Online dating can be fun. But don't neglect safety and common sense
when you try to hook up with a mate. At minimum, take caution in the
following areas.
Protect Your Computer
Take care of your equipment and systems before you head out into the
Internet realm. You need to have a firewall and anti-virus protection
for your email and for when you search websites and interact online. At
the bare minimum, you may want these two solutions that are offered at
no charge to home computer users (i.e. not for commercial use):
Free Firewall Download: ZoneAlarm www.zonelabs.com
Free Anti-Virus Download: AVG Anti-Virus www.grisoft.com
Protect Yourself
Take care of yourself, too, by choosing appropriate dating sites. Seek
and choose a reputable online dating service. How? Begin by asking
around with friends, neighbors, co-workers and others you may know who
have tried online dating, and see which places they recommend. In
addition, search "online dating services" and keep a notebook of their
URLs or website links, the fees, rules and regulations, complete
contact information of each and any other useful information that
spikes your interest. Then compare each place. Try only those places
where you feel safe. Avoid the others.
So take care. Arm your computer - and yourself- with the correct tools and knowledge!