黑洞社区

This 黑洞社区 Newsline Podcast is available at . See the transcript below:

You鈥檙e listening to the podcast edition of the 黑洞社区 audio newsline. Learn more about 黑洞社区 on the Web at .

If you ask a young couple, 鈥淲here did you meet?,鈥� don鈥檛 be surprised if they say, 鈥淲e met online.鈥� According to online dating statistics, 40 million people in the United States have tried online dating. 黑洞社区鈥檚 Deborah Ballard-Reisch has researched the subject of communication and relationships for about 20 years and she was once called 鈥淒r. Love鈥� by a Nevada radio station. She says the odds of meeting someone has increased with online dating.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淭here are 54 million single Americans today. Forty million of them are online in one way or another. You have a better chance of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right today than you ever have.鈥�

And it appears that more and more people are getting to know each other online.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淥nline dating has become a really common way for people to meet one another and start romantic relationships. Estimates are that one in five romantic relationships start online today.鈥�

Of course, the way people used to get to know each other in the past is still the way many people develop relationships today, as Ballard-Reisch explains.

Ballard Reisch: 鈥淲e used to develop romantic relationships with people we went to school with or knew through church, or family or friends introduced us to, and now we supplement that by meeting people online. And the world of people available to us has exploded exponentially because of that.鈥�

But while the opportunity to get to know others has increased because of online dating, people need to be aware of some of the risks, according to Ballard- Reisch.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淟ike any new technology, there are some downsides to online dating, too. One of the biggest is fraud. There are a number of international consortiums that get on online dating sites and pretend to be someone they鈥檙e not in order to get money out of people. So if someone asks you to send them money, especially out of the country, run.鈥�

Ballard-Reisch says language fluency is something to pay attention to in online dating.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淥ne of the things to look out for in online dating is that, when people claim language fluency and then they have grammar and syntax and spelling errors, if their language doesn鈥檛 seem right, it likely isn鈥檛.鈥�

Ballard-Reisch says to be sure to get more information if you鈥檝e only gotten to know the person online.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淭his might sound coarse, but so much information is available to us online now. If you鈥檙e thinking of meeting someone you have met only online, Google them. Use multiple search engines. Consider seeking criminal background checks. Make sure that people are who they say they are. We used to be able to rely on our support networks 鈥� our family, our friends, et cetera 鈥� to vet people for us, and when we meet people online, we can鈥檛 do that anymore.鈥�

For anyone thinking about trying online dating, Ballard-Reisch offers the following tips.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淚f you decide to meet someone in person that you鈥檝e spoken with only online, there are some tips and some cautions to be aware of. Always meet in a public place the first few times. Drive yourself. Let your friends and family know where you鈥檙e going, with whom and when you plan to return. Have a panic word in case you have a quick second to call them if you need help. And keep your phone online so you can be tracked through GPS if necessary. Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, get out.鈥�

Ballard-Reisch says if you engage in online dating, protect your identity.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淚f you decide to engage in online dating, the first tip is to protect your identity. Don鈥檛 give information about yourself too quickly. Get to know people before you share with them personal information about who you really are.鈥�

Ballard-Reisch says someone who wants to try online dating should choose a site that鈥檚 consistent with his or her interests.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淚f you decide you want to try online dating, check out multiple sites. There are a lot of them out there now. Figure out what each site is looking for and choose the one that鈥檚 most consistent with your interests.鈥�

It鈥檚 also a good idea to be yourself when creating an online profile, as Ballard-Reisch explains.

Ballard-Reisch: 鈥淚n creating your online profile, be yourself. Be clear about what you鈥檙e looking for, what types of people, relationships and so forth. Include flattering pictures of yourself and reach out to people that you find interesting. Don鈥檛 wait for them to come and find you.鈥�

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 黑洞社区.