How to Have a Successful Blind Date

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You finally feel like meeting somebody new but you don\’t know where to start. You don\’t want to use an online dating site because you\’ve heard horror stories about the people who lurk there. Your friend from work says her brother knows someone who is ready to get out there also and you agree to a blind date. Reluctantly, because you know how these things can go, but you agree. The evening arrives, and you are nervous but you think that after all, this guy is a friend of a friend so how wrong can it go? You arrive at the restaurant with your friend and proceed to your table. Her brother and her brother\’s friend are already there. The friend jumps up and shakes your hand vigorously, right after he has wiped his nose with his hand. He tells you he\’s so happy to meet you, that he\’s heard so much about you, that you think the two of you will hit it off like nobody\’s business, sneezes violently, wipes his nose with the back of his hand, and asks how many kids you think you want to have. You laugh it off, thinking it\’s probably his attempt at an ice breaking joke. The nose wiping thing has you pretty grossed out though. Through the course of the evening he shows you pictures of his ex girlfriend, his cats, all the houses he\’s lived in since he was two years old, and says that maybe he jumped the gun asking you about how many kids you\’ll want but he would like to know if you\’d like to start a family right away. This is all between violent sneezes which are conveniently directed at the table. Part way through the entree you look at your friend across your wine glass with your eyebrows raised and glance toward the bathroom. She gets the hint an you excuse yourselves. The window is too small for you to climb out, but you tell her you can\’t believe she thought this guy would be right for you, that all you wanted was a fun date but this weirdo keeps sneezing all over the table. She apologizes profusely, swears she will never speak to her brother again, and calls you a cab. She said she\’ll make some excuse that you fell ill and suddenly had to leave. Or that you received word that your aunt was taken to the hospital and you must rush to her. Or something. She hustles you out the front door and bundles you into a cab. You sigh a huge sight of relief and head home to catch the last of your favorite show. So much for blind dates.

This is tongue in cheek, but how close to the reality of some blind dates is it? This guy was harmless, but how many blind dates have the potential to turn into a dangerous situation? How can you know if you are meeting someone genuine or someone who has the potential to harm you, or worse? Should you use an online dating site?

Many people these days resort to an online dating site to meet someone with whom they hope to be compatible, but the personal risks of using these sites are sometimes great. How do you know if a singles dating site is safe? Secure online dating sites are few and far between and it seems that anyone can set up an account with any kind of false information to lure someone into a sketchy situation. So this begs some questions. Are dating sites safe? Is dating online even a good idea?

The answer is to find a dating site that is secure. You\’ll want a site that requires you to provide verifiable information about yourself and your history so that confidential background checks can be run, giving you the security that all the site\’s users have been subjected to similar checks. You can then be confident you will meet someone who has a clean background. Online dating is becoming a popular way to meet people in this digital age and safety is paramount. You might still end up with an allergic sneezer, but you will be with a safe sneezer!