The dating scene is like everything else – automated. In the age of digitized everything, people are now attempting to find their soulmate via the web. In the not so distant past, these sites were less “fine-tuned” compared to today, with most people mocking them as being only for “unattractive people.”
But these are evolving steadily to the point most singles of every demographic have a profile on at least one best dating site in U.S.A. The days of talking to a stranger in public and coyly asking for a phone number are over. Now, people find comfort and confidence in messaging potential dates online behind a mobile screen until there is a certain level of comfort, enabling them to venture to a phone call. Meeting in person, though, takes an extreme amount of courage and requires exceptional safety measures.
How To Date Online In America Safely
Now that virtually everyone opts to join popular dating sites in America as a way to “shop” for the ideal mate, it’s essential to employ adequate safety measures when the time comes to take the step to actually meet in person.
In reality, meeting someone from online is genuinely not that much different from seeing someone across a crowded room whom you don’t know and exchanging numbers.
The fact is, at least with the online person, you’ve at least messaged and hopefully spoken on the phone before you meet (and maybe performed a background check.) Seriously, in the modern world, there are definitely safety precautions that everyone, regardless of gender, should take in an effort to – stay alive. Some safety tips to follow include:
Vigilante Research Is Key:
You don’t want to become any kind of stalker because that would be a definite reason to cancel a date. But you should attempt to do some preliminary research on google just in an effort to get a brief understanding of whom you’re meeting before the event.
It’s wise to look for pictures to see if they match the profile and learn additional information to see how much coincides with what you’ve heard. You want to go beyond their social site platforms because people beef these up to look good. You want something more substantial. A background check is not necessarily a bad thing.
Choose To Get “Google Voice”:
No one can be certain how a date will turn out or exactly what kind of person you’ll have exposure to or of what that person might be capable. When communicating, it’s a good safety measure to use a “Google Voice” app, which is free so you can check messages, calls, and voicemails with no need to use your actual number.
You also have the capacity to block someone who isn’t favorable. You should only use your private number with people who are like family to you.
Phone Call:
Everyone sends a message for everything today. Phone calls are basically an obsolete concept. But you can misconstrue the written word, and personalities don’t come through in a text.
It’s ok for the first little while to communicate in this way while you’re gaining a sense of comfort and developing confidence, but then it’s essential to move on and take it to the telephone.
If you have any kind of sensory perception, you’ll be able to get a certain feel for the person’s character by hearing their voice and vice versa. Don’t drag the messages out. Make a phone call as soon as possible.
Use Video To Chat Prior To Date:
There is a wide range of “video chat” capabilities allowing you to get a sense of the other person before you actually meet up in real-time.
There is nothing comparable to talking with someone face-to-face to let you in on their true personality and behaviors. You can feel the energy instantly and, if it’s not there, you’ll know a meetup shouldn’t take place.
It saves a lot of time, effort, and an awkward situation. It’s much easier to let someone down on one of these platforms than having to do it in public.
And you don’t know how someone might react to rejection, so dating apps are also a much safer way to handle it.
Drive Or Employ Public Transport:
Don’t accept the invitation to be picked up or meet and ride together. You want to avoid giving out your address to someone you know nothing about, and it will put you in a potentially dangerous situation because this person will determine where you go.
Riding together or interacting in your home is something that shouldn’t take place for a long while, at least until there is a deep understanding of the other person.
You should always make sure that you meet the other person in a public place, and it might be a wise move to have a few friends scattered throughout the establishment while you’re there. You don’t want them with you on the date but in the vicinity.
Maybe go to a café or a restaurant where acquaintances won’t be out of place or noticed. In the case that you feel at all uncomfortable, help will be there to get you out of the situation. If it’s not possible to have someone there on your behalf, alert a waitress or a bartender if things are suspicious with some type of code. Most places recognize the signals and are quick to phone for the police.
You should also always make sure to let a friend or family member know the entire night’s details, exactly who the person is, and when you should be home. Let them know you will call as soon as you arrive home. Safety is first and foremost when you’re meeting up with a virtual
stranger.
