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Step 1
Decided whether you want to post an ad and wait for responses, reply to ads or both. Some people are not comfortable responding to ads because they may be posted by scammers or “bots.”
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Step 2
If you want to be very discreet, create a new email account specifically for online dating. This account should not have your name or birth year in the address if you want to keep your identity private while responding to ads.
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Step 3
Before you respond to an ad, take a few days to peruse the postings. Steer clear of anyone who has posted ads numerous times over a few days. People like this tend to be scammers looking to collect people’s pictures or companies seeking to collect email addresses.
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Step 4
When responding to ads, refrain from sending your picture unless the person has posted a picture in their ad. Even if they have, you may want to reply first without a picture to see if the person is real and what kind of response, if any, you receive.
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Step 5
Make sure you get more than one photo from the other person. This helps ensure they are not using a random picture they found online.
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Step 6
Be honest. Send real and recent pictures of yourself. No one wants a surprise when meeting you for the first time.
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Step 7
Have at least one telephone conversation with someone before meeting them in person. “Voice verifying” can ensure that you are speaking with someone of the correct gender. Hearing someone’s voice can also help personalize the budding relationship as well as offer hints as to whether the person is a tad creepy.
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Step 8
Found someone you’re interested in meeting in person? Make sure you do so in a very public place and tell a friend where you are going. You don’t have to say you are meeting someone you met on Craigslist, but you can say you’re meeting someone for the first time thanks to a blind date or similar kind of set up.
Comments
craigstoolbox said
on 9/4/2008 With http://www.craigstoolbox.com you can see the images right away! No need to click on every search result.