There is nothing magic about the Internet. It is just another way for men and women to meet. On the Internet, you have to be prepared for the added risk of meeting someone who will do harm to you. This does NOT mean that you should not take the risk. Of course you can—just keep your eyes as open as your heart.
Your safety is the most important thing. Anyone who cares about you will respect you for being careful. Safe online dating, like safe sex is just smart! It’s like defensive driving—even if you are the best driver in the whole wide world, there are all those other drivers out there to worry about.
Make sure you are using a reputable online dating service or chat room service. Most dating services will give you a free trial period. Make sure that you can use all of their service during that free trial. Some people, at the end of the free trial, give out their e-mail address to allow the other person to find them when the free trial is over—make sure it’s an e-mail account you have set up just for this purpose.
If someone makes you uncomfortable, report it to your dating service right away. Make a copy of the message, and keep copies of anything you found offensive so they can check it out. Many dating services have an e-overlocking feature to keep you from being harassed from someone. Try not to make your essays provocative. Online flirtation escalates quickly and it is almost impossible to step back to a less amorous level.
The lies your partner may tell are not the only danger to your emotions. Sometimes a person deludes himself or herself bringing negative consequences. While these Internet relationships are real enough the invisibility of the partner must be countered somehow and this results in generous doses of fantasizing for some people. There are those who easily lend themselves to daydreaming and lose their sense of reality. These people are prone to adorn their loved one with characteristics and appearance of a hero from a novel. It is difficult to escape from this dream back into reality unharmed. After the first kiss the prince turns into a frog and the story comes to an unexpected conclusion