How to Decide to Share Your Phone Number Online

By eHow Internet Editor

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In cyberspace, misrepresentation is common. Take your time before revealing your address or phone number to an online sweetheart. If the relationship has real potential, your partner will understand and support your cautious approach.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Keep your cool when you discover a possible love interest online.
Step2
Stick to e-mail and chat sessions, some in public rooms, for several weeks.
Step3
Explore your partner's religious beliefs, politics, life goals and family obligations. Evaluate his or her willingness to offer specific responses to questions.
Step4
Determine if he or she accepts any responsibility for failures in past relationships.
Step5
Watch for exaggerations or evasiveness during chat sessions.
Step6
Save your partner's e-mail and check it for contradictions as the weeks go by.
Step7
Once you feel comfortable, ask if you can call the person's workplace. Explain that this step is just a precaution, but use the opportunity to verify your online partner's identity and honesty.
Step8
Exchange phone numbers only when you are confident that your partner is trustworthy.
Step9
Do not give the person your address until the two of you have actually met.
Step10
Move on if at any point your intuition tells you to do so.

Tips & Warnings

  • Generally, men should be the first ones to reveal their phone numbers and addresses, but they need to be cautious as well.
  • When exchanging photos, send them as attachments to e-mail, fax them to workplaces, or mail them to post office boxes.
  • Always err on the side of caution. Impulsiveness has led naive online lovers into rapes, assaults, robberies and even murders. There is no rush.
  • If your partner criticizes you for going slowly and being hesitant to reveal your phone number and address, that's not a good sign. Your lover may actually be a "cyberpath."

Comments

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ctigrad said

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on 7/2/2008 Try a service called Face2Fone (http://www.face2fone.com). You can actually talk to a person you meet online WITHOUT sharing your phone number. It really works!

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 I had really badly stained nicotine walls. What I did was I bought a new bug sprayer dispenser, and purchased the one gallon size of Mean Green cleaner (I found mine at Dollar General for $5). I filled the sprayer with cleaner to about 3/4 full then filled to the top with hot water, then shook well. I vacuumed the walls and ceiling, then I got a roll of oil dry paper towels (this will soak up all the excess water that pours down the walls and wont get your carpets wet). I put the sprayer on the setting to where it sprays a medium mist, I started at the top and did a section across about the length of one arm, go slowly where it saturates the wall, then turn up the setting then hurry up and get back to the top and go slow it just melts the grime, grease and nicotine. Then get terry towels and start at the top and go over it till it's dry. They come out sparking clean. I had full gloss white painted walls, it worked wonders for me!
I also did my fake plant arrangements and mini blinds with the same solution and sprayer, but put the solution on them outside then rinsed them off with a water hose and air dry them.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If at all possible, get the other person's number, and *67 before you call so they can't see your number. Do this until you actually meet. I had a guy track down my house and show up using only my number and the Internet! Talk about creepy!

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 When sharing phone numbers becomes an issue, why not share the cell number. The other person can still reach you, but the phone itself is not "attached" to your home. This makes it far less dangerous, especially if your cell has Caller ID.

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