Meet My Friend Online Dating Site

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Safe Dating

 

This guide contains some helpful information on how to have honest fun and be safe when using our website and interacting with other members in the real world. It is not comprehensive or intended to be advice. We encourage all members to be careful and to use their common sense.  

1.           Protect your identity

One of the benefits of using our website is that you can control the amount of personal information that can be viewed by others. Only the people you invite can be your ‘friends' and your personal contact details remain private when you send and receive messages through our website.

It is important that you retain your anonymity so that you are protected until you decide to reveal your identity to another member. To do this, make sure you do not include any personal information, such as your surname, email address, personal URLs, telephone numbers, residential or work address, in any messages you send to another member.

2.           Act honestly

We hope that our members can act honestly with each other so they can get the most out of our website. If you are untrustworthy, people will spot the inconsistencies sooner or later and lose trust in you. Acting honestly is not the same as openly giving away personal information. You should be in control of how much personal information you tell others; however, when you do decide to disclose it, you should tell the truth.

3.           Meet only when you are ready to

When you receive messages from another member, you should take time to learn about that person by using our website so you remain anonymous. We encourage our members to be pro-active and take advantage of this secure environment to interact with other members they are interested in. However, you should exercise caution when communicating with the person and be aware of any inconsistencies in his/her statements. It is often easy to become prematurely intimate with a person by communicating with him/her online, only to find out later that the person has misled you. 

You should only agree to meet with someone when you feel comfortable with it. The advantage of using our website is that you can take your time and gather information about a member until you are satisfied you want to pursue a relationship with the person in the real world. Before you meet in person, you may wish to obtain photos of the person - this way you can see the person in different settings. (Be aware of photos that look ‘too good to be true.') You could also consider chatting with the person on the phone, which will give you some idea of the person's social skills. If you are calling, you might think about hiding your caller ID. In Australia, you can sometimes hide your number by dialling ‘1831' before you dial the other person's number. If the person is calling you, give him/her a mobile phone number instead of your home or work number.  

4.           Meeting up

Once you decide to meet up with the person, you should always tell a trusted friend when and where you are meeting. Try to pick a meeting place that is publicly assessable with many people around, e.g. a coffee shop or shopping centre. You should not accept a lift from the person to the meeting place or when you return home until you are comfortable with letting the person know where you live. This means that you should make travel plans before your meeting and carry a mobile phone so you can contact your friend in case your plans change.

5.           Things to watch out for

Generally, you should look out for:

•the temperament of the person (Is the person angry, frustrated, obsessed or controlling?)

•any disrespectful or demeaning comments;

•any inappropriate physical behaviour;

• inconsistencies in the person's statements;

•a lack of detail in what the person says or a failure to give answers to questions, especially direct questions;

•conversations that talk about your financial status or the person requiring financial assistance (be careful of financial scams or phoney investments that ask you to send money); and the person telling you that he/she is very much in love with you despite knowing very little about you.

6.           Safety first

You should never feel pressured into doing anything you are uncomfortable about. You can stop online communications with the person at any time by clicking on the block member button on their profile page. If you are with him/her in person, try to diffuse the situation but if you can't, you should trust your instincts and get out of there immediately. Keep yourself in public view if possible and excuse yourself to call your friend for advice or to walk out. If you feel threatened by the person or believe you are in danger, you should not hesitate to call the police. It is not worth compromising your safety to pursue something that may put you at unease or in danger.

7.           Let us know if you are unhappy