Bullet Proof Love

As you get older, you begin to understand the importance and beauty of companionship. It is nice to have someone who truly appreciates the person you are. Unfortunately as nice as it is, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the perfect partner. In this day and age, online dating is the norm and allows you to specifically choose what you are looking for. No more going on blind dates with a man old enough to be your son. No more going on dates with women who seem normal than after the third date, you’re dealing with Ms Psycho. No more match making dates made by friends after they’ve found the most ‘perfect person that you’ll absolutely love’ and who you actually absolutely are disgusted by. Dating online helps prevent all those embarrassing dates and saves you time. You no longer have to venture into the dating world with an open heart and return home bruised after realizing your date was definitely not your type. Now, you can bullet proof your heart by following these simple tips when dating online: We want you to have an enjoyable and safe online and offline dating experience. Common sense and sound judgment are best safety tools.

1. Remember that user profiles may not be accurate. Pay particular attention to the Outer Me and marital status information. According to Sharyn Worlf, author of Guerrilla Dating Tactics, Strategies, Tips and Secrets for Finding Romance (Plume/Penguin) "Look at your own past experiences in meeting people. Have you generally had good judgment about people? If so, then you can rely on it here too. If not, proceed with caution, and perhaps turn to a friend to help you evaluate someone you've met on-line."

2. Do not give out your personal email address. Learn about the person first. Ask about where they grew up and learn about the person connection to people and the community.

3. When you make it to the phone call stage, you pay for the call if needed and do not give out your telephone number. If you call from home, turn off any caller ID features. Get a good feeling about the person before meeting face to face.

4. Do not bend to any pressure to meet. If you feel pressured, this is a person to avoid. If any alarms go off, simply end future communication. Use the Block User feature.

5. Don’t be fooled by a sophisticated user profile that may give you a false sense of security. "A person who writes a great e-mail is not necessarily a great person," points out Laura Banks, author of Love On-line (Career Press). Keep some distance and your hopes realistic since the minute you meet, the encounter may feel wrong.

6. When you meet in person, tell a friend all the details and call him or her when you return, don't give out any address information, meet in a busy area during the daytime, and use your own transportation. There will be lots of time for romantic evening walks later on! Speaking of later on, when you go on subsequent dates never leave your purse, wallet, or drink unattended and bring your cell phone.