What are some dos and don'ts of internet dating?

Is Yahoo Personals a safe place to start looking? Would eHarmony be too nationwide? I am in a small town in GA and I want to meet people within a 50 mile radius but I don't want to be bombarded with freaks and stalkers...I guess I'm sort of spooked but I have been talking to people and have heard some good things about meeting people on the internet. I just want to talk online initially and if I connect with someone really well then we'll see...Give me some good advice please. I need all the help I can get. This is totally outside of the box for me but this when month's pass and I don't meet anyone that I can have a good conversation with, it sucks. HELP!

What are some dos and don'ts of internet dating?
Although I don't do internet dating anymore since I have a great girlfriend I know it like the back of my hand. First off, let me help relieve your fear. You are not a freak or a stalker right? So what makes you think the person on the other side probably is? There are a lot of very normal people who are just looking for someone without hitting the bars.





What you first want to do is create a short profile with great pictures of yourself in there. Make it seem like you care about meeting someone, without having them read an entire novel about you. You don't want to bore them with useless details. Also, make sure your pictures are top notch. You don't want to put in a single picture of yourself that you don't like. Sometimes guys might judge you based on just that one photo.





When it comes to describing yourself make it short and sweet. Talk about yourself and what makes you who you are. Describe a few interests, but not a ton. When describing who you're looking for also make it short. You have to make the guy want to contact you and find out more about you. You should allow your sense of humor to shine while coming off intelligent. Run your profile through a spell checker to correct any spelling mistakes. Spelling does matter!





Now I'll tell you about some different services.





http://www.mate1.com


This site is 100% FREE for women. You get every feature a man does when he pays. The downside is that it's not as popular as other services. However, the upside is that there are tons of questions you can answer about yourself such as your favorite movie or food. It really allows your sense of humor and personality to shine while giving people interesting things to read.





Yahoo Personals


This site is pretty popular and has quite a few members. You shouldn't have much trouble finding guys in your area. They also allow you to send a free ice breaker. The downside is that they block your email address in your emails to non members. So, when you send someone a message with your email be sure to go back and check and see if it went through to them. You can also disguise your email by saying something like, blah AT yahoo DOT com.





http://www.match.com





This site is very similar to Yahoo but you can view people who have viewed your profile. You're able to see guys who might have thought your picture to be attractive to them and maybe they were just too shy to email you.





http://www.eHarmony.com





I met my girlfriend on this site and I think it's great. The first person I met on there wasn't really much of a match at all, more of a dud. However, the second one I met, my girlfriend, was a perfect match. The free personality profile does do a pretty good job of matching you. In the end all of dating is a numbers game, however.





Now that I've described the dating sites for you let me tell you some things to look out for when meeting people from the internet. You should first start off by chatting with AIM or Yahoo messenger. Or you can do the whole email thing if you prefer that. Stick to text based chat for about a week or more. Just be sure you feel comfortable enough for this next step, giving out your phone number. Just because a guy asks for your number doesn't mean you have to give it to him. Be selfish and make sure you're 100% comfortable giving it to someone. After you do give your number away say something sarcastic like, "Now don't be like the other guys and call me 100 times a day" This should shatter a common problem with women, guys who call 100 times a day and annoy the hell out of them. The first phone call the guy SHOULD ask you out on a date after a small conversation. If you accept the date make sure you meet him in a public place and do NOT go anywhere private with him. The best way to do it is to just meet up for a cup of coffee and get to know eachother better. This way if the guy is a total moron or incredibly annoying you can leave quickly after finishing your drink. It's much better than being trapped with someone you don't even like because you have no car. I hope my advice helps you and good luck!
Reply:I wouldn't do it at all in the first place. Just go out with some girls and meet a guy at a club. Or join clubs or meet the dream boy at work! Something other than besides internet dating. Just don't do it please.
Reply:easy, just go 2 eharmony n type in that u want a guy that is w/in 50 miles. most guys rnt stalkers... mostly stalker r girls if u think bout it. but just try it 4 like, a month n if u dont like it quit it
Reply:do-not internet date


dont-internet date
Reply:There are no DOs just DONT"s. People can say anything they want to on an questionaire. All they need is a good psychology book as a reference. I'm sure many people have met and dated successfully via the internet but who wants to be the one who hooks up with the whacko. I don't think the risk is worth it. Join a church group, or a club, take a college course. Get your friends or co-workers involved in your search for Mr Right. That way at least someone you know knows him.
Reply:do not meet them in person alone


do not tell them personal info such as address phone numbers.etc.........