“Is online dating safety really
that big a deal?”

Before we say anything, have you found a online dating website that you're interested in? Great! If you're really worried about being safe online, we suggest eHarmony.com They have the most protection possible for online daters. If you don't want to talk to someone any more, poof! They're gone and they have no way of finding you again.

Now let's talk about the reality of the world...

Is your safety important to you? The Internet can be a big scary place unless you take some simple steps to practice online dating safety.

When it comes right down to it, you are putting your life out there for the whole world to see. Some great guy is out there looking for you right now. Unfortunately, there are a few scumbags out there snooping around too.

But it’s not as scary as it sounds.

As long as you tell people about yourself in a way that protects your privacy. The very first step in achieving this goal is to get a new email account. Never use your personal or business email account for any online dating! Not only can you get your email account on spamming lists, Internet savvy people can "Googlestalk" you, finding out all about you.

This might not sound like a big deal, but at best (if you post online a lot), a guy can find out what you like and dislike and work that into the conversation. He’ll seem like the perfect guy because he knows all about the things you love. Actually he’s cheating. At worst, after a bad date, the guy could show up at your work (if you use your work email) and ask for a second chance.

Get a new email address

So your very first step one is to get a free email account. They’re pretty much all the same, so click on one of the links below and set up your account.

Our favorite free email site isBreakthru. They have blogs, chatrooms, and more. You can actually find a date on your free email site!

Get a Yahoo email address

Get a Hotmail email address

Get a Gmail email address

When setting up your free email account, do not use your first and last name. Think of a cute screen name and use that. If you absolutely must use your name, only use your first name. Another common mistake is that people often use their age or date of birth or highschool graduation date in their email addresses. Once again, don’t bother. Don’t give anyone any more sensitive personal info about you than the bare minimum.

Now you have your relatively anonymous method of communication. You are ready to conquer the world of Internet online dating!

Don't give out your information

Let’s move on to online dating safety tips for your profile and what you let the world know about you. The most important thing to keep in mind is to avoid giving away any information that allows people to “find” you. Instead of saying you work in a grocery store, say you work in “sales” or “retail.” Don’t tell them what neighborhood you live in. You shouldn’t even talk about your favorite places to hang out.

It would suck to have to stop going to your favorite bar or restaurant because some creepy dude knows you always go there.

Don’t give out your phone number to anyone until they have charmed you enough by email. Think of it this way: texting and calling costs you money. As much as you don’t want losers to have your phone number, you don’t want to pay the extra bill when they call you all the time.

Our biggest goal here is to be found when we are ready to be found and by the right guy. Are you ready for the in-person meet and greet? Read more about first dates.

If you go on a few online dates, pretty soon you'll have some pretty funny memories and maybe some cute boys in your life. Don't forget to check out our newest section featuring your stories about online dating. It features all the funny, interesting, and just plain bizarre things that happen to our readers. be one of the first to tell your story!

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