Dating and Personals

Before we start...you need to recognize that the only way to stay truly safe in a dating situation is to not date, period! There are always risks in dating, especially when you date strangers (blind dates, first dates and cyber-dates). In addition, teens should not be cyberdating. There are special rules for teens online. These tips are just for those over 18 years old.

Cyberdating is a little different from the other first dates, though. When you first meet a cyberdate in person, offline, you feel as though you know them - the normal first date precautions are often tossed to the wind. You know their favorite actors, authors and foods. You know everything they have told you, but they may not have been telling you the truth. You do not really know them. So treat them as strangers, use all the normal precautions you use with strangers, even cute ones. You should not give any more information to a first cyberdate than you would to a stranger you meet on a plane, or in a club, or in a bar.

Women tend to lie about their weight or age, while men tend to lie about their income, level of baldness and athletic condition. Teenagers pretend to be older than they are. The one rule you can count on is that everyone lies a little. So, keep an open mind.

That photo they sent you may be five years old, heavily doctored up with a graphics program, from when they used to be thin or when they had hair, or of someone else altogether. The best thing about the Internet is also the most dangerous - a person's personality can show through, what you are inside gets a chance to shine without getting overpowered by what you are outside. But, the cues we use in life; body language, dress, personal hygiene, tone of voice...the way we judge the truth of statements...are lost in cyberspace.

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