Yet because of the stigma of "mystery" and "danger" that online chat rooms somtimes suffer from, singles, especially single women, can still feel apprehensive about joining an online dating site.

Following are some basic, common sense safety tips, to keep in mind when dating online. Follow these tips, and you will be perfectly fine.

You'll be fine anyway, but by following some safety precautions, you'll make absolutely sure that you are not doing anything that could be dangerous.

• Do not, under any circumstance reaveal any personally identifieable information in your online dating profile, in your personal ads, or in your private e-mails to singles

•Such information includes your real name, specifcs about where you live ("I live in Chicago" is ok, though,) or any other info that could be used maliciously.

• Use only the communications tools provided by your dating service. They now offer private e-mail, chat, and even instant messaging. You should not invite singles to e-mail you at your regular address, at least until you get to know them better. Use your judgement here.

• When you e-mail singles in private, you may want to consider using an anonymous email account at a free site such as Hotmail when you begin getting to know new people. Take your time to establish communication and move at your own pace.

• Be careful with your signatures. Many of us use multiple signature lines for our personal and business e-mail correspondence that include our phone numbers and addresses. Obviously you'll want to leave this information out when first contacting any singles you meet through the personals.

•Your best option might be opening an entirely new free email account, to use just for your communications with singles you meet online.

• Remember: you are in control. No one should ever pressure you into revealing anything about yourself that you want to keep private. Anyone who does, is not respecting your boundaries, and is probably not worth contacting further.

•'Don't give out personal details such as your name, phone number, address or a personal description to people you chat to on the Internet'.

'If you decide to make a date, never give personal details such as your address or surname. It is possible for address details to be obtained through your telephone number, so again be very guarded about giving out this information.'

'Always arrange to meet in a busy public place.'

'Take a friend along, at least at the beginning, to meet your date and ask the friend to meet up with you again at a pre-arranged
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time. Work out a signal with your friend to indicate whether you would prefer that he or she stay with you'.

'If you're not with a friend, tell someone where you are going, who with (include the person's name, phone number and address) and when you'll be back.'

'Initially, don't go home with your date, invite them back to your home or accept a lift.'

'Trust your instincts. If you feel uneasy about someone, there may be a reason. Don't tell yourself you're being silly. If you don't feel comfortable, don't give them personal details about yourself and don't arrange a second date'.