1. Watch out for someone who seems too good to be true. Begin by communicating solely by email, then look for odd behavior or inconsistencies. The person at the other end may not be who or what he says he is. Trust your instincts. If anything makes you uncomfortable, walk away for your safety and protection.

2. Make sure all contact on a member site takes place through a double-blind system, ensuring your true identity is protected until you decide to reveal it. Never include your last name, home address, phone number, place of employment, email address or any other identifying information in your profile or initial messages. When corresponding with someone, turn off your email signature file. Stop communicating with anyone who puts pressure on you for personal information or attempts in any way to trick you into revealing it.

3. Cautious decisions will result in a better dating experience. Be sure to protect yourself against trusting the untrustworthy; potential boyfriends must earn your trust gradually over time, through consistently honorable, straightforward behavior. Take all the time you need to investigate for a straightforward person and pay careful attention along the way. If you suspect someone is lying, he probably is, so act accordingly. Be responsible about romance, your heart will thank you. Don’t become prematurely intimate with someone, even if that intimacy only occurs online. If you mutually decide to cross the point of no return, be smart and protect yourself. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/ ) provide some of the most current information available about sexually transmitted diseases and preserving your health.

4. Most online dating services do not require members to submit to background checks. So make sure you get as much info as possible by asking questions, utilizing internet search engines and most importantly, using common sense. Nothing is 100% reliable, just remember to use your head…not just your heart.

5. A photo will give you a good idea of the person’s appearance, which may prove helpful in achieving a gut feeling. In fact, it’s best to view several images of someone in various settings: casual, formal, indoor and outdoors. If all you hear are excuses about why you can’t see a photo, consider that he has something to hide.

6. A phone call can reveal much about a person’s communication and social skills. Consider your security and do not reveal your phone number to a stranger. Try a cell phone number instead or use local telephone blocking techniques to prevent your phone number from appearing on a Caller ID. Give out your phone number ONLY when you feel completely comfortable.

7. The beauty of meeting someone online is that you can collect information gradually, later choosing whether to pursue the relationship in the offline world. You never are obligated to meet anyone, regardless of your level on online intimacy. And even if you decide to arrange a meeting, you always have the right to change your mind. It’s possible that your decision to keep the relationship anonymous is based on a hunch that you can’t logically explain. Trust yourself. Go with your instincts

8. Pay attention to displays of anger, intense frustration or attempts to pressure or control you. Acting in a passive-aggressive manner, making demeaning or disrespectful comments or any physically inappropriate behavior are all red flags. You should be concerned if your date exhibits any of the following behavior without providing an acceptable explanation: Provides inconsistent information about age, interests, appearance, marital status, profession, employment, etc. Refuses to speak to you on the phone after establishing ongoing, online intimacy. Fails to provide direct answers to direct questions. Appears significantly different in person from his or her online persona. Never introduces you to friends, professional associates or family members.

9. When you choose to meet offline, always tell friends where you are going and when you will return. Leave your date’s name and telephone number with a friend. Never arrange for your date to pick you up at home. Provide your own transportation, meet in a public place at a time with many people around (a familiar restaurant or coffee house is often a good choice), and when the date is over, leave on your own as well. Refrain from drinking excessively, as it could weaken your ability to make good decisions. If at some point you and your date decide to move to another location, take your own car. When the timing is right thank your date for getting together and say goodbye

10. If you plan to fly in from another city, arrange for your own car and hotel room. Do not make known the name of your hotel and never allow your date to make arrangements for you. Get a rental car at the airport and drive directly to your hotel. Always call your date from the hotel. You can also check out the location you both agreed to meet at ahead of time to see exactly where it is and to get more familiar with an area . If the location seems inappropriate or unsafe, go back to your hotel. Try to contact your date at that location or leave a message on an answering machine. Always make sure a friend or family member knows your plans and has your contact information. And carry a cell phone at all times.

Never do anything you feel unsure about. If you are in any way afraid of your date, use your best judgment to diffuse the situation and get out of there. Excuse yourself long enough to call a friend for advice, ask someone else on the scene for help or slip out the back door and drive away. If you feel you are in danger, call the police; it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Never worry or feel embarrassed about your behavior; your safety is much more important than one person’s opinion of you.

While cheaters, liars and frauds certainly can be very convincing on the Web, you’ll also find them in nightclubs and offline dating services, parties or even sitting across from you at your local coffee house. Despite where you meet someone, dating is never risk-free, but a little caution will reduce your risk to your safety when trying to find that certain someone for your heart.

The power of flirting goes beyond attracting the opposite sex. Master the art of flirting and you also become a friend magnet and can use your skills to influence business relationships.

“You’ve either got it or you haven’t!” is often what you will hear men saying when they boast about their conquests. Women, on the other hand, are more coy when talking about a man they have met. So as not to appear full of herself, she will often say to her friends “Oooh, I don’t think he likes me, what do you think?” If she is a successful flirt, however, she will be thinking along the same lines of a man, “Yeah, he was putty in my hands!”

Flirting is an art requiring confidence without being OTT. A successful flirt knows how to get the balance just right; too much and there is a real danger you will be labelled as “slimy” (if you’re a man) and “tarty” (if you’re a woman).

If flirting doesn’t come naturally to you, you can learn to flirt by building your confidence, believing in yourself and interacting with other people.

Here are some basic flirting tips which can be practised at work and/or on a social scene.

1. Have Fun!

First and foremost flirting is fun! Whether you are the flirter or the flirtee it makes both parties smile (on the inside as well as the outside!). Don’t take it seriously; be playful, be light-hearted, be infectious!

2. Ooze Confidence

The best flirts have a positive outlook on life and are happy with themselves. To successfully flirt you need to feel good about yourself before you are able to transmit this “feel good” factor to the opposite sex. If you display a positive and optimistic attitude to life you will find yourself connecting with people who are right for you.

3. Make the first move

Don’t wait for someone to approach you. If it’s someone at work you’ve got your eye on, wait for them to go to the kitchen and then make a beeline for the coffee machine. The same applies in a bar, wait for them to go to the bar and then squeeze in next to them. Start with a simple “Hello” and take things from there. What have you got to lose?

4. Pay a compliment and receive a smile

A genuine compliment costs nothing and yet can make someone feel so special. If someone looks great, tell them! If someone has achieved something to be proud of, tell them! Once you start making someone feel good about themselves, they are more likely to want to spend more time with you! And if someone pays you a compliment, be proud of the compliment and say “Thank you”!

5. Eye to Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of our most powerful communicating mechanisms. Most people don’t have a problem making eye contact with someone they don’t find attractive but they become awkward in front of people they are attracted to. If you tend to look away at people you like, practice making eye contact with people on your way to work, a quick glance and then turn away. This is a good way to build up your confidence. Don’t stare, however, this will make people feel uncomfortable!

6. Pitch your voice

Learn to vary the tone, pitch and speed of your voice. A voice rich in tones sounds far more interesting than one dull note!

7. Listen

A good flirt has the ability to get people to open up and talk about themselves. Pay attention when someone is talking to you and ask questions to show you are interested. The best questions are the ones which will lead to someone remembering a positive experience about themselves.

8. Move your body!

There are many positive body language signs: lingering eye contact, smiling widely, touching someone, head tilting to one side, running fingers through hair, undivided attention but if you really want to let go and flirt openly – dance! Dancing is a great form of self-expression allowing you to interact with someone and connect.

9. Smile, Smile, Smile!

Make your smile contagious! The more you smile the more people will want to know you and be around you!

10. Don’t be rude!

Flirting does not involve being sexually explicit! Nor does it involve being offensive if someone rejects your advances. If you have been flirting with someone and are not receiving positive feedback don’t get disheartened or take it personally, move on to the next person! You may want to consider a different approach if you are getting a lot of rejections.

11. Send an email

Emails are a great way to communicate with someone if you’re too shy to approach them face to face. Whether it’s someone you are interested in at work or you want to try internet dating, emails and instant messaging allow you to flirt without blushing or getting tongue-tied.

Be careful not to become intimate online too quickly though; it’s easy to paint a rosy picture of the person behind the monitor but until you have met them you don’t really know them. My message here is get to know someone online before arranging a date, but don’t fall in love before meeting them! The reality could burst the bubble!

1) Don’t be crude
If you make obvious and nasty sexual innuendoes, you aren’t being a turn on, you’re being a pervert…unless you’re a girl (then it’s ok).

2) Don’t ignore body language
Over 65% of communication is non-verbal. If you aren’t actively looking at the way their body is shifting or what the person’s eyes are saying, you’re going to miss a lot of obvious signs that say “I’m into you, keep talking.”…or…”You’re a freak, and I don’t want you around a second longer.”

3) Avoid being overtly slick
It’s fine to act cool, but don’t go overboard. You won’t seem like yourself…and that’s not attractive.

4) Don’t be silly
Flirting should make your target feel sexy and wanted, not entertained. You want to be perceived in a sexual way…not as the funny guy or girl.

5) Don’t be excessively cute
If you act too cute (unsexy), you’ll be seen as an innocent and nice person. That’s great if you want to be just a friend, but not for anything more.

6) Cut your losses if it’s obvious your actions aren’t appreciated
If your flirtations are clearly visible and you aren’t being flirted with back, it’s time to pack it up and move on.

7) Don’t show fear
Insecurity is perceived as a terribly unattractive sign of weakness. If you want to get your target to take you seriously, you’ve got to hide your nerves. This means no…stammering, fidgeting, wandering eyes (off into the distance), wavering voice, etc.

Avoid being overly touchy feely…unless you’re a girl
This is specifically aimed at the guys. It’s not appropriate to grope or touch a woman unless you know she likes you. If you aren’t sure that she’s into you, it’s ok to lightly touch her shoulder or graze her arm…but that’s it! Do not put your arm around her waist or constantly touch her shoulder or body. This will freak her out and make her feel terribly uncomfortable around you.

Most flirting related problems in Myspace are the need for an eye contact and reading body language. With the use of the eyes and body signals, people consider it to be MOST effective. This is not usually true. You can flirt effectively by using language and art.

There are several means to flirt with other registered MySpace members. You will be able to leave comments on other member’s profile, or even flirt with someone by sending your messages privately. Do this by checking on the profile of someone you desire, leave your personal comment by clicking on the link that says “Add Comment”. Click on the top left link in the person’s contact box to send them a private message if you choose to flirt privately. Simply paste the code of a flirty graphics you desire into the area where you usually type the comment.

A few things to consider when leaving a private message or comment to someone you wish to flirt on MySpace. Follow some tips and advice.

a) Check your punctuation and grammar before leaving a flirty message or comment.
b) Keep flirty messages comments short and direct to the point.
c) Keep flirty messages and comments light-hearted.
d) Add humor to flirty comments and messages.
e) Hand out compliments when leaving flirty messages and comments.

With MySpace, flirting need not to be hard. But over doing it might turn the person off.
Follow the tips and advice, and you won’t have any problems at all.

Too much too soon – It is so tempting to put all your focus on one person at a time when you are looking to date on the internet. But it is important to remember that not only are all those people out there looking at numerous people at any one time but you could be too. If you put most of your time and energy into any one contact at a very early stage this means that you cannot scout, screen and sort other possible people. Dating Advice: Don’t make a big investment emotionally in any relationship without solid foundations.

Throwing money at it – Recent research has revealed that online daters are spending up to £1,500 a month taking out people who they realise, after the first 15 minutes are not for them. (Independent, June 2005) Remember be authentic, the packaging is only that and is not who you are. Meeting for a cup of coffee or a drink will give you enough time to assess whether this person is someone you want to know better.
Dating Advice: Packaging is not the answer, be clear about who you are, what you want in a relationship and set about finding it in a considered way.

Thinking you know this person – We can easily be seduced by email conversations and late night telephone calls. Apart from the actual chemistry that is missing in these exchanges there is that part that you know very well yourself, where you just reveal what you want at any given time. If you know what your requirements are in a relationship this will help you assess quite quikly if this person is for you. Most of us allow things to just drift along and are not pro-active in having a plan for ourselves when it comes to relationships.
Dating Advice: How is it we plan for everything except relationships? Take some time to plan what you want in a relationship before you get into a habit or rut with someone.

Fantasy – it’s only in your head – It is very easy to live in the fantasy of a relationship even from a very early stage. After all that is why you have signed up on the dating site in the first place – you want a relationship. However, being truthful with yourself is easier if you have a relationship plan. Then you can ask yourself, from the information you have so far, does this person tick some of my boxes. If so then you can continue to find out more about them whilst finding out about other people at the same time. Projecting onto any one person, especially at a very early stage, all you hopes and dreams is likely to bring you some amount of pain and heartache when you find this isn’t going to work out.
Dating Advice: Spread the emotional load by giving your attention to a number of people, it helps deal with the ups and downs of the dating cycle if you are not exclusive right from the start

Not paying enough attention to the signals – it is amazing how quickly we can get ourselves into habits and relationships, however new, are one of those areas. We all like attention and contact with people but what about the rest of your life, those friends who have been around for you, your family. Anyone who might be for you will, you hope, want to share life with a person who has a balanced life and that includes all the other activities and people in your life. Straining towards exclusivity at a very early stage and throwing all your time and attention towards the relationship can be a disaster.
Dating Advice: Get out there and have any dating and relationships fit in with your life as a successful single. Know what your requirements, needs and wants are and look for someone who can meet these.

The internet has changed many things and nowhere has it had a larger impact than with the dating industry. Online dating websites started to bring a younger audience to the dating and singles matchmaking industry, where these systems would conveniently email you people in your area who were also looking to meet other single people. The fact that these early sites, as many poor quality sites still do today, would simply collect as many photographs as possible and send them to you, would frequently result in you opening your email only to have a photo staring out at you that could scare a police horse.

The better quality online dating sites such as chancetomeet.com, have highly developed searches and tools such as “connect phrases” to help you find the right person. There is good evidence that the sites that charge for membership have a much higher quality of contact, with the more you pay the more serious the member. Free sites or sites that charge a nominal amount tend to attract the “one night stand” end of the market and tend to have page after page of contacts that you have to trawl through with little or no information about that person, apart from the fact they like holidays, nice people and watching the X factor, with dislikes of people who bring an axe on the first date!

The future of online dating, whether you are looking for the chance to meet a long term partner, or maybe looking for something more casual, does seem to be assured, as the high divorce rate and number of people staying single looks set to continue globally in the years to come.

However, things are about to change in the future of online dating, just as dating changed with the advent of the internet. Only this time it may be even more of a revolution, as computers get faster along with Internet connection speeds. These advances will bring more exciting ways to date and meet people as social networking sites have recently shown. As computer graphics improve, we will see Virtual reality start to become the norm in online dating. Chancetomeet.com has been developing technologies in this area ready to take advantage of faster computing power and are preparing to launch these new services in the near future. To keep up to date why not register for free at singlesolution.com and who knows what the future may bring.

1) EYE CONTACT
Create eye contact with the person you want to flirt with for around 5 seconds. Just smile a little and look away slowly. Try this at least 3 times in the first 15 – 20 mins. Your target needs to know your interested and eye contact is the universal signal for openness. Be carefull not to stare so hard that you will burn a whole right through them, just keep it casual. And remember they are just as nervous as you.

2) SMILING
Smiling is definitely your greatest flirting weapon. Experts agree smiling is the easiest and most effective way of making yourself look more attractive and approachable. Nothing to over the top just keep it realistic. If you have been successful in locking eyes and you have been receiving smiles. Its time to take the plunge, he/she is very interested in getting to know you better so what are you waiting for?

3) SECOND GLANCE
Women if you have been eyeing someone off at a party, or anywhere really, but you have not been noticed yet try the second glance technique. It’s so simple and I guarantee if they are even slightly interested you will very soon have their entire concentration focused on you. Its simple, it works the same, as eye contact but has to be done from a much closer distance. I usually do a walk by making sure i am about to walk into her line of sight. And when I force her to fall into my line of site I look away and then turn back to look again very subtle, in a way that nobody would have even seen except her and instantly drop the smile and eye contact.

4) SELF PRUNING
Watch your targets body language when he/she is looking at you are they beautifying themselves? Its a subconscious thing we tend to groom ourselves a lot more frequently when we are attracted to someone. If your target is not showing these signs there is no reason why you cant do them.

5) ITS IN THE LIPS
Another great subconscious trick is to lick your lips. No not like a porn star the best way to describe it is like you do when you have chaffed lips but a lil slower. Licking your lips is the minds way of recognizing that you are preparing for a kiss.

6) CROSSING YOUR LEGS
Women cross your legs. Its another sure fire flirting technique and sends guys crazy and wanting to see more.

7) SHAPE UP
Guys, stand tall and straight don’t slouch remember you’re trying to be the most prominent man in the room so feel like it and she will start to see it. Be calm and pull your shoulders back show that you are confident.

LET YOUR FEET DO THE TALKING
Body language experts state that women should stand with their feet no more then 6 inches apart and with toes pointing inwards. While men should position their feet 6 – 10 inches apart with their toes pointing outwards to promote the sign of dominance.

9) MIME
The highest form of any type of flattery has always been to imitate someone. Try not to go to overboard and make a fool of yourself. Just pick up on the way your target talks holds themselves slight similarities will make your target feel more comfortable.

10) PAY ATTENTION
Focus on what your target is saying, Rarely can you find someone more attractive then someone that finds you genuinely interesting, SO BE THAT PERSON. The one that finds them really interesting. Keep things simple and light listen to what they are saying and through in a few jokes here and there just to keep the smiles working. Don’t be afraid to touch them in a non-sexual manner. Often it can be received as very soothing especially coming from a man. As a man you should never underestimate the power of our hands when used in a sensual and caring manner.

Follow the signals above and keep them in mind throughout your first contact. Avoid the typical stereotype advances of trying to show off. Its as see through as glass and will only make you look like your really not genuine about getting to know them at all.

Clearly I believe there is some good dating advice on the internet or I wouldn’t waste my time writing dating advice and tips but I want people to think about what they are reading and who the author is before they take anything they read as gospel.

Here are 5 things to carefully consider before you take the advice of dating “experts”.

1. Everything written is an opinion from someone with a given history. Just google “article writing+fee” and see how many people in countries like India offer to write articles for website owners for a fee. India is simply one example but life there is somewhat different on the dating scene and their knowledge may well come from watching re-runs of Baywatch and Dallas. Check who is writing the website content, do their articles all sound as though they are written by the same person, are they writing from a personal perspective and if so what is their dating history?

2. The words “expert” and “guru” are over-used and I rarely read advice from anyone calling themselves either. What qualifies someone as an expert at dating? If they have been constantly dating for 30 years then they either have commitment issues or are very bad at dating. Just take Dr Phil, would I read his advice on how to have a long and happy marriage? Absolutely but would I read his advice on dating in your 40′s in 2008? What does he really know about the current dating scene, he isn’t dating.

3. Dating advice that includes comments like “I can make you attractive to men/women even if you are fat and ugly”. Would you go into a clothes shop and accept advice from a shop assistant that called you fat and ugly? I doubt it, so why would you accept being insulted simply because it’s online. False promises of making you attractive to the opposite sex rely on your lack of confidence in order to get you to buy their book or video or whatever they are selling. Take advice from people that respect who you are and aren’t desperately trying to sell you something.

4. Beware of the bitter and twisted. Blogging is a platform for many types of people but that includes those that simply want to rant about their bad experiences. There are many dating blogs that simply catalogue a serious of disastrous dates, call men names and generalise about the opposite sex, particularly written by women in their 40′s but I have yet to read one that stops and asks herself if perhaps she is the problem. Avoid these blogs, they usually have no real constructive advice to offer.

5. The ones that state “I am the same as you so my advice is best for you”. Don’t just read advice from people of the same age, gender and situation, much can be learned from reading the thoughts of the opposite sex and older people that have been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. If you are recently divorced then don’t read advice by someone who is also recently divorced and trying to date again, find a writer that has been divorced, began dating again and is now in a long term relationship they have the experience you want to hear about.