The cyberspace has indeed elevated the nature of dating into another level because it has made dating much accessible, easier, and more practical — online dating lets you choose the type of persons that you would like to interact with and individuals can actually meet new people without having to leave their houses. Thousands of people can attest that online dating has helped them meet new friends and even find their partners for life.

However, as perfect as it may seem, online dating can put you in real danger if done the wrong way. Some incidents of crimes have been associated with online dating, including money scams and meeting law offenders or criminals. Here are helpful tips in making online dating a success and as safe as possible:

• Choose an online dating service that has a good reputation.
• Make an anonymous e-mail account. Use a non-identifiable, gender-neutral screen name and avoid using a lewd screen name as it may send out wrong signals to other users.
• Only offer general information to your initial contacts. Never give out personal information like your last name, real e-mail address, home address, phone numbers and other personal information. Giving out your phone number to just anyone allows him to easily find your home address without you being aware of it.
• If something just doesn’t feel right about the person, then don’t hesitate to discontinue your communication with him/her.
• Try to get their full names, ages, and telephone numbers. If you already have sufficient information about the person you’re dating, then do a background check. It can be easily done, as there are websites that enable you to access public records for free, although other services may charge a fee for you to get more comprehensive information.
• Before deciding to meet with the person, start to have a telephone conversation first. You may either block your number or you may use a public phone for security purposes.
• When you decide to finally meet the person, do it at daytime and in a public place. Inform your family or your friends that you are actually meeting with somebody as well as the place and the time of your meeting. You may also bring a friend with you to keep you company.

Examples of online dating services are Match.com and eHarmony. Match.com is one of the leading online relationship sites in the world.

On April 21, 1995, Match.com was successfully launched on the Web and since then, the site has brought millions of people together. Every year, around 200,000 members let the company know that they have found the persons that they were looking for. The Dallas-based company’s online dating sites and affiliated businesses operate in more than 30 countries in 18 local languages, supporting local currencies. Match.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActive Corp., employing over 340 people worldwide and with offices in Paris, London, Munich, Beijing, Madrid, Stockholm, and Tokyo.

Founded in 2000, eHarmony is a marriage-oriented matchmaking website, which was founded by renowned author and relationship expert Neil Clark Warren, PhD. Based on reports, 90 eHarmony members get married each day. With its proprietary Compatibility Matching System, its members undergo a rigorous screening through the company’s comprehensive, 436-question Relationship Questionnaire, thus tapering the field from millions of candidates to a highly selected cluster of singles with whom a client is most likely compatible with, in accordance with 29 client-defined compatibility dimensions.

Intelius, founded in 2003 by Naveen Jain, offers solutions to customers worried about safety in online dating by providing backup checks on individuals that verify information. Additional resources for Naveen Jain are available online at Naveen Jain resource websites.