyre not....However, with that said just be careful, if they sound "fishy" then trust your gut instinct and move on.

If you actually find someone interesting, meet in a public place for a first date/outing. That'd be your best bet to stay safe.

 

While online dating is dangerous its still helpful. There are people who get lucky and find someone they fall in love with and people who find a crazy person. My advice would to play it safe.

 

Get to know the person online before you step into real life, video calls are good with this, although never fully trust what you see and hear, you never know, and when I say get to know them, I do not mean know their names, some of their hobbies, and all that, I mean talk for at the very minimum a couple days.

Background checks are also good, facebook pages, twitter pages, hell even tumblr pages and youtubes if they have them, the further back in time it goes, the more likely they exist, checking comments and other stuff on their pages also is a good idea.

Most of all you have to make good judgements, it's completely up to you how to do it, that's just some pointers of my own.

According to an article I once read however, relationships started on the internet are typically more successful than those started in the real world.

 

We pretty much all agree on one thing, make good judgement!

 

Very interesting! Do you, by any chance, remember where you read this or what reason(s) they gave for this being so?

 

Here's one-even though the internet allows you to enter a long distance relationship, I do not recommend it. Stick to a certain radius around your home-such as your metro area or something like that. Though it may be hard to discount a compatible person based solely on the fact that they live 2000 miles away, the truth is, you have to. You can't do the "getting to know" the person phase correctly from that far away. It also allows for a LOT of misrepresentation and fraud. Mobrien1993 mentioned "Catfish" on MTV. If you watch that you'll notice most of the people on there are in long distance relationships initiated on the internet.
Another thing I've noticed is something people don't mention a lot- and that's how people come across in type or text vs how they actually are. People may sound smarter or nicer than they actually are online. And unfortunately, the opposite is true too, depending on a person's writing ability. Keep that in mind and avoid creating a "fantasy" of what someone is like before you both actually meet.

 

Hmm. I think you're saying, Moonflower, that internet relationships are less successful than ones started in real life (which I would prefer and tend to agree). But TheAshMan says he's read the opposite. I'm just curious.

 

Basically what everyone else have said. Watch out for catfishes; when you have any doubts if the person you're talking to is the actual person they say they are, if they refuse or make excuses to facetime or skype etc, that should signal a red flag in your brain, lol. Or you can do a reverse track image search on their picture to see if they are who they say they are. I mean, I think it's kind of common sense to generally watch out for suspicious people on the internet where ever & whenever you go online.

If/when you start online dating/relationship, REALLY, really know the person inside & out. One advantage of online relationships is that you get to know someone a lot faster than you do in person. In person, there's like some sort of awkwardness when you first start dating. Unless you meet your match made in heaven, lol but I think that's really rare.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In my opinion, I would befriend them online first & if you two are still friends/talking for more than a year, that's a good sign that you two might be compatible. Keep in mind though, sometimes people are not the same as how they act online. You should notice that right away when you first start talking or web camming. lol. It also takes time for people to be comfortable with you whether it's a long distance relationship or not. It just depends on the person & how well the two of you communicate.

But there are difficulties with an online relationship, especially with someone that's thousands of miles away. They could become really busy with other priorities ie; school, work, life. & you can't handle not talking to them, that would be a major problem. If you are the type of person who needs a lot of physical contact/affection in their life, an online relationship may not be for you. A lot of times, long distance relationships usually don't work out because of that. Don't be discourage though.

I have known a lot of long distance relationships success stories. I've read that this woman was long distance with her husband for about 6 years until she was able to move to the US. She was from Canada. I watch a youtuber who recently got married to her husband that she met online. Of course, they have been together for a long time (since 2009) & have spent time together in person as well. She lives in California and her husband from Scotland. I actually have a close relative who has met her husband online & has one kid together; she's lived with him in Australia for several years now.

Imo, I think it's absurd to think that out of, what... 7.5 Billion people in the world your soulmate (if you believe in that) is in your vicinity. If they are for other people, they're the lucky ones. lol.

When you do get in an online relationship with a person who you can see spending your life with, make you sure the both of you are on the same page. By that I mean, they also want the same things you do & vice versa. For a long distance relationship to work, it's really up to you & the other person. A lot of effort, trust, & patience, is put in an online relationship.

With all of that being said, I wish you luck.

 

Okay so, I have a few rules for online dating. First being skype/oovoo/facetime and at the bare minimum, a photo of themselves with a piece of paper saying the date, your username, and their username.

Another rule is don't try to surprise visit anyone in another country, its weird and unsafe.

Don't trade private information like phone numbers, addresses, country you live in, your mother's maiden name.

If something seems off, trust your gut. Usually means something is up, talk to them about it. Which leads to my next point.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY. When yall start getting serious, define the boundaries, you don't know whether they see your relationship as exclusive.

Make a day of the week when yall skype/talk on the phone/whatever you wanna do. This will make a great routine and keep you motivated during the week plus its good for communication. Sometimes yall don't even have to talk, there are sites you can use to stream movies at the same time so you can skype and watch movies. Makes great for dates.

If it comes to the point where you're going to visit them, NEVER GO ALONE, take a friend, a sibling, a parent. Let people know where you're going. They might look innocent on skype but its better to be safe than sorry.

If your online partner starts making up weird excuses for why they can't talk, don't panic too much, sometimes people just need space. If the excuses get really weird or they happen way too frequently, talk about it.

Long Distance Relationships have a higher rate of cheating so communication is key. Talk to them about what's up. You are 50% of the relationship. No more, no less. Don't let them treat you like crap. If you're unhappy, talk about it, if it can't be fixed no matter what you try, leave.

With all that being said. Good luck on your journey.

 

There's nothing to worry about actually. I use dating sites, and the people you have to watch for are generally a warning alert a mile off and best ignored. They generally ask directly for your phone number, or email, facebook or if they're daring, your house address and seem somewhat desperate to meet you. You also need to be careful of the clingy blokes, they can tend to be problematic and try to guilt you constantly.

You should also know that nearly every person who contacts you will want to have sex with you (unless you look like Frankenstein) - so if you have romantic notions, that's generally the last thing on the mind of the other people on dating sites, especially with people your age, with hormones raging - chances are most of them would have come out very recently, so they will want to try new things. Older men (I've received even marriage proposals from a few...) are generally more open to some romanticism, but with a large age gap it is not likely to end up anywhere.

Generally profile pictures are recommended. I don't have one since I live in a country where everyone practically knows each other and while I am openly gay, I generally don't like the idea that other people know I am actively seeking men, or how large (or not) my tool is. That would be even more awkward in those sites which asks you for for your favourite sexual activities or fetishes. Instead what I do is send a picture by private message (not possible in all sites) which also works well enough.

When you meet someone you like, make sure it is in public and preferably in broad daylight. However there normally aren't any surprises, though they aren't unheard of. Make sure a condom is used if anal penetration is resorted to.

My friends also persuaded me not to join, as they said it ''wasn't safe'' - which was ironic, as the people over here are generally at my waist-level. Looking back I'm glad I joined, I even met a guy I liked and we're meeting ( :icon_wink ) soon after I finish some exams. The bad part is that I also have three married men lusting after me, and a love-sick eighteen-year old who wants 'to grow old with me'' ... which does sound a bit creepy. I don't want to be old >.>

Jumbled, but I hope this helps
Now gimmi yo numba' :rolleyes: :badgrin:

 

FINALLY! My resemblance to Frankenstein pays off!

 

Although some people do tell the truth about who they are, they might leave out some important facts! I found out after talking to a guy for months (and sleeping with him when he came over here on holiday) that he actually has a boyfriend who he'd been with for 3 years. Shocker!