How to Meet Someone from the Internet Safely
So, you are one of those new-age singles who has recently started feeling mushy about the friend you have been chatting to online for the last six months! And voila! You have also decided to meet up with that special somebody in the coming week and make a successful transformation from an online dating couple to cupid-struck love-birds!
But this is where you should let your imagination screech to a halt and do a reality check on the safety, security and the potential success of meeting a virtual dating partner offline, i.e. in a face-to-face, real date. Here are some points that you should follow with acute deliberation instead of taking a blind plunge.
- Check that Dream Bubble – You may think you have found the online version of the man/ woman of your dreams, but things may be as different in reality as chalk is to cheese. You may have read about stories and news clips of online dating individuals ending up in a horrendous situation when they finally met their partner for real.
- Try Establishing (Real) Contact – You may have been the most regular of online chat buddies and have been mailing and messaging (read SMSing too). Yet it is always preferable to call the person up on his/ her cellphone to acknowledge whether you two will hit it off as in the real-world conversational scenario. Too many lulls or awkward pauses may not be a good sign at all!
- The Place – Make sure you meet your partner during the day and at a busy place like a popular café or restaurant. Asking your virtual partner to pick you up or drop you off is a strict no-no, as is visiting them in a pub or in his/ her apartment. Male sure a couple of your friends or family know where you are heading off to, and try and tag them along at a safe distance if you are not of the strong or strong-willed type!
Keep your dreamy emotions in check and try being neutral about what to expect. It is always advisable to share your photos (albeit with an eye on privacy and security issues) and other characteristic details with your virtual partner before you decide on the D-Day.
With these tips, most of you will be able to sail smooth with your virtual partners, especially, for people who are involved in the mature dating scenario.
