Will the truth set you free?

They say the truth shall set you free...or at least save you time, money and heart ache later. Now I'm sure that no one on this site has ever lied about anything on their profile (or omitted anything on purpose). So, this article is really for all "those other people". Make sure you print it out and share it with them later. Recently, I read a story about a man that had been dating a woman on-line for almost a year and not until they actually met did he find out that she had children. Whose fault is that? She didn't tell and he didn't ask.

This is Leticia, and I've been writing these articles long enough that sometimes I think I'm repeating myself. Then I realize that I am. However, there are some topics that bear repeating. Besides, a few of you didn't pay attention last time and well, you need to hear this again. SOME PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH!! Why? Because they can and because they think that you don't know better.

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In a perfect cyber world we would be able to look our monitors square in the pixels and be able to tell if we are being deceived. I'd love to invent the program that when you open an email all the lies show up in a different font and color. Or if someone uses a picture that is not their own the word FAKE would appear across their face. I'll keep working on that little invention. In the mean time, there are plenty of things that you can do to protect yourself.

How many of you are still talking to people that you haven't even seen their picture yet? How do you know that you're not talking to your sworn rival, your ex, your boss or an employee? Ask for more than one picture. Tell them you want a current photo and ask them to take it in front of a particular place or holding something distinct. Be fair; make sure that you have provided a "real" picture with your profile. Even if you don't want it to be seen by all, you can upload it as a "private" photo and email it to those that peek your interest.

The benefit to having a picture on your profile can be measured by a higher response rate. How much higher? How about 10 times higher! The reason is simple, people are very visual. Personally, I skip profiles without photos by only searching for profiles with "photos only". I'm sure that I'm not the only one.

The key with dating on or off line is to ask what you want to know. If you don't feel comfortable with the answers given, ask again. If you get a different answer, you know the deal. If the answer is the same, put it aside if they've given you no reason to think that they've lied to you before. There are people on the internet that tell the truth too. That is looking for that special someone to spend their life with. Don't think that you're the only one. The key is to keep your guard up and protect yourself and your personal information...like you would cash at a swap meet.

One last piece of advice, if you are serious about your internet dating, invest a little money on a web cam. They are not only great ways to insure that you're talking to the person in the picture; they are also a lot of fun. Use your imagination.

If we could just get all the fantasy players on their own website, it would be so much easier to navigate through internet dating. Unfortunately, people and computers don't come with a built in lie-detector. If they did, I guess I'd be able to write about something different.

This is Leticia, still waiting to find someone important enough for me to lie too!

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