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- Try to limit your search to your geographical area. It makes life
easier.
- Never lie. You'll pay for it later.
- Recognize that many, many people lie online. The
person who says he's 23 and going to Harvard may very well be a 50-year-old sexual
predator. Or the man is a woman, or the woman is a man. The person you may think you know
may not exist at all.
- NEVER give out personal information until your cyberfriend has earned
your trust. That may take a long time. (There's more information about this in The
Little Book of Online Romance .)
- When you meet for the first time, meet with a group at a public
place, such as a restaurant. Never meet a stranger alone. Make sure you have the person's
name, address, and phone number before you meet. Confirm the information is real.
Give your friends or family the information and tell them your plans.
- Consider any online relationship, at first, as an online friendship.
Consider it a romantic relationship only after you have met and decided to continue the
relationship. If it doesn't work out romantically, you still have a friend.
- Don't wait too long before you talk on the phone. You'll learn a lot
from each other's voices. If the person will ONLY give you his or her cell phone number,
assume the person is married.
- Everyone is attractive. Not everyone finds everyone else attractive.
If you don't find someone attractive, it's not his or her fault. Do not be blunt -- or
cruel.
- Before you've invested very much time or money, and ESPECIALLY before
traveling to meet each other, get a background check done on the person, including a
criminal check. You'll need the person's birthdate. It will be the best investment of your
life.
- Once you have checked out the person's background, exchange photos
and videos. When you meet for the first time, you should get to know each other, not be
shocked out of your mind.
- Never end an online relationship by dropping out of sight. The least
you owe someone is a sensitive "goodbye." It is not that person's fault if he or
she does not fulfill your requirements.
- Before you make a commitment, such as marrying or living together,
answer the 500 questions that are in The
Little Book of Online Romance. You'll find out more about your friend than you ever
thought you would. Only then can you decide if the person is the right one for you.
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