8 Rules of Dating Someone You Meet Online

• Photography: iStock Photo

Nowadays social media and the Internet have made it so much easier for people to find someone to date. Instead of having to go outside and actually see new people, you can easily meet someone via Internet. Although online dating has become more and more common, it also brings in new challenges for relationships to stem from it. Dating someone you met online is very different to dating someone you met in 'real life'. There are some things that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to online dating in order for you to have the relationship you want. Below are 8 things to be aware of when you want or when you have online relationships:

1. Be wary of trusting anyone online too soon: This should go with every dating circumstances, but especially for someone you met online and when you don't have any mutual friends or the same circle of friends to rely on for extra information. It is always wise to take what they say with extra caution and keep your wits about you. It can be a lot harder to gauge just what a person is really like when you only know them online. Do not easily believe everything people say online as they can easily fabricate things to make you like them.
   
   
2. You must have at least used Skype or used a webcam: Never ever go further into your relationship with someone online unless you have seen him through a webcam and vice versa. If they make excuses as to why they don't want to use a webcam then be wary. Because anyone who doesn't have anything to hide would not mind showing their face at all. It can be way too easy for someone to 'catfish' or trick you into thinking they are someone else when you have never seen that person through a webcam. This is an essential step before going further into the acquaintance.
   
   
3. You must be making plans to meet in person: It is one thing to fall in love with someone you've never met before but it is another to fall in love and not invest in some form of physical contact. A relationship can surely survive and work without two people having to always be around each other. However, having zero physical contact throughout your relationship is not a healthy one either. If you find that it is constantly difficult for your partner to make the effort to come see you in person then do think twice. At the end of the day, if someone truly wants to see you and be with you, they will make the effort.
   
   
4. Trust your instinct: If you feel that something isn't right or if you find it difficult to trust the person you're in contact with then please, go with your instincts. Pay attention to your feelings at all times and also notice if some things simply just don't add up. You should not be feeling uncomfortable in any way and if this person is making you feel like something fishy is going on – do not ignore the read flags.
   
   
5. Whenever you do meet up, pay attention to where you both go: If on a regular basis you only meet him in places where there's not a lot of people or is usually quite private, also be wary of this. It is one thing to want privacy and to be alone with each other but it is another thing to never want to go anywhere public where others can see you both. And if he refuses to meet anywhere in public or avoids certain areas, bring this up in a conversation. He might be trying to hide you from someone or some people.
   
   
6. Whenever you do meet up, spend a good amount of time together: If the circumstances allow you both to meet more than just a few times, there should be no reason that it doesn't happen more often. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to really get to know how someone is like in person compared to only seeing him or her for a few days. Everyone can be a pleasant company for a short amount of time but in order for you to truly know what they are like, more time must be spent together.
   
   
7. If things are going good, put effort to make it work: Dating a person you meet online requires various types of investments, especially when it's also a long distance relationship. It might require you to save up more on travel money or lose precious hours of sleep in order to comply to time difference. In order to make online relationships work, you both must put your best effort. This is what's going to help your relationship to keep moving and feel like it's actually heading somewhere serious.
   
   
8. Make sure you both want the same things from the relationship: Without common goals it is very easy to lose track of the future. This goes for every type of relationships but it is an even bigger challenge when you're dating someone you meet online. It helps to talk about what you both want from each other and from being together. Do you both eventually want marriage or at least a relationship headed that way? Because if you both want different things, your relationship will eventually feel quite 'unreal' or as if it's not going anywhere. Establish where the relationship is going early on so you both can invest in the relationship without wasting time.