Finding a Safe Dating Site

Dating services will need to be very discretionary and much safer, until that time comes here are some important things to consider when thinking about joining a dating site.

* Examine the site's physical properties. Is it poorly constructed with missing graphics or jagged fonts, mis-aligned segments? If so, this indicates a lack of attention to detail in the construction and design of the website. It might have been pre purchased and the owner doesn't have the ability to alter it correctly. Why would you care? Well, a site in a state like this provides a clue that the back end program probably is also in a state of disarray or disregard. If the webmaster can't construct the face of the site, then it's likely they can't also construct important safety features behind the website. A hacker then could easily penetrate it and get your personal information including your photo. If you eventually pay this site, your credit information could be stolen as well! A well designed site means careful construction and a better chance of good quality code running the site in the background.

* Look at some sample profiles on the website before you join by running a fast search. Do the profiles look a little bogus? A whole lot of them are. Many sites (especially new ones that have just started up) pad their membership database with photos of models or random (usually good-looking individuals ) to attract new members. Do the profiles have a whole lot of jibberish characters or nonsensical phrases in the descriptions? That means the dating site you are at does NOT screen the people who sign up. This welcomes people with ill-intent. You ought to get out of there immediately and go to one that does.

* Does the site have a privacy link? Examine the bottom of the website's main page. If they have a privacy link, click it and examine. Make sure they specifically state they don't sell your information to anybody. This is an invitation to a spam and junk-mail nightmare. Also look for some type of a web site rules page or a terms of use page. Check to find out if they screen their profiles or somehow disallow racial, hate or overly sexual material. If they don't state this than, anything goes for this site, another reason to leave.

* Does the website have a links page? If so click and examine. See who they are affiliated with. Normally, there will be graphical banners or icons next to the names of the associations. Are they sex-sites? Spam sites? Even a quick glance in this area could tell you what sort of a dating site you're at.

* What is the copyright date at the bottom? This could indicate the age of the website. If it's very young, this might help you decide if the site has worked out all the kinks (program bugs) and how many members they've accumulated.

* Be wary of statements like"You're the 4697th member to join now." and "Search through millions of profiles." These statements are usually false. Important sites, which have been running for YEARS usually can support these statements. Start looking for a"whos online" link. If you're the only person (1 guest online means JUST you are there) then you know these claims are false. A site with millions or even thousands of members will always have a whole lot of people currently online. If you detect this in a dating site, it's much better to leave than to have a chance with a dishonest site. This is just a quick list of suggestions to help keep you safe when dating online. Be leary, be secure.