Online dating has quickly become one of the most popular ways to meet new people, with millions of singles turning to apps and websites to look for love. In fact, around half of all single people now use online dating platforms – and many have gone on to build happy, long-term relationships from those first few messages.
It can be overwhelming, especially when you first start out – knowing what to put on your profile, wondering why you’re not getting more (or any) matches, dealing with the messages you receive and knowing when to take it to the next step and actually meet up with someone.
But online dating has allowed countless people to find someone special and fall in love – the happy ending really can and does happen. Finding a free dating site that offers you the best opportunities for meeting genuine people is an important part of the process. It’s worth choosing a trusted platform with a strong community focus, such as SALT, where profiles are designed to encourage genuine connections.
If you’re looking for something values-focused, especially within the Christian community, SALT is a great option – designed to help singles connect through shared faith and beliefs rather than just swipes.
Online dating can be great fun, but it’s important that you follow some simple rules so that you stay safe during your online dating endeavours and take precautions when meeting someone new.
If you’re sensible, then online dating can be as safe as any other way of meeting new people. However, as with any situation where you’re meeting someone for the first time, it’s a good idea to practice some common sense.
How to stay safe when online dating
Don’t share too much information about yourself
Don’t give too much personal information away about yourself straight away. This includes both on your personal profile, as well as in-person if you decide to meet up with someone. If someone asks you for a lot of personal information, then be wary – they don’t need to know every little detail about you immediately. Make sure you don’t share any details like your address, date of birth, or any financial information either.
If someone you’re chatting with asks a lot of questions about these types of things, tell them you’re not comfortable sharing those details, and if you think their motives may be dodgy, then report them to the dating site so they can investigate.
It’s also a good idea to look out for people using a fake photo in their profile. You can use a site like TinEye.com to check the authenticity of a photo, and you can also do a reverse image search on Google to see if their photo is used anywhere else.
Meet up as soon as possible
It’s never a good idea to keep a relationship strictly online, or over text or phone for too long. Secrets or fake identities can easily be kept hidden that way. If you can’t or don’t want to meet up with someone soon after you start chatting, then try to arrange a video chat so that you can see that they are really who they say they are. But even then, it’s best to meet in person as soon as possible once you decide you are ready to.
Arrange to meet somewhere public
It’s never a good idea to meet someone at their home for a first date, however great they seem – and nor should you invite them to yours. Get to know them in public first if you possibly can, and try and make it at a place that will be busy and not too late at night.
Tell at least one person where you are
If you’re planning to meet an online date for the first time, make sure you tell a friend or family member the person’s name and when and where you’re meeting them. If you have an iPhone, you should also turn on location sharing on your phone. It’s also a good idea to check in with a friend during the date or ask them to call you at a certain time to check on you.
Travel there and back by yourself
Drive there and back for your first date yourself, or get public transport. It’s not a good idea to let someone you’ve never met pick you up in their car – for a start, they’ll then know exactly where you live, but you also don’t want to be alone in a car with someone you don’t really know at all. Plus, it’s important that you can leave whenever you want, and not have to rely on someone else to get you home, in case you don’t want to stay long, and particularly if things turn sour.
Don’t be afraid to leave
That leads onto the next point – if you want to leave, you can. You don’t owe your date anything, and you don’t have to stay a certain amount of time if you are feeling uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to offend or make the person you’re with feel uncomfortable – it’s your prerogative.
Don’t drink too much
It is much harder to stay completely aware of your surroundings after a few drinks, and we are also more likely to make bad choices when we’re drunk. Try to stick to just a few drinks or less to keep as safe as possible. It’s also a good idea not to leave your drink alone with a new person or accept a drink that they’ve bought if you arrive after them.
If you do go home with your date, let a friend know
If you do decide to go home with someone, make sure you let a friend know and tell them where you’re going if you possibly can. Make sure your phone has plenty of charge, or carry a battery pack with you so you can always contact someone if needs be, and so that your friend can track you via your phone if it becomes necessary.
And if you change your mind at any point – THAT IS FINE! You don’t owe anyone anything.
It’s great that we’re now living in a time where there isn’t the same stigma attached to online dating anymore. It is very possible to meet someone wonderful and have a lasting and meaningful relationship with them – online dating is a brilliant way to try and meet someone; it’s just important that you do your best to keep yourself safe whilst you’re doing it.
This is a collaborative post.
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