The line between being overly cautious and just plain stupid is very fine, especially in the world of online dating. If you're too paranoid you may never meet someone, but if you're too trusting you may end up with a stalker. That's why it's important and essential to have some knowledge about online dating safety.

Personal Information: When you decide to make the exciting plunge into online dating, there are a lot of choices to make. First, you must decide if you want to join a website and post a profile, or simply enter a singles chat room. The choice boils down to personal preference, but what matters the most is the information you choose to post in your profile or give out to others in a chat room. Since the internet creates a false sense of intimacy and security, it's easy to feel like you really "know" someone and be too liberal with your personal information.

In order to practice online dating safety, and avoid potential dangers, follow these do's and don'ts.

For Posting Profiles:

Do:

• Give a brief bio of yourself.
• Include your hobbies, your likes and dislikes and state what you are looking for in a partner.
• Explain your ideal date.

Don't:

• Give out your address or telephone number.
• Give out your last name.
• Reveal information about where you live or work.

One of the primary problems with online dating is the lack of honesty found on the Internet. It is extremely easy for people to recreate themselves or simply leave out important information about themselves. Unlike in the offline world, it's more difficult to catch people in their lies. It is also very tempting for you yourself to tell a few white lies or fib a little on your personal profile. You should maintain your level of honesty not matter what. When it comes to filling out your personal profile, do not bend the truth. While it may seem appealing and beneficial, starting with lies is a bad start. If you say you are a devout Christian and end up meeting another devout Christian in real life, your lie will be revealed pretty quickly. If you plan to get close with someone, your age, political views, occupation and other details are going to come out. Telling the truth is the best option. While talking online, be honest as well. If you intend to make connections with people, lying is not going to help you accomplish this. Be yourself, no one is perfect and imperfections make us who we are.

If you realize the connection you established with someone online just isn't working out, ending it can be tough. Whether you've only emailed the person a few times or you've already met them in person, there are some online dating safety issues to consider when ending an online connection.

To keep yourself safe, follow these tips:

• Be polite. Don't call the person names or point out all the reasons why you aren't interested anymore.
• Be short and sweet. Don't explain yourself too much. You don't have to go into every detail as to why you're ending an online, or an online-turned-offline relationship. The person does not need to know that you met someone else or simply can't stand one of their annoying quirks. Just say that it's not working out.
• Don't answer their calls or emails. If you've explained the situation to the other person then there's no need to return their emails and especially not their phone calls. If they send a nasty email or leave a nasty message on your answering machine, ignore it. There's no point in engaging in a name-calling battle. If the calls and messages persist for an extended period of time, respond by saying that you would please like them to stop. If the calls and messages do not stop, you may need to change your email address. If threats are made contact the police immediately.

After you've met someone offline, you may begin to feel an instant connection to this person. If you're really compatible and enjoy each other's company then it's easy to become close very quickly. While this is a wonderful thing, it is important to still remember online dating safety conventions in order to ensure your security. A common mistake people make is rushing into things. Like any relationship, rushing is not a wise idea. Things that develop too quickly usually end that way, too. Take things slow. Also, remember that even if you've known someone online for a long time, the real them might be completely different offline. Judge how long you've known them by how long it's been since the first time you met up. Online, pretending is very easy. Introduce the person to your friends and family. Loved ones can let you know what they think. While you shouldn't take too much stock in negative criticism, listen to a friend or family member's concerns. Another good idea is to ask yourself questions. Is this person becoming too serious too fast? Are they secretive? Are both of you on the same page when it comes to the relationship? If you don't have any lingering doubts, then opening up is fine. Enjoy your relationship and each other's company.

The easiest way to tell a sincere single-seeker from a sleaze-seeker is to track your conversations. Monitoring your conversations is a primary practice in online dating safety. First, learn how to save your conversations. Whether you are emailing back and forth, talking in a chat room or instant messaging, you can save messages. Email accounts generally automatically save inbox and outgoing messages. Most instant messaging programs do not, but offer a "save" option. Chat rooms may or may not have a save option. The easiest method of logging conversations is to simply highlight your entire conversation and paste it into a word program. Save each conversation and date it. If you don't have a great memory, browse through old conversations every once and while. Notice any discrepancies. For example, if your online friend once said he's a plumber and in a later conversation mentions crunching numbers at work, something is fishy. Or, if your online friend once mentioned her favorite thing to do is ski and later says she hates snow, be wary. Remember, though, that people will tell white lies. Whether they shave some pounds off their true weight or add a few inches to their height, most people are not 100 percent honest. What is important, is to be aware of constant and consistent changes or lies. By logging your chats, you'll have the ability to do this.