Posted by nux at 12:04PM, 4/Jan/10.
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Hi,

I guess this post is more directed at the females on here, rather than the males, however it wouldnt hurt the males to read on also, coz there are a few females guilty of such behaviour too.... although far less common.

I just wanted to warn people about giving people your phone number. It happens a lot, and i've noticed some people complaining about phone stalkers lately, so just wanted to air my views on the situation. In my opinion - DON'T give it out. Wait until you've chatted to the person a few times, perhaps even more than that before giving out your phone number. Maybe use a program like skype or similar if you really want to hear eachothers voice - it's a free download so its not like its going to cost anyone anything - and it's a lot easier to block someone (if they turn out to be nasty) on such a program rather than have to go change your bloody phone number ! People have made the mistake of handing out their phone number before getting to know someone and as a result are now having to change their phone number to get away from persistant unwanted phone calls and abusive text messages. To quote couple of tips listed on the dating safety link on this site:

* Take your time to get to know someone. Don't be rushed

*A patient person will be happy to wait until you are ready to meet - or in this case, call.

Another idea is to have a seperate mobile phone just for online friends, you can get a cheap prepaid phone for about $50 these days. You can arrange a time for a conversation and leave it turned off till that time. Turn it on once a day to check your texts. the important thing is you can TURN IT OFF ! and your family and friends are still able to contact you (on your other phone).

When you think about it, a lot of people (not everyone though!) are using online dating sites due to lack of social skills in the "real world". So please, take your time to get to know someone before giving out your phone number to anyone - it can be very unpleasant to have someone constantly ringing and texting you at all hours if things turn sour.

The Dating Safety tips listed on the site are well worth the read for people new to online dating.