So you saw an advert on a banner stand somewhere, you signed up to a dating site, and the next thing you know, you’ve been communicating with this person now for a few months.  You’ve exchanged photographs, emails, and perhaps even telephone calls.  Now you’ve both decided that it’s time to take the relationship to the next level and meet up in real life.  Suddenly this person you’ve been online dating for all of this time seems like a stranger again.  You don’t really feel that you’re going to meet up with an old friend, but rather a blind date where you know something about the person but not how they are in person.  So how do you put these anxieties behind you and confidently walk into a place where your online date is waiting for you?
Well the first thing is always personal security first.  As long as you’ve done everything you can to confirm that the person you’ve been online dating is the person they’ve said they are, there’s little more you can do.  Put together everything you know about them.  Do you know where they work?  Have you checked out if they actually work there?  A quick phone call to their work’s reception asking to speak to them will confirm that for you.  What about an internet search on both their email address (all of them if they have more than one), and also their name?   If you know they use any particular usernames online you could also search on these and see what turns up.  Could be a lot of loose trails that belong to someone else, but you’ll get a instinctive response if something does feel familiar.  Have you checked their forum posts and seen where else they’re posting at your dating site?  It may seem intrusive, but before you meet up with someone you must put your own safety first.
When deciding where to meet, don’t choose any location that’s out of the way no matter how romantic it might at first appear.  Whilst you probably don’t want to meet at somewhere you know will be crowded, try to choose somewhere that is in between – popular but not overcrowded.  Somewhere that doesn’t have a lot of loud background music would be also ideal otherwise you won’t be able to hear what you’re thinking never mind what your partner is saying!

First impressions count for alot, so make sure that you are wearing something that both compliments you and makes you feel confident. Feeling comfortable is one of the most important things, and knowing that you look good is equally important! It wouldn’t hurt to spend a bit of money on some bare escentuals makeup before going out, or treating yourself to some new perfume.
Before you leave home to meet your online date in person, make sure that you leave a note of where you are going and any information you have on the person you’re going to meet.  If possible arrange to have a friend phone you about 20 minutes into your date just to check that you’re feeling OK with your partner and nothing seems out of place.  If you do feel uncomfortable, the phone call will give you an opportunity to end the date without it seeming too obvious.
When you’re on the date, employ the same minimum personal information rule that you use when you’re dating online.  Don’t answer any question that you feel is too personal or makes you feel uncomfortable.  Even if you feel at home with your date, you can still play a little mysterious – at least until you’re as confident in the real life relationship with your partner as you are in the online one.

I’d just like to give a quick shout out to my good friends over at Enigin!

Online dating is “in”.  It’s “hot”.  It’s the way to meet people.  It’s a great way of networking both with potential relationship prospects and also for making friends around the world.  It’s also however a culture of its own and there are some things you must, absolutely must, do if you hope to make a success of online dating.
Firstly, you must consider what you’re looking for from your online experience.  This won’t just help you hook up with the right kind of people, it’ll also help you choose which online dating site you want to become a member of.  There are those which are generic and anyone looking to socially meet online with anyone else will have a great time, but there are other sites which cater to certain demographic groups such as age or religion based. 
Next you must think about your profile.  In any online dating experience your profile is the public personality that you show to the world.  Try not to sound like you’re applying for a job, but rather write something that gives people who don’t know you a sense of who you are.  Don’t be afraid to say that you are good at things you’re good at, or state what things you really dislike – whether it’s human behavior or a music artist.  Your profile is representing you so give it to someone who knows you and ask them if it’s doing a good job – or better yet, ask them to write it and then tweak what they write to give a deeper insight to the real you.  As detailed as you make the profile, make sure you have no personal contact information in it whatsoever, that could include the exact town you live in or the business you work for.  Your profile should say what people need to know, and nothing more. 
The next must is to identify the kind of person/people you hope to meet.  If you have any exact criteria, then this should be included in an feature the online dating site you’re using has for this, or at the end of your profile.  Try to be clear about things you have no tolerance with, whilst not appearing to be preachy to anyone who might not share your views.  You should also be specific about things that are important.  For example, if you are looking for a serious relationship, and don’t want to date a smoker, then you must say “no smokers only”.  If you say “non-smokers preferred” then you’re opening a door for someone who smokes to contact you on the off-chance you won’t find their smoking as offensive as you find everyone else’s! 
Having created the perfect profile and identified the kind of person/people you want to meet, then you must learn how the site works.  Many online dating sites have numerous multi-media features that allow you to upload photos and even speech files.  Find out how all of the features work to get the most of what the site has to offer.
Finally now you have everything in place, and you know how it all works (or at least what’s available if not how it works), you must get out there and start networking with people.  At first you might want to stand back and just interact with people who contact you, but once you get the hang of things, start hunting profiles and contact those people who interest you.  Online dating is fun, and it can work out, but it’s only as effective as the effort you’re prepared to put into it!

Personal ads.  They’re in every media outlet you can think of.  Along with the used cars and refurbished TVs you’ll find columns of “lonely hearts”, people who are announcing to the world that they need someone to love, to befriend, or even just to mess around with.  At one time putting a personal ad in the local newspaper used to be thought of as a last resort, something desperate people did.  But with the increasing popularity of online dating, personal ads are also getting revisited by those who aren’t perhaps as computer savvy and prefer their personal ad replies on paper rather than a screen.
One of the main differences between personal ads and online dating is that the ads are often very short.  If you are serious about finding someone special in your life, perhaps you should consider taking out a longer ad that will cost you more, but will allow you to use more words to show your personality as well as describe what you’re looking for. 
An advantage that personal ads have over online dating is that there’s a change your ad will be seen by people who have similar interests to you.  For example, if you are looking for someone who loves crossword puzzles, then placing a personal ad in a puzzle magazine will be read by other people who share your passion.  If you follow a particular sport or hobby, again place your personal ad in an appropriate magazine to locate like-minded people.  Although you can do this to a certain extent with online dating websites, any member can read your profile and contact you saying they share your interest.  With a personal ad in a specific magazine, only people who are really passionate about this activity will buy the magazine.
When placing an ad pay close attention to the words you use.  Play with them until you feel they represent your personality rather than a “how to” guide for building a piece of furniture.  If possible inject some humour into your personal ad, but be very clear about who you are as a person and what it is you’re looking for from a relationship.  If you’re just looking for a casual date, say so.  If you’re looking for something that could lead to a permanent relationship, say so.  That way you’ll get more replies from the right kind of people. 
Another thing you need to be clear about in your personal ad is anything that your potential partner must, or must not have.  It could be that you’re only looking for someone of a certain religion, someone who is physically active or perhaps someone in a specific geographic location.  Whatever it is, if you do have any specific “must have” requirements from anyone who is interested in responding to your personal ad, make these very clear.
Personal ads are a great way of finding like-minded people, especially for those who don’t have access to the Internet but are intrigued by all of the excitement of online dating.  Dating through personal ads isn’t quite as immediate as regards response time, but that doesn’t spoil the fun – it just adds to the anticipation!