Today, nearly a third of marriages in the US involve people who met online and started dating. It is an amazing phenomenon and truly a creature born of the internet. Do you remember the old days, I mean yours of a certain age, when meeting a member of the opposite sex entailed such shameful nonsense as hanging out in singles bars? Become a member of single clubs? Going to boring parties you didn’t really want to go to?
Now, with just a few clicks, you’ll be face-to-face with thousands of members of the opposite sex (virtually, at least). So has today’s dating scene turned into an online dating paradise? Not so fast. There are some serious pitfalls to be aware of before you enthusiastically plunge into the world of online dating.
Trap 1 – Catching the online dating obsession
Yes, it can happen, especially if you join one of the big online dating sites like Zoosk or Match.com. Instead of looking for Mr. or Miss Right, you may be falling victim to the dreaded online dating obsession, which is starting to take over your life. You will soon be able to use the dating site as a time-wasting social network similar to Facebook: chat with potential dates, receive and send emails just like on Facebook or MySpace, and endlessly browse for new ones. Pretty soon you’ll realize that you’re totally obsessed with the whole thing, because there are 43 attractive members of the opposite sex competing to flirt with you every single day!
Warning: Be selective about who you hang out with so you don’t fall victim to this serious mental disorder that can only be cured by canceling your dating site membership!
Pitfall 2 – Believe everything you are told
Ladies, this trap is for you. You know that guy you met online who says he’s a Harvard lawyer? – Well, it’s not. In fact, he’s probably not a lawyer at all. Or 31, maybe you are even 61. The fact is that men lie a lot on online dating sites. According to a survey, nearly a quarter of them are married and claim to be single. So be careful and always check before trusting. You can use an online background check website like Intelius to check almost anyone if you want (including searching a criminal record). All you need is your name and address or phone number. Of course, if you find out that he gave you a fake name, then you don’t need Intelius, do you?
Pitfall 3 – Getting Arrested – Yes, You!
Men, your turn. Did you know that many minors are now joining dating sites? You can even get yourself into unspeakable trouble if you engage in a dirty conversation with a minor online. He also knew that law enforcement agencies sometimes pose as participants. Of course, I am not suggesting that anyone reading this article is a pervert or any other type of shady person. However, male users should understand the concerns and methods of law enforcement and should be very conservative in their use of singles sites.
Warning: Don’t say anything online that you don’t want to hear in court!
Stage 4 – Strangers and other surprises
It’s sad to say, but you can’t really rate someone highly online. Men usually post photos that are of someone else (maybe they even rent a lifeguard photo from Dreamstime), or of themselves 20 years ago when they still had teeth, hair, and chins. Women do this too, to a lesser extent. But women often post pictures of themselves when they were thinner, things like that. The point is that you should be prepared for the date you set from online dating to be less attractive than you expected. Be decent, okay? We are all human.
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Warning: Everyone looks better in their dating site photo than they do in real life. So be nice, that is, don’t pretend to go to the bathroom and then walk out the back door.
Pitfall 5 – The stalker
Ladies, please don’t immediately give out your full name, address or even phone number to men when dating online. There are some seriously insane people out there, in case you didn’t know, many of them with very attractive personalities, by the way, and they’ll find out where you live and start taking pictures of you, following you, calling you at 11 p.m., sometimes still worse. Therefore, don’t give any identifying information until you know the person well, and if you decide to meet them, do so in a very public place.