Harassment
by Nikki LLast Updated: 08/23/2006 |
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A lot of women I talk to are worried about being harassed online, but it isn’t really a problem
Just like in real life, most of the people you will meet through an online dating Website are alright. Just the same, there are always a few bad fish in the sea. Most women I talk to that are worried about online harassment seem to think that the bad ones you meet online are somehow going to be much more threatening than the bad ones you’ll meet in the real world. Personally, I just don’t understand this fear.
Firstly, think of the screening process. When you meet a stranger you might like for the first time in real life, you are busy enough worrying about how you look and what to say, and usually require a few more encounters before you can get a good judge of his character. Online dating meanwhile lets you go at your own pace. You don’t like something in his profile? Stop. You don’t like something from his first message? Stop. You don’t like the first phone or webcam conversation? Stop. If you can avoid the phone altogether before meeting up, do it. Unfortunately I know all of you aren’t as hooked up with geeky devices like microphones and webcams as I am :P
Secondly, through an online meeting you can give a guy a lot of information about yourself while keeping it easy for you to cut him off at any time. If you are just communicating within the online dating Website, one click of the button (or at the most one message to customer help) will cut the creepy dude out of your life forever.
Finally, it may sound like a bit of a stretch, but think of it from his side. Any of the guys I have had trouble with in my life I have known through a working or school environment. It has been a situation where I am one of the few females that these dudes have any sort of connection to at the time. On a Website, he’s got the same connection to you as he does to thousands of other women. Chances are he will move on quickly, and so can you. |
