Online dating is no different that anything else, there are hazards. But, if you are aware of the hazards before getting involved, you should be fine.

1. Avoid the dating sites that will not offer you an initial free trial. That is a sure sign that their site is substandard, and they want to make sure they get your money up front.

2. The site must (absolutely MUST) show the members last log in date.

The reason for this is; many, many sites continue to profile members that have been inactive for over 90 days. This is the only way to know if the member/s you are interested in are still on this particular site, and still available.

3. Another online dating hazard is; on many sites, the members are only looking for "Adult Friends". That is an unspoken, code to: Interested in casual sexual partners only. And if you look a little deeper, most of the members are already in relationships.

Since the site is intended for singles, their profile relationship status will always be one of the following: separated, involved, dating, or unsure.

Once a member makes it very clear to you that their interest is 100% sexual, stop all communications immediately, and block them.

4. One of the biggest hazards of online dating, is the online "Stalkers" and there is no sure way to get rid of them. Once it is apparent you are dealing with a stalker, stop responding and block them immediately.

Some of the "hard core Stalkers" will set up more than one profile. But if you really pay attention to their profile and emails, you can spot their duplicate profiles. Block those too!

5. Do not give your personal email address or your phone number to anyone...male or female!

Once you get past the online dating hazards, you can have a blast!