Online dating is extremely popular for many reasons, but like with so many things in this life there are rules to the game, pros and cons and rights and wrongs. In order for an online dating experience to be a positive venture, offering 100% of it's value, online daters need to be aware of the rules of the game.

Pros

Online dating has quite a few benefits one of them being it enables a person to easily weed out prospects, they would not at all be interested in. Meaning a person doesn't waste time going on a date with someone totally off the mark.

Online dating offers the ability to screen for a real life date, with the hopes of meeting the right person in which to have a relationship with.

Men have one of the biggest perks with online dating which is that they save money they would otherwise have spent on a date they didn't have a nice time with, or had a horrible time with.

Cons

With the popularity of online dating comes the popularity of scams. Yes, as success and interest grows so do the scammers. In order to protect yourself from being scammed you must keep yourself up to date with scams floating around and educate yourself on how to best avoid a scam.

1. Beware of anyone wanting to meet immediately. A few weeks of chats and phone calls is the norm of legitimate online daters.
2. When you do meet up with someone do not leave your personal belongings alone with them. If they are a scammer they will be looking to steal credit cards, cash, jewelry, etc
3. Beware of link senders and never open a link that has been sent to you unless you thoroughly trust the source. The same goes for downloading via a link, unless you thoroughly trust the source of the link. These links could be spy ware programs and are capable of stealing personal information such as credit card details and passwords.
   
4. Investigate the background and reputation of the online dating service you choose before signing up with them. Often times, they themselves are the scammers who are looking to get their hands on credit card numbers. Be especially aware of newly started dating services, as they can disappear at anytime with your details. Regardless of your choice, always read the terms and conditions and make sure that when you sign up you are not giving them permission to sell your email address or use your personal information in any way. Avoid Online Dating Scams
5. Beware of online daters asking to cash checks for them. These online daters will gain your trust and then ask you to cash a check for them, using the excuse they are in a country where they can not cash the check. These checks are not legal, often purchased for a small sum (washed checks). Although these people are eventually caught, you will be the one responsible for paying back the amount of the illegal check.

Online daters are very aware of these issues and understand that it takes time to build trust, in order to be protective of oneself and protect their personal information. Anyone that seems too pushy about the trust issue or has a problem with it, might be someone you need to be careful of.

Awareness

Like anything to do with social networking, there is need for awareness due to safety. It is unfortunate but true that danger can lurk for online daters deciding to meet face to face, after all there is no way to know if the person you have been talking to online is being honest about themselves. Someone who is interested in meeting someone special will more than likely be honest but someone who has other ulterior motives will say anything if they decide you are the person they want to meet

Should you decide to meet up with someone you have met online dating, here are some areas you need to be aware of and precautions you need to take

Always meet in a public place.
Arrange your date place to be in a public place until you are sure the person is safe. It is suggested that you keep this arrangement for a few dates if they progress, in order to asses the person further. Someone who has bad intentions, may be willing to make another date with you with the hopes you will drop your guard and agree for the next date to be a private one.

Meet Them at the Date Destination.
Similar to the above reason, you don't want to be getting in the car with them, where you don't have any control and he has all the control. Agree to meet your date at the destination you have agreed upon, so that you have your own transport and control over leaving if you choose to.

Group Date
Group dating is often preferred amongst women who are especially concerned about online predators. Even if they have already met once in a public place, the next time, if they are still a bit sluggish about meeting alone, they will suggest a group date where each person brings a couple of friends.

Type of Date
Choose a place to go where you are able to talk and get to know your date. Obviously you want to see if the person is what you are looking for but you also want to see if you can gage whether they are a safe person to meet again if there is a second opportunity in the picture.

Rights and Wrongs

You are more likely to get the most out of your online dating adventure if you play by the rules and show respect for your fellow online daters.

1. It's fine to comment on a persons looks, but it's also nice and polite to find something else to comment on. Reading their profile or noticing something of interest on their page is a good way to start to converse with someone and appear interested for reasons other than looks.
2. Use the persons "Perfect Date" section to gage whether you would be of interest to them. Do you have the same interests? Are you in their preferred age group? Do you possess bad habits that the person shows dislike for?
3. Do not send an email to a person without having first read their profile and "Perfect Date" section. When you do send mail be sure to ask specific questions in order to get specific answers. Your questions will also help the other person to gage you a little bit.
   
4. If the other person shows interest great but if they don't then move on. Often times a person purposely will not respond to your email. If this is the case don't push, leave it alone and carry on with your search.
   
5. If someone writes you back and says they are not interested just take it with a grain of salt. Don't write them back. Some people feel it is rude in the online dating world to not reply back to a message, so even though they are not interested, out of courtesy they will write back, "No thank you."

As widely used as online dating is, remember that there are many people who are trying do the same thing as you are. Help make the community friendly and helpful, in order for everyone to share in the fun and success of online dating.

Personal Profile Photos

One of the areas to having a successful time with online dating is to upload a photo of yourself, preferrably several. You photo should be a picture of yourself, as this is the first place other online daters go when considering contact.

Some people do choose not to upload a photo for several reasons.

1. Some people do not want to be judged by their looks, whether they are attractive or not. People who feel they are unattractive fee they will not be approached.

2. People who feel they are attractive feel they will be judged only on that rather then other important areas.

3. Many people are concerned about online predators, and do not want to put a photo. Some of these people could be self assured of their looks and protective of themselves and some could be insecure about their looks but also protective of themselves.

4. When it comes to online predators, it is suggested that you post a profile picture that is not provocative. Instead your photo should be of a casual sophisticated, yet down to earth, head shot. It can be flirty, happy, sultry or any other style that you feel best suits your personality.

Second Profile Shot

The second photo you post should be a bit more of a full length shot. Not nudity! Dressed of course, but giving others the ability to see the rest of you. Regardless of your figure or posture you should be proud of who you are and not be afraid to post a second full length or half length picture. Not everyone is interested in finding for the next top model, and many men and woman, know there is much more importance in a relationship than just being good looking. So don't shy away from posting a second picture of yourself. It shows you have self confidence and a high self esteem and are too mature to be concerned with looking like you just stepped off a catwalk.

Third Profile Shot

This one needs to be an action shot. If tennis is your favorite sport and you actually play, then include an action picture a tennis game you played. If you love traveling than include a photo of you on your travels.

Meeting Up in Person (The Date)

Destination / type of date

Deciding on a place or type of date stumps a lot of people, so be prepared ahead of time to offer some good suggestions, in the event that your caller is stumped for something to do.

Suggest a date around common interests. If it's sports, then go to a sporting event. If you like adventure than do something outdoors. Of course, there is always the good ole coffee shop, movies and dinner. Which ever the choice, try and keep it a date where you can get to know and observe one another. It's always nice to suggest a date around both of your interests as apposed to something you just feel like doing.

It is important to be prepared for success and failure, as not every person you meet up with have a connection with you. Keep in mind it might be a short date, who may suggest leaving early. If you yourself are not having a good time, it is totally appropriate to close the date early. There is no need to pretend and waste each others time. Do however, be polite about it and leave on a friendly basis. Online daters that do not connect often remain friends and connect better on a friendship level. Online dating is also a great resource for meeting and making new friends, which is always a plus point.

Have fun, make new friends and enjoy yourself, but be a smart, aware, and courteous online dater. Adhere to the rights and wrongs and do's and dont's in order to get the most out of your online dating experience.