Use Your Common Sense When Dating

Imagine you've met someone new in a bar when you're on a night out. You would probably exercise some caution when talking to them, for example you wouldn't tell them everything about yourself like where you lived and worked. You wouldn't go home with them if they asked you - certainly not without telling your friends what you were doing. Online dating is the same as a night out in some ways - to have a safe and enjoyable time you need to exercise some common sense.

It's very easy to remain anonymous on the internet, and this may be great if you don't want anyone to find out about your online dating, but it means that everyone you talk to online could be other than who they say they are.

Common sense says that you shouldn't readily believe everything you're told, especially if the details don't add up. Getting to know someone well before agreeing to meet them in real life is absolutely normal and this is definitely something you should do if you're dating online.

One top tip is to speak on the phone a few times before meeting up. Genuine people will be happy to do this, but if the person you're contacting doesn't want to talk in this way then it might indicate that something is wrong. Why wouldn't they want to have a phone call?

When you do decide to arrange a date, be sure to tell your friends where you're going and when you expect to be home. That way if anything happens someone will know where you are. It's just common sense, but it can keep you safe.