6 Safety Tips for Dating Online

Do you know someone who met their significant other online? Online dating has become commonplace in the technology age. No one is shocked anymore, if you say you met your partner online. It has become as popular as chocolate for Valentine's Day. However, there needs to be more care in choosing a date than chocolate. Here are six steps to help you stay safe when you meet someone online.

Use a separate email address.

Open a free email account just for online dating. Never use your personal email address that your friends and family have. When you fill out the name field, do not use your last name in the From field. You can even put something fun in the name field that describes your interests, such as "Facebook Junkie." If you use your full name, the person can find information about you online, including your name and address.

Keep your personal information to yourself.

Until you are comfortable with someone, and ready to meet in person, keep your

personal information private. Online stalking has become easier than ever, and

you do not want to become a victim of an online stalker.

Ask for a recent photo before meeting in person.

Are you ready to meet in person? You need to know what the person looks like if you are going to meet them, so that only makes sense. However, people use old photos of themselves, or someone else's picture online all of the time. Sitting on your end of the computer, you will not know that until you meet in person. If they look drastically different from the picture, they sent you, part ways quickly. If they cannot be honest with you about their appearance, they are going to lie to you about other matters.

When you post a picture online, do not use one taken from your cell phone.

Did you know that cell phones have codes in their pictures and can be tracked within 10 feet of the place it was taken? Anyone with access to that picture can track you down within minutes. They can also use the codes to obtain your real name, number, and address from that digital code. Scary, isn't it?

When you meet in person, take a friend and arrange a public date.

You may feel like you know someone, and do not need anyone to go with you,

but take a friend or family member anyway. Even if the person turns out to be

the most wonderful jewel you were expecting, you're still better off taking

someone with you. In fact, if the person is truly that fantastic, they will encourage

it for your safety. You ca n plan a one-on-one date later if you want to see each

other again.

If your intuition is screaming not to trust someone, listen to your instincts.

It is easy to lie online or post fake profiles. Therefore, if you get a feeling that something is not right, or sense that someone is lying about something, follow your gut. It is usually correct on these matters.

Meeting online can be fun. The person on the other end of the computer just may be the perfect match for you. After all, successful couples meet online daily. Just make sure you use these easy steps to stay safe in the process.