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Love & Relationships
> Dating
Identity safety
Seems like everywhere we surf on the Internet
nowadays we run across this little advertisement: 'Free online
personals'. They are everywhere, they are dating sites, and more
are opening up shop every day. Welcome to the newest internet
gold rush. More and more people are signing up to these new and
"free" dating sites. What they are really getting is a place on
the web where they can post their profile and let strangers
contact them. As more and more dating sites pile up on the
web, more people are ending up with very distasteful experiences
because of this.
Why? 99% of today's (and tomorrow's) dating
sites do not screen their members at all. This means there are
sex offenders, predators, scam artists mixed in with genuine
people who are looking to find a match. Dating services 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.
1) Examine the site's physical
properties. Is it poorly constructed with missing graphics or
jagged fonts, mis-aligned sections? If so, this indicates a lack
of attention to detail in the construction and layout of the
site. It may have been pre purchased and the owner does not have
the skill to alter it correctly. Why would you care? Well, a
site in a state like this gives a clue that the back end program
probably is also in a state of disarray or disregard. If the
webmaster cannot construct the face of the site, then it is
likely they cannot also construct important safety features
behind the site. 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 nicely designed site means careful
construction and a better chance of good quality code running
the site in the background.
2) Look at some sample profiles on the
site before you sign up by running a quick search. Do the
profiles look a little bogus? A 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 people) to attract new members. Do
the profiles have a lot of gibberish 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 should get out of there immediately and go
to one that does.
3) Does the site have a privacy link?
Look at the bottom of the site's main page. If they have a
privacy link, click it and examine. Make sure they specifically
state that they do NOT sell your information to anyone. This is
an invitation to a spam and junk-mail nightmare. Also look
for some sort of a web site rules page or a terms of use page.
Check to see 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.
4) Does the site have a links page? If so
click and examine. See who they are affiliated with. Usually,
there will be graphical banners or icons next to the names of
their associations. Are they sex-sites? Spam sites? Even a quick
glance in this area could tell you what kind of a dating site
you are at.
5) What is the copyright date at the
bottom? This could indicate the age of the site. If it is very
young, this could help you determine if the site has worked out
all the kinks (program bugs) and how many members they have
accumulated.
6) Be wary of statements like "You are
the 4697th member to join today." and "Search through millions
of profiles." these statements are usually false. Major sites,
which have been running for YEARS usually can support these
statements. look for a "who's online" link. If you are 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 bunch of people currently online.
If you detect this in a dating site, it is better to leave than
to take a chance with a dishonest site.
This is just a short list of ideas to help keep
you safe when dating online. Be Leary, be safe. More information
can be found at
www.cupidsblackbook.com.
Leif Croonquist writes for
www.cupidsblackbook.com. He is 34 years old and lives in
Portland, Oregon.
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