Nowadays, there are a lot of possibilities for meeting people in virtual reality. Singles all around the globe can use the Internet to find friends or life partners; however, not always online friends live up to our expectations in reality. Let’s consider the list of pros and cons of online dating, as an American expert in the sphere of cyber-dating Julie Spira sees it.
Advantages of online dating
- more than 40 million US singles have tried to find a partner in cyberspace;
- One out of five romantic relationships starts from an online meeting. There is a vast amount of successful Internet love stories.
- The Internet significantly broadens your circle of potential friends; no geographical or social frames restrict your search for a soulmate. The more people you meet, the sooner you learn to understand what you expect from a future partner and potential relationships.
- cyber-space is open 24/7;
- all reputable communication platforms have compatibility criteria that help you to find people according to your requirements.
Drawbacks of online dating
- looking for a partner in a huge virtual crowd may be a rather tiring thing;
- Being online, people may often tell lies about their age, income, marital status, weight, height, etc. Having faced such liars for several times, a person gets frustrated.
- Virtual meetings may become the only goal for some people who never engage in real-life meetings or choose one person: it always seems to them that there is someone better and more beautiful. Never rely on a person with a “virtual pen-friend” syndrome.
- for many people, the alike search becomes a true job; one should be able to organize themselves.
- Sometimes, clients of such sites mention such parameters as height, income, the territory they live on, etc. This way they risk losing a person who corresponds with their deeper expectations.
Julie Spira concludes that the best option is to combine getting acquainted online and in reality.
Cyberspace as a challenging environment
Allan N. Schwartz, a psychotherapist from Colorado, has a somewhat different opinion on cyber-space communication. He stresses the flaws of online dating which is natural as he deals mainly with complaints of people who’ve tried to get acquainted online. One is hurt when an interlocutor abruptly stops communication without any explanations; some people cannot understand why a potential partner is avoiding meeting in reality for a long time; others consider themselves losers as they’ve failed to find a partner in a traditional way and have to use the Internet for this purpose.
Nevertheless, he stresses that meeting people online becomes a precious resource for many people, and we shouldn’t treat badly people looking for their partner in the Internet. In this respect, you have to consider some points. For example, you don’t have to pay much attention to the way a person describes themselves. Indeed, humans are complex creatures so that one needs a lot of time to get to know their potential match better. Thus, take as much time as you need to start trusting a person and planning a personal meeting.
So, how do I get acquainted online safely?
Stay cool-headed
Despite the fact that there are many potential friends online, in the first place, never let your emotions overcome your logical sense. Do not make hasty conclusions deciding whether the person is compatible with you, take your time to find more about their cultural background, life values, and beliefs. To understand each other better, you may ask for additional photos or videos that will give you a deeper insight into your interlocutor’s life.
Too different?
Consider the point that your partner’s differences in world outlook may be crucial to you, though invisible with the naked eye. That is why it is always better to analyze your mutual expectations after some period of communication, which will spare you potential misunderstanding in the future. If you have any doubts or concerns about your compatibility, it is preferable to inform your partner as soon as possible.
“No” to requests for money
Beware people asking for money or any other financial assistance, who ask improper questions trying to push you out from the comfort zone and accelerate your comfortable pace of developing the relationship. It is forbidden to send money to any member of our platform, even upon their request. Likewise, for your own protection, do not carelessly provide your bank account or credit/debit card details.
Personal details safety
Also, make sure that your personal information is safe. For you to be absolutely sure about your own safety and privacy, we strongly recommend you not to share any contact information in your public profile, e.g., telephone numbers, email addresses, full names, or accounts in social media. Make sure your passwords and login names are strictly confidential. Remember that a combination of small and capital letters, numbers, and signs makes your data hard to guess.
Never enter your personal/financial data into pop-up windows.
Even if you are not redirected to another site, remember that sometimes, pop-up windows are displayed over trustworthy windows. Since it is impossible to check the security certificate online, we strongly recommend you not to enter sensitive information. The best decision would be just to close these windows as the “Cancel” button may not work as it is supposed to.
Likewise, always double-check the e-mails claimed to be sent from our site. For this sake, check the spelling of domain names, as well as the e-mail address and the sender’s name. Typically, any poorly written messages creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity are fake and should be treated with exceptional caution. Once you have any doubts about suspicious e-mails, please do not hesitate to inform our Support Team. Meanwhile, do not follow any links in such e-mails or provide your personal information
Honesty is the best policy
Try to stick to honesty rules. Do not mislead other members by providing wrong information like not your profile picture or irrelevant description of yourself. It is sincerity that helps you to attract and stay in a meaningful relationship with the person you like.
Do you know him/her well?
Once you decide to meet the partner you like in person, you should make sure you know them well enough. While planning a meeting, please confirm such details as accommodation and travel schedule with your potential match. Inform at least one family member or friend about your plans and keep them in course of your affairs. Be cautious and alert once you feel things go wrong.
Make a detailed plan of your journey and prepare the budget, confirm the place and time of meeting with the other party, previously discuss your views on paying for meals, transportation, and accommodation.
Always ask for any invoices or receipts if you need any additional services from third parties.
Last but not least, beware of phishing attacks
The goal of a phishing attack is to steal your personal information or data such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other account details. Using similar to our content or names, online fraudsters may try to deceive you. To avoid this, pay attention to the following points:
Do not open any links/attachments/images if you do not know the member well enough. Otherwise, you risk downloading a virus or spyware together with a file that may not look suspicious at first.
Always keep in mind that beneficial or hot offers, however appealing they may seem, are one of the beloved fraudsters’ methods to mislead you. That is why you would better ask our Support Team if such options are available at the time.
To sum up, meeting people online may be an unforgettable and safe experience once you pay attention to our tips. Remember that it is exclusively your responsibility to let some people into your life or not, thus act reasonably. Communicate as much as needed, listen to your interlocutor and analyze their words and actions, and everything would be just perfect!
