When saying about our residence we should be cautious, limit to a county rather than the exact name of the town or village, or use the nearest big city (London, Manchester). Don't give out our address/ school name/ place of work. Should not disclose our phone numbers until and unless we have had a number of communications on chats etc. To meet up with people as friends or a potential relationship, we should make sure we are comfortable about it but don't rush in. Talk via email or instant chat, and then speak over the phone. After a safe period of time, when we have determined that they are sincere and legitimate, then we can safely give out our personal information. If we put our picture on the internet, we should remember that anybody can right click an image and take it from a web site. We should always ask permission off anyone else in the pictures before putting them up.

To arrange a meeting:

We should try to have several telephone conversations or exchanges of letters so that we know a little more about each other before we meet. Start off with email or instant chat. We should arrange our first meeting in a public place during daylight hours, e.g. afternoon coffee or a quick lunchtime drink. We should try to take someone with us or arrange a signal beforehand so that if we don't want to stay, we can make our excuses and leave safely. We shouldn't invite them to our home/ go to their home for the first meeting and shouldn't accept a lift to or from the date - make our own way there and back.

At the first meet:

·         We should always let someone know where we are going, who we are meeting, and what time we expect to be home. We should carry our mobile if possible.

·         We shouldn't pretend to be something we're not.

·          We should be aware of our surroundings, take note of important landmarks such as where the nearest telephone is if we don't have a mobile/ can't get a signal.

·         If we decide not to keep any further contacts then we should blur it harshly. Our behavior should be very polite and reasonable.

·          We should leave our wallet/ purse unattended as it contains personal information, and our car and house keys.

·          We should leave our drink unattended. If we need to go to the loo then should take our drink with us or order a new one when we return. Unfortunately date rape does happen. We should drink in limits, even though we are nervous, as we may do or say something we'll later regret such as vomit over their shoes. We will also make ourselves more vulnerable; keep a clearer head until we know them better.