• Start Slow – Take things slowly, but surely to start building trust. Take one step at a time. Begin by corresponding through email, exchange recent pictures and chat via instant messaging. Follow your intuition and stop if you feel uncomfortable.
• Stay Anonymous at First – As you build trust and things become comfortable, you can disclose more about yourself. Make sure not to reveal sensitive personal information such as your full name and contact details at the early stages.
• Protect Your Email – Since a good number of successful online hookup s start with email correspondence, make sure that your email information stays private. Your email can reveal more about you than just your email address. For example, you may have a digital signature or your full name automatically displayed in messages. Make sure these are not disclosed. If you're not sure what sending an email will reveal about your personal details, send a test message to yourself.
One important thing to remember about corresponding through email is set up an email account especially for your online dating activities, and don't use your real name in your email address.
• Ask for a Photo – For some people, looks are important, and for others, personality. Either way, it’s deemed prudent to ask for a photo of your potential date. This is a good way to check if the people you are going to hook up with are honest and describe themselves fairly well. If somebody has been putting off sending their photo, this is not a good sign. Of course, there's nothing like actually meeting a person face-to-face, so you may not really be sure until then. Don't forget to ask for more than one photo, and remember to ask when the photo was taken.
• Use the Telephone – Only share your contact number when you feel comfortable giving it out. You probably have already exchanged emails and chatted via instant messenger. Chatting on the phone will give you both a chance to get to know each other better, and it is also a good way to assess your potential date's social skills.
Use a mobile phone or a pay phone instead to your home phone number. If you have no other choice, it would be wise to suppress the caller ID feature on that line.
• Meeting Location – Agree to meet in public where there are lots of people. Make sure you know your route home so you don't miss the last train or bus, and keep a number to call for a cab in case you're late or there's been a change of plans.
• Tell Someone of Your Date – Always let somebody know the details of your date. If travelling, leave your hotel address and contact number with them. After your date, call them if possible.
• Travelling Long Distance – If you are traveling some way to meet someone for the first time, don't agree to stay at their place. Instead, arrange to stay at a hotel and if your budget allows it, rent a car. This way, if your date isn't successful, you have a place of your own to go. Avoid meeting at the airport or disclosing the hotel you are staying in.
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