The dating scene these days just isn’t what it’s cracked up to be! All I constantly hear are women complaining that they, “Can’t find a good man!”  That’s mostly because they choose to use online dating as the ONLY way to meet guys. They have given up on the traditional ways; join a club, volunteer, networking meet-ups, join a sports league, or even a freaking bar! Not all relationships start online as online dating sites claim!

So, if you still want to prowl the online dating world, there are things you need to know first.Remember, even though you are sitting at home in your PJ’s hiding behind a keyboard, you need to still be careful of whom and who you eventually decide to meet. Here are some straight forward tips to do just that!

1. Only arrange a meeting with someone you have been getting to know for a while now. If you feel that you are at the point where you want to meet someone, always meet them in a public place, away from your home and be sure to tell someone where you are going.
2. Do not tell him where you live. Never give out your address, until you feel safe to do so. This should be after a month of dating and also doing a background check. Once they know where you live, there is no going back.
3. Do not accept a ride on the first date. Use your own method of transportation. Even if they seem like a great guy, you should not get in a car with them. Especially if you are alone with them.
4.  Do not go to any secluded areas- including a his place, a hotel, and so forth. Even if you want to be alone, remember that you are on a date with someone you have no idea about. Yeah he tells you what he does for a living and blah.. blah… blah.. , but how do you really know? Give yourself a chance to really get to know  him out before you take his word for everything and before he takes you to his parents house on the beach.
5. Pay attention to your gut feeling. You don’t want to be kicking yourself later on if you didn’t listen to it when it told you that this guy was no good, and now you are stuck in a big complete mess.

Always put your safety above and beyond everything and everyone! There’s no turning back once you go ahead and let someone know all about your private life.  Always find out his first.  Remember, Google is your friend.  Google him. Find out who he is before you find yourself in a situation that you could have been avoided.

Join Stephanie Dolce on her talk show, “Ax the Ex” which will air this September on Facebook Live. Click here to follow and be a part of the show!

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