Establishing Online Dating Relationships: Safety First

Online dating can be fun. But do not neglect safety and common sense when you try to connect with a companion. At a minimum, take precautions in the following areas.

Protect your PC

Take care of your equipment and systems before heading to the Internet domain. You must have a firewall and antivirus protection for your email and for when you are looking for websites and interact online. At a minimum, you can combine these two options that are available free for PC users at home (and not for commercial use):

Free Firewall Download: ZoneAlarm www.zonelabs.com

Anti-virus Free Download: AVG Anti-Virus www.grisoft.com

Protect yourself

Take care of yourself, too, by choosing appropriate dating sites. Find and choose a reputable online dating service. How? Start by asking friends, neighbors, colleagues and others they know who have tried online dating sites and see what they recommend. In addition, the search "online dating services" and keep a notebook of URLs or links to web pages, tariffs, rules and regulations, full details of each and any other relevant information that peaks your interest. Then compare each place. Try only those places where you feel safe. Avoid the others.

So be careful. Arm your computer - and with the tools and knowledge!