Be sure to plan ahead. You have been talking with this person either on line and/or on phone. You have gotten to know them enough to have some idea of what they might like to do. Use it. Whether you are meeting in your area, or in theirs, find a place two of you can go where you will be free to talk and get to know each other. If you are looking for a casual first meeting, try a coffee shop. You can enjoy sitting on patio sipping your drinks of choice while enjoying good conversation. There is no pressure to spend a long period of time together; which is great since you are still not sure if you will want to.

If you don’t like coffee shop idea, try lunch. It is more casual than dinner and it gives you option of possibly making date a lot longer if you are having a great time. If you meet for lunch, you can always make an excuse to have to leave, or you can plan to spend rest of day together. However it flows, it goes.

Use your surroundings. Do not take your first date to a movie. You can’t talk to each other so you really don’t get a chance to get to know one another enough to know if you are going to want a second date. If you live near beach, plan a picnic in sand. If you live near a hillside, maybe an afternoon hike to get two of you out under sun and into nature. Use your date’s interests to your advantage and you can create an adventure you can both enjoy.

Taking time getting to know someone, first through emails then on phone, can give you a true feel for how they really are. It also gives you a chance to listen for signs that this person is not being honest with you. Pay attention! Do they stick with same story or does it seem to change a lot? Is there something they seem apprehensive to talk about it? If so, try to find out why. On positive side, taking time to get to know them also gives you a chance to build foundation of a strong relationship, so don’t skip over this important step!

Don’t give out personal information that can be traced to your home or your work.

The last thing you want is to have someone that you don’t end up feeling comfortable with coming to your door at home or at work. That can only spell trouble. (Can you say “stalker”?) This is information that should be a privilege given only after you have met at least once, if not more. A cell phone or pager can always be used to be for contact, other than e-mail, with someone. These are harder to trace back to home. Just be sure that if you are returning a call, and want number to stay anonymous, that you have your home number blocked. Check with your phone company to see how to do this.

Make sure you are meeting at a familiar location.

Go where you know! You need to be somewhere that you feel safe and you know area. That gives you more control. I even made sure a friend or family member was there to keep an eye on me at first. It made me feel as if there was a guardian angel watching over me.

Take your own car, or transportation.