Help Getting A Date Article

It seems that you can find almost anything under the sun on the Internet including in some cases, a spouse. With the explosion of Internet dating sites on the scene, thousands of people are meeting other singles for friendship and more. In most cases, these online sites provide a wonderful and safe environment for single people to meet up.

The premise and process is relatively simple - you fill out a profile, upload an image of yourself, and wait for the responses. Depending on the site you are dealing with, there may or may not be a screening process involved. It would seem that in this realm of dating, what you get is what you pay for as many of the pay to use sites are a bit more stringent when it comes to screen applicants.

The last decision is ultimately yours though and it's up to you whether to take the friendship you've developed with someone online and take it to the next level; an in person meeting. There are arguably a lot of benefits as well as drawbacks when it comes to dating someone you've met online but there are a few things you can do to up your chances of finding someone who is genuine.

These include:

Ask for additional pictures.
Most dating sites allow their members the opportunity to upload an image so others can get a good idea of what they look like. However, even though it's morally wrong, many people choose to upload pictures of others in place of themselves. If you've met someone online you're sweet on, ask to see a few more pictures and offer up a few of your own. If they decline or come up with excuse after excuse, you should take that as a sign.

Ask to speak on the phone before meeting.
Although the person you have been spending time with online is probably the same gender that they claim to be, there is a slim chance they aren't. Before you meet anyone in person that you've first met on the Internet, set up a phone meeting.

Ask for some general personal information.
You certainly don't need to know their Social Security Number, but you should ask about relationship history, where they live, where they went to school and what they do for a living. Even this limited information gives you enough to check into. You need to be absolutely sure of who you are speaking with before you jump into a real time meeting.

Ask a friend to go with you to the first meeting.
They certainly don't need to sit in on the date, but meet in a busy area and have someone you trust nearby, just in case. This will allow you to not only feel more secure, but after the date, you can get their impressions on the person's demeanor and body language.

It's true that many people have discovered love online and that might be in your future as well. You need to play it safe though until you are sure of whom you are talking to.

A little extra time and research can save you heartache down the road.