When you want to choose a reliable dating site, comparing different sites and reading reviews can leave you really confused. This is especially true when the options and features vary widely and are constantly evolving as the developers try to improve on the sites. And with over seven thousand sites worldwide, you have a lot of choices to make.
However, choosing a reliable dating site should not be a herculean task. This article aims at providing simple steps that will help you to find a site that matches your preferences.
Steps to Choosing a Dating Site
Here are the steps to follow when choosing a site for online dating:
1. Check Out the Security Features
Dating online is a risky activity because there’re many unknowns. Therefore, you need to ensure that the site you choose has in-built security features. Ideally, it should promote safety guidelines when you want to sign-up. If you cannot find the guidelines anywhere on the site, it would be better to look for another site.
2. Look for Blocking and Reporting Features
In online dating, there are chances of meeting weird people; they are either creepy or downright toxic. In case this happens, the site should have an option of reporting this behavior and blocking them. This is to prevent them from reaching out to you in the future.
Hence, you need to know in advance that the site you choose has such features. But if they do not have blocking or reporting features, skip, and look for another. You may want to check this -website to see some tips you may find helpful.
3. Determine the Visibility Level the Site Provides
When you are reviewing the site, find out if you can control your profile’s visibility. Ideally, everyone wants a site that allows them to secure their profile. So, if you do not have control over your visibility, anyone can see your information online.
For example, Hinge, a dating app allows its members to control the people that can see them and those they see. Thus, the more visibility options you have, the better.
4. Stay Away from Sites That Accept Messaging Before Matching
Receiving creepy messages or unwanted photos is annoying and no one wants that. But on dating sites, this is expected. Therefore, you want to select one that requires two people to be interested in each other before they can exchange messages. This will help to reduce unwanted messages and limit communication to only those you want to communicate with.
5. Consider the Location Settings
Many sites use locations to allow you to find potential partners. However, you need to be sure that you can control this setting later. It is not a fantastic idea to allow a site to use your location because strangers can use it to know where you may be at any given time or your exact neighborhood. So, sharing such information could set the stage for problems when you least expect one.
6. Check Free Versions and Free Trials
Most dating sites and apps have the paid version and the free version. You do not have to choose a paid version before discovering if the app is useful or if you even like it. Also, choosing a free version will not limit the number of new people you will meet.
So, when you’re starting out, you need to try out different apps. This will enable you to know what works instead of paying for premium membership only to discover that you wasted your money. Besides, subscriptions to dating sites are not cheap. You can pay as much as $10 – $25 every month.
7. Reconsider Sites That Request Links to Your Social Media Account
Some dating apps such as Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble allow users to import their information from social media accounts. This may seem harmless, but you must be careful of the amount of information you share on dating profiles. The members of those sites are strangers and allowing them to see all your personal details is risky.
Additionally, information like the school you attended, places you usually hang out, as well as where you work should be kept private. If you share this information, even after blocking people on the site, they can still use it to track you as well as harass you on social media.
Protecting Your Privacy on Dating Sites
The following are tips to help you protect your privacy when using dating sites:
- Read their privacy policy to be sure that your data is erased if you decide to close the account. Some have the option of deleting or disabling the account. But due to the fact that users return after a while, they may store your data.
- Check the profile settings to see what is kept private. By default, some sites keep profiles public. This means that search engines can index them to enable people to find you when they search the internet.
- The privacy policy must clearly state how they share your personal data with other users. It should state who can access the data, like a third-party site.
- Find out if they reveal your picture to only members or use it for online adverts. If they do, find out if you can opt-out.
You may also want to click on https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/online-dating-privacy-tips/ for more privacy tips.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Creating an Online Dating Profile
- Ensure that your username is not the same as your other social media accounts. Anyone can use your username or anything that is tied to it to search for you on the internet. So, your profile should not display your birth date, birth year, or last name.
- Ensure that the pictures you display on the profile have not been used anywhere. Also, be careful of the picture background as someone can use it to track your location through a reverse picture search. You can use a selfie as your profile picture.
- Do not use your regular email account to sign-up on dating sites. Create a special one for that purpose with a different name. Ensure that the account does not have your personal details.
Conclusion
When you are too busy that you can’t go out to meet new people, dating online can be a good idea. Of course, we are in a digital age, so digital dating makes a lot of sense. Therefore, the steps shared in this article will help you find a reliable dating site.