Meeting Your Online Dating Partner Face to Face

If you have found an online dating partner and have been talking via email, chat and telephone for several months, you may be ready to take things to the next level - meeting face to face.

Although meeting this person face to face may be a bit scarey, keep in mind that this isnt going to be like meeting a perfect stranger for the first time. It will be unlike any first date that you have ever experienced.

When dating in the real brick and mortar world, you usually dont know anything about your dating partner. You may have even gone on blind dates that were arranged for the two of you through mutual friends. Blind dates are usually very awkward affairs.

Real world blind dates are often much like those first awkward emails that you exchanged with this online dating partner who you are about to meet face to face for the first time. You knew nothing about the other person. You didnt know what they liked or disliked. You didnt know if they were into sports or dedicated couch potatoes. You and your blind date were both flying blind so to speak.

Relax! This first face to face meeting isnt going to be a thing like those awful awkward blind dates. You KNOW this person. They arent a stranger.

If both of you have been honest in your profiles and have posted pictures of yourselves, you should recognize each other right away. It will be more like meeting a person that you already know well - rather than like meeting a stranger.

Still, it is better to make the arrangements for this first face to face meeting to take place in a very public place. Also, the first face to face meeting will be more comfortable for both of you if you have arranged for a very short encounter - coffee rather than a meal or an entire evening.

It will be better if both of you can walk away from the first face to face meeting eagerly anticipating the next one - rather than to be stuck for several hours of awkward silence if you just dont click.

When you meet face to face for the first time, if you find that you have been lied to in any way, stop all contact immediately. One lie is usually the precursor of many, many more. For example, if he said he was 611 and is really 55, or she said she weighed 120 pounds, but actually weighs 220 pounds, that isnt a mistake - it is a bold faced lie. If they lied about that, they have most likely lied about a lot of other facts as well.

For your very first face to face meeting, it is HIGHLY recommended that you provide yourself with a safety net. Have a friend watching from a distance or have a friend call you on your cell within a few minutes of your scheduled meeting time. This is not being distrustful. It is being cautious about your own personal safety.

Remember, all successful and long-term personal relationships are built upon truth and honesty. Trust is earned. It is not a given.

Trust your own instincts. If you feel like something isnt quite right, it probably isnt. This is the time to end the date. However, if you are comfortable and at ease with your online dating partner during your first face to face meeting, then there is a very good chance that this relationship will continue to develop over time.