For sure, online dating can be fun, but don’t get caught up in all the excitement and neglect safety and common sense when you visit online dating web sites. What I’m about to suggest doesn’t just apply to online dating sites either… you should be doing this regardless of what kinds of web sites you visit.

Protect Your Computer

The Internet can be a dangerous place for your computer equipment and systems if you don’t take a few precautions. You need to have a firewall in place and anti-virus protection for your email when you are searching websites and interacting online. There are numerous commercial software available to do this, but at the bare minimum, you may want these two solutions that are offered at no cost to home computer users:

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. You’ll want to seek out and use only reputable online dating services. How? Begin by asking your friends, neighbors, co-workers and others you may know someone that has 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 there you have it. Arm your computer – and yourself- with the correct tools and knowledge and enjoy your online dating experience!