Online dating is an exciting frontier, filled with possibilities around every corner – but before you begin returning those enticing emails, there are 10 rules you should abide by.

Your love life may be stalled for a number of reasons. A recently ended relationship might leave you stranded with a condensed social circle and feelings of loneliness. You might have experienced a recent change, like a divorce, graduating from college, or moving to a new city. No matter what the circumstance, it is hard to meet new people. Enter the world of online dating – full of variety, spice, and excitement. If you’re new to the online dating scene, there are several things that everyone should know.

1. Plan ahead

Are you looking to just spend some time entertaining yourself in chat rooms? Looking for someone to hang out with on the weekends? Seeking a one night stand? Trying to find Mr. or Ms. Right? Determine your goals for online dating and stick to them – otherwise you might hurt the feelings of others or find yourself scraping up the pieces of another failed relationship.

2. Ask your friends

Online dating and chat rooms are standard tools for people of all walks of life looking for love or a little fun. Ask your friends what sites have worked for them in the past. Trust the opinions of those you already know rather than choosing a service at random.

3. Start slow

You may need to spend some time in chat rooms, email correspondence, or even via the telephone before you feel comfortable enough to meet someone. Take your time – there is no rush! Enjoy the process and embrace the excitement.

4. Tell the truth!

If you really want to experience success with online dating, you must be honest. While you cannot control the actions of others, maintaining accountability to yourself will thwart the temptation to attach someone else’s picture to your profile or lie about your past.

5. Organize and prioritize

Online dating can be overwhelming. It’s a lot easier to browse profiles of individuals that you know are looking for a relationship than to strike up a conversation with someone at the bar. Choose a few of the most interesting profiles, take notes, and limit yourself to corresponding with them at first. You can always look again if they don’t work out, and this will avoid too much activity and confusing emotions.

6. Don’t believe everything you see or read

If he or she sounds too good to be true, it’s very possible that you’re looking at a bad egg. Take your time getting to know someone. Check their story. If you have arrived to the point where personal information has been revealed, there are ways you can verify details. If a person claims they work at the local community college, you can check the phone directory for their name. Public record is a valuable resource!

7. Chat room etiquette

That old adage “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” still applies to online dating. Chat rooms often give people a sense of invincibility. When the fingers start flying, things tend to move fast and have the potential to get steamy. Stop. Think. If you wouldn’t say it to a complete stranger face-to-face, don’t say it at all.

8. Paying for an online dating service might not be so bad

Websites that charge for entering chat rooms or making an online dating profile may turn you off at first glance. You might feel embarrassed or afraid to shell out hard earned money to a dating website; however, you can rest assured that if someone is willing to make the investment it costs to participate in online dating circles, it’s possible that they are very serious and willing to go the extra mile for you!

9. Be available

Don’t have access to the internet everyday? This might cause problems in the online dating world. Those who try this method of socialization like to think they’ll receive quick responses. Be available, consider setting aside a specific time to spend in the chat room, and respond to emails in a timely fashion. Otherwise, you might find your potentials losing interest.

10. Safety first, second, and third

When you’ve gathered your confidence and found somebody you want to meet face-to-face, remember that you don’t know what to expect. Meet in a public place. Drive your own car so that you can maintain control of your environment, and leave if you feel uncomfortable. Even if the first date leads to a second, or third, keep in mind that you’ve only just met, and there is no need to rush.

We are living in a very hectic society, and therefore we find it hard to set apart some of our time for ourselves. Perhaps the need and competent society has urged us, if not induced into our lives the inadequate 24 hours a day and seven days a week mind set.

In response to our needs when it comes to socialization, here comes the societies answer, online dating. Who would ever deny that even in their strict schedule, we would, at the same time, dream of meeting the person that would accompany us when we grow old? To give this dream an avenue despite the inadequacy of time, online dating grew to answer the ongoing necessity.

Internet has been rampant and is still getting into each part of our society. The doors that internet has opened is so wide that some of the brilliant minds have developed a way to use this available resource to meet the social needs of each individual who are not capable to interact.

Conceding that not every individual could ask someone into a date and that not all of us could spend that much time to date in search for that Mr. or Mrs. Right, however, could online dating be the answer to these circumstances?

Perhaps, this kind of dating has its purpose, however, how some psychologists see it is not that beneficial as it sounds like. Because dating is done only in the comfort of your own home, without necessarily facing that person, there is a tangible possibility that this would only decrease the person’s capability to interact. The main reason of those individuals who indulge into such type of dating is that they are not yet capable to do it or they do not have enough guts to go out on a date. This reason is undeniably true, however, if online dating would be the avenue to meet such incapability, there is a wide possibility that this incapability would only worsen. Dependence on the fact that an avenue such as online dating is available to fill-in the incapability would only lead to the further degradation because, instead of harnessing the skill, it is only accepted and left unsettled.

The purpose of dating is undeniably pleasant; however, it would still depend on the one who would avail such avenue. We are not saying here that online dating is bad, what we want to emphasize that actual dating as compared to online dating would still be effective if distance is removed from the picture.

An increasingly popular resource to use is online dating. They are extremely popular amongst every age group, and they can be an excellent way to meet new people.

Each year, thousands of individuals meet their true love while others make new connections and meet true friends. Online dating is commonly a safe resource to use, but you should always be cautious and follow some simple tips.

First off, regardless of whom the person may claim to be you should always trust your instincts. If something feels weird or a little bit different, you should probably stop communicating with that person, or at the very least be extra careful.

A huge benefit online dating has over traditional dating is the fact that you have the opportunity to slowly build communication with that person through chat or email before you even have to meet them. This gives you the chance to cease all communication without worrying about any consequences.

Before you disclose any personal information such as your name or address, you should have quite a bit of trust in that person. Never give this information away without talking to the person and getting to know them for awhile.

Talking via telephone is an excellent way to build a relationship, but you should start out with a cell phone or some type of call number blocking service. You don’t want to give the person too many details on how they can locate you.

Physical attraction, regardless of what most people say, is usually a significant factor to take in when chatting with other people. It is common for people to either outright lie or exaggerate certain physical elements. To avoid from being surprised when you first meet someone, you should always check them out on a social networking site or ask if they wanted to have a camera chat at some point.

As a safety precaution, always meet the person in a public place. You should also make sure you have your own transportation as well. If you’re going out, let a friend or family member know when you will be back too.