Online dating can be a bit of a tricky business. The trouble is, no matter how good a person's profile may seem, you never truly know whether they are who they claim to be.

Even once you have gone on a date or two with someone, there is always the risk that they may secretly be an axe murderer or a total nutjob.

Therefore, you will need to find ways to weed out the weirdos, before you make the mistake of getting into a relationship with them.

Let's face it, we have all either dated someone who turned out to be a little less savoury than imagined, or heard horror stories from our friends and associates about the oddballs they have encountered on the romance scene.

Although most people may look back on it as a mild source of amusement to tell their friend's at the next party, ultimately, what most people want is to settle down with someone pleasant, without having to sift through all the nutters beforehand.

So how do you know whether that lovely lady or gentleman you want to meet is the real deal, or a crazy person?

Well, there are unfortunately no hard and fast rules, but there are some general things that you can look for to help you make a slightly better judgement when conversing with someone online.

Pictures

If your date has not put a picture up, you need to ask yourself why. While there are a certain number of people who feel uncomfortable with posting their photographs, the majority of people out there do not want to waste their time meeting a whole load of people who they are not going to find attractive.

If for example, that 30 something year old supermodel turns out to be a 70 something year old pervert, then naturally it is going to be a problem.

Although pictures are not in and of themselves a sure-fire indicator of integrity (a person can put up fake pictures for example), they certainly can give you an idea of who it is you are speaking to.

Ideally, you want someone with a few pictures in different settings. If they have some pictures taken together with friend's, that is a good sign, although if you cannot tell which one is them in all of the photographs they have posted, then you should perhaps be a little more wary.

Sometimes a person will decline to put their pictures up if for example, they already have a partner. Therefore, be very wary of anyone who does not have a photo of themselves.

Examine their profile

Having said that, I'd be very cautious about judging someone solely upon the pictures they post. 

Sometimes a person may put something in their profile that acts as a little bit of a red flag. Other times, you may read it just to discover you are not a good match or do not have shared interests.

For that reason, it is always a good idea to read their profile first.

Impersonal messages

If the message they send to you does not pick up on anything you have said in your profile – the chances are they have not read it. Watch out for vague, or generic emails such as "Hey sexy, love your profile". Most of the time, what you will find is these messages are sent en masse to everyone.

Meet in public

If after reading someone's profile, you decide to go for it and meet on a date, be sure to meet in public. This goes for men as well as women. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a room with a knife-wielding psycho, or for false accusations to go flying around.

By speaking to someone and conversing with them, asking questions about their life and observing their body language, generally you will get a feel for whether that person is right for you. It is also a good idea to sometimes ask one or two questions at a later date that you have already covered in your first conversation. This will flag up any inconsistencies or gaps in what they tell you. Most of all, trust your instinct and don't be afraid to draw a distance if it doesn't feel right.ADNFCR-2867-ID-801785480-ADNFCR

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