When you do online dating it is sometimes difficult to make the move from emailing the person you are corresponding with to talking to them in person over the telephone. You have got to keep in mind that even though you have been corresponding with him for a while (I hope) you don’t really know the actual person if online dating the same way as if you had been dating them in real life.

When you’ve been emailing someone you met from an online dating site for a while, sooner or later you may be asked to give out your phone number. Will you feel comfortable giving your phone number to him? Have you established a connection with your online date, and do you feel that this is a person you’d like to get to know better?

On the phone you can see how someone listens, their sense of humor and get a feel for other personal characteristics. That can give you more of a sense of the person than e-mails or an IM (instant messenger) service which is common in online dating. Although the computer is really handy for initiating online dating, it leaves something to be desired as far as the real personality and actual characteristics of the online dating partner.

As a female participating in online dating, it is a good idea to give out a cell phone number rather than a land-line number. In fact, if you don’t have a cell phone I suggest you get one before you give an online dating prospect your phone number. This is a safety factor. It’s because people can do a reverse lookup on the internet with a phone number and may then discover your street address.

If you want someone to have your address you would be better off giving it to them directly, when and if you feel it is advisable, rather than them finding it out behind your back. Although online dating has many advantages you definitely don’t want that to happen with an online dating stranger from the Internet. You can’t be sure that a “nice” person isn’t a stalker or someone who may drive around your neighborhood checking out your home. Always take into account your safety, especially if you live alone.

The initial phone talk may be awkward at the beginning but as you become more comfortable with each other it should become natural if there is any chemistry between you. You can use any previous online dating email topics to get more details and help ease into a topic for talking. One area that is always good is to discuss one’s dreams, goals and interests.

If you have found through previous correspondence that the person had a good childhood, asking about his family background is usually a safe area. If the person had a dysfunctional family or has refrained from writing about his background then this probably should be a future discussion when the time seems right. Probably after trust builds up and you feel you wouldn’t be intruding too much would be a much better time to ask. Putting someone on the spot is not a good idea.

If your online dating experience has been good so far you may decide during the first phone call you’d like to meet him in person. That can be the time to make plans to meet in a public location such as a bookstore, coffee shop, shopping mall or some other public place. If you feel unsure about meeting then continue to talk on the phone to see if meeting in person makes sense.

Use your judgment and intuition about meeting him in person and don’t let yourself be pressured. Just because you met him through an online dating site doesn’t mean everything is automatically ok. It’s possible that by the end of the first phone conversation you don’t feel that you are compatible and instead, you’d like to end things.

Be careful however, as first impressions are not always accurate. The other person may just be nervous which can create a mistaken impression. Take your time and when there is good dialogue, laughter and you feel at ease then you’ll make the transition from email to telephone and feel comfortable about it.

Again I might mention, in my opinion, I suggest you get a cell phone if you’re going to do online dating. That’s so no one can do a backward directory listing from your cell phone number. You might have an unlisted regular phone number, but beware; you might have given it to creditors or others. If you did, it can often show up in non-telephone directories and someone can still find your address in spite of you wanting it to be unlisted.

Copyright © Honey B.Wackx

Honey B.Wackx is an aspiring author and computer software developer. She writes many articles for herself and other website owners. One of Honey B’s favorite interests is weddings and wedding accessories while online dating and relationships is another special interest. Honey B. is now thinking of collecting porcelain and life-like dolls to put in her display cabinets.