Online Dating Starts With Your Safety

Online dating can be both fun and dangerous. People you encounter online may, knowingly or unknowingly, send you a computer virus.

Your computer SHOULD already be protected by a firewall and anti-virus software at the very minimum. These programs should ALWAYS be up-to-date and the anti-virus program should have up-to-date virus definition tables at all times.

Windows users that have either Windows XP or Windows Vista Operating Systems already have a firewall built into the software. You just need to ensure that the firewall is enabled or you are using a third party software package.

ZoneAlarm www.zonelabs.com is just one firewall vendor that has a free download that will serve your needs. You can find other options by searching for firewalls at www.download.com.

Up-to-date anti-virus software is another important piece of your computer’s protection. Avast and AVG both offer free versions of their anti-virus software and both can be found at www.download.com by searching for anti-virus.

I consider Ad-Aware by LavaSoft to be important too because it helps you detect and remove spyware or malware that may find its way to your computer. www.download.com is the place to grab the free version of this software.

The free versions of the above are for protecting your personal computer that’s not used commercially. They will protect your email, surfing and even instant messaging.

With your computer protected from unwanted visitors, it is time to think about your personal safety.

Choose the dating sites you frequent carefully. Ask your friends, neighbors, co-worker and relatives that may be using or have used online dating sites what there experiences were with the sites.

Many of the more reputable online dating sites let you create a free profile or open a free trial account so you can check out the service before spending a penny.

Take advantage of many of these AFTER carefully reading and UNDERSTANDING the terms of service and privacy policies of EACH site.

As I mentioned in another article, it’s important to protect your personal information and identity because stalkers and scammers DO exist and both men and women need to use common sense and caution. What information you share and when should be carefully thought out rather than an emotional one or a decision made under pressure.

Your safety and your computer’s safety are just two things you need to consider in both the real world an in the online dating world.

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