The first impression people will get of you when you join a dating website is from your profile. Depending on what website you use, your profile may reveal a number of things about you, including your location, interests, musical tastes, and future plans. When creating your profile, it is important that you are honest and complete, as you will get more matches or messages this way. However, it is also very important for you to be sure that your profile does not reveal too much information— remember that anyone, from the innocent lonely man next door to the predator looking for a new woman to attack can read your profile. Be complete and honest, but be safe as well.
The first step to being safe is to be elusive about the place where you live. In most cases you will be asked to list a city and state. In some cases, you may only feel comfortable listing a state—in your profile you can write a little more, such as you live in “southern Iowa” or “near the finger lake region of New York.” This is a good option if you live in a very small town. If you live in a larger city, however, there is usually no harm in listing that you live in Philadelphia, for example, or Los Angeles. It is unsafe, though, to ever list your address or phone number, and you may even wish to consider leaving out your zip code. Being too specific is dangerous.
Also carefully view your profile for specifics that you may not have realized you were writing. For example, you may have pride in your college, but naming your colors, mascot, and school name can lead predators to your location if you still live in the area. Specifics can be found in your pictures as well. When you post a picture at your favorite nightclub, amusement park, golf range, etc, you give criminals a clue as to where you live.
Lastly, be safe when communicating with others. Most online dating websites provide options for daters to talk to one another through either email or instant messages. When you feel comfortable with another person, you may be able to let down your guard slightly, but still be wary of people wanting specific information and your whereabouts or daily routine. Always remember that it is very easy for people to lie over the Internet. Keep your wits about you and carefully review your profile often to make sure that you stay safe.