Dating services have been around for decades, but it's only been in the past 6 or 7 years that they've really taken off online. Here are a few tips we've cobbled together that should help you safely navigate what is, for many, new online terrain.

Staying Anonymous for Awhile

Most online dating services use a double-blind system to allow members to exchange correspondence between each other. This allows members to communicate, but without knowing each other's email addresses or other identifying personal information. It's best to use the dating service's internal, secure messaging system until you feel as though you know the person to some degree. This ensures that when you do run into the inevitable creep online, you remain anonymous and safe.

Be Realistic

Prince (or Princess) Charming may very well indeed be waiting for you online, but you should also set your expectations just a little bit lower. Most of your dates will turn out to be duds. That's just the statistics! So it helps prepare yourself if you remember that going into the online dating process. Don't believe that everyone who shows interest in you is worth your time. And don't get disenchanted if your first date decides they don't Top Celebrity Coach
a second. It's easy to believe they are rejecting you personally, but it's for the best. After all, you're looking for a good, mutual match, not someone to swoon over. (But hey, if you find someone to swoon over, that's cool too!)

Being realistic also means setting realistic expectations about geography. The Internet allows us to search for and communicate with people from all over the world, regardless of their proximity to us. Unfortunately, that makes a real dating relationship difficult once you have to translate it into the real world. So if you're not willing to fly to Paris to meet Mr. Frenchie, then don't look for anybody outside of your local community. Keep in mind, that 50 mile drive for the first date might seem like no big deal, but imagine doing that multiple times a week if things got serious. It can (and has) been done, but know what you're getting yourself into beforehand.

Use Common Sense

It's funny I have to write those words, but they are just so important. We sometimes feel like we've made an "instant connection" online with someone we've only just met. Some of that feeling is a result of the disinhibition that's a part of being anonymous on the Internet today. So go slowly with new contacts and get to know the person via messaging and emails first. Then proceed to phone calls if you still feel safe, attracted, and curious. Finally, setup a first date when the time is right.

Don't agree to do something just because it sounds like fun or exciting if it's really not you. The point of online dating isn't to reinvent yourself or to try out everything new under the sun. It's to find someone you're most compatible with, which means being yourself. So while it may sound romantic to agree to fly off to the Bahamas on a moment's notice with someone you barely know, it isn't very good common sense to do so. Keep your wits and instincts about you.