what to think about before meeting someone from internet?

[Vea Lea]

what to think about before meeting someone from internet?

one thought i have is that they might rob me or do worse things you never know

is it a right fear to have about it?

[Anjerith]

This is my experience on meeting people from WoW (Specifically)
- If you spent any amount of time talking to them in-game/online then you should know them fairly well. Remember that this is their INTERNET personality. Which is likely more outgoing than their real one - simply because anonymity makes it easy for people to elucidate their opinions.

- Remember that any selfie's or other photos they may have sent you are the absolute best they could manage. Nobody sends a picture of themselves pigging out on food or with bed-hair.

- If you are really worried about being robbed, then you probably are not satisfying my first point by having spent some time with that person online. However, meeting in a public place is all you really need to do to address that concern. Ask them to meet you at such and such a place for a meal or whatever.

This is also a good point; while the Internet is fraut with terrible rapists and muggers - most people are not terrible rapists or muggers. Practice common sense methods of meeting them and the rest will become apparent fairly quickly.

[Deleted]

Just make sure to keep your guard up and not be a fool.

[Nasriel]

are you going to meet someone of the opposite gender? Is it someone you might possibly like as more than a friend? If you're attached to this person don't be upset if they stop talking to you. I've met a couple of people online who are more than happy to talk to me. I go and meet them IRL and somehow I seem to scare them off and they stop talking to me. That said it's been many years since I met anyone IRL that I got to know online.

I dunno if it's because i'm going under the wrong impression (wanting to be friends only whereas they saw me as potential girlfriend material) or if it's because they meet me IRL and i'm not what they expect. Not good enough looking, too weird, giggle too much (I'm not normally a giggly person but when I get nervous I tend to go all giggly) or whatever other reason and they then completely cut me off and won't even talk online and if I do try to contact them I get one word answers out of them instead of proper conversation and if I don't reply or start a convo they never attempt to talk to me which before they met they were more than happy to say hello first and keep the convo going. It's happened at least twice now and I guarantee i'm not the first person whose had that happen and I won't be the last. I mean I could understand if I sent them a fake photo of myself or told them i'm male IRL when i'm actually not but I show them a real updated photo of myself and I don't pretend to be something i'm not (like telling people i'm a lawyer or a bikini model or something retarded like that) so I don't get why they went all weird after meeting me. Some people are strange I suppose heh

So yea just beware that if you do meet this person and you aren't what they expected they may stop talking to you even online

[Deleted]

I went to a guild party for a guild I had only been with as a social for 2 weeks. Can't say I wasn't a bit nervous at first about their intentions as we barely knew each other and they invited me to a party that was comprised of nothing but their core raiders. But sometimes you gotta take a chance. I ended up having a great time and I won 15k gold in a beer chugging competition.

[Spalding]

Funny this topic came up. Ive just gone ona holiday to the other side of Aus and am gonna meet up with an old friend I raided with from cata. I don't really think much of it because we have really been there for each other through some tough times so I've not a worry. She on the other hand, may feel otherwise but I doubt it. My internet personality is very much like my real personality. Even the way I type.

Putting this one aside, ive met a couple of people from Wow over the years. Heck one is one of my closest friends. When I was 15, he was 24 and he stayed with me for a year, like an older bro.

So far ive had nothing but good experiences from meeting up with people from wow. Online dating stuff however, not something so great.

But meh I guess it depends on what people you both are, and genders I guess.

And no, I wasn't that kind of guy like 'omg a girl'
And seeing this friend in 12 hours, I have no hidden agendas... just to chill and talk in person

[Deleted]

I've met up with people back in the days I played Everquest. It was an absolute blast, as people had similar interest and you could really talk "shop".

[Wayne25uk]

Tips i learned from internet dating.

1: Make sure they really are a woman!

2: Only trust a person who has more than 2 photo's that somehow prove they are the same person.

3: After the photos have been verified ask to see them on a camera to ensure it is really them.

4: Have a phone call with them before meeting to make sure again they are a woman.

5: When meeting them ask to meet somewhere safe but also somewhere you can keep your distance so you can check them out beforehand.

Trust me all 5 of these points have stung me before!

[Gandrake]

is it a right fear to have about it?

absolutely

i think anyone who doesn't think so is more than likely a moron

[derpkitteh]

1. will they kill me?

2. are they some 300lb freak that will rape me?

i will never meet a person from the internet, for any reason, no matter how long i've gamed with them or known them.

[melodramocracy]

1. will they kill me?

2. are they some 300lb freak that will rape me?

i will never meet a person from the internet, for any reason, no matter how long i've gamed with them or known them.

You can't be serious.

"The Internet" isn't a place of origin, it's a communication method.

[Reg]

I've met a few people from the interwebs, one that used to come to this site. When you live in a city the size of mine, people you play games with or chat on the forums with, some are bound to be local. A guy I played WoW with owns a sushi restaurant in Manhattan, so I stopped in and had dinner with him. Another I met with before the NYC marathon since we were both running in it.

I've never really had any fears because it's no different than any other stranger I meet in this city.

[derpkitteh]

You can't be serious.

"The Internet" isn't a place of origin, it's a communication method.

that's being pedantic, it's not a very becoming trait.

it's blatantly obvious i meant a person i MET on the internet.

[Halyon]

I'd definately be wary. Make sure to meet in a public, crowded space so you don't get drugged/stabbed/murdered/mugged/etc.

[Independent voter]

Meet at a coffee shop. That way if they're creeping you out you only have to suffer 20 minutes or however long it takes you to drink coffee. Plus it's a public place and also if they don't show up you don't look like an idiot sitting there alone.

Remember to ask them question about themselves, don't just talk about yourself, etc.

[Kourvith]

Been meeting a lot of people from the net (mostly for dating, and in the past from simple chats). I'm a guy btw. Assuming this is for dating, a few suggestions :

1) Most important, don't haste your judgement once you meet irl.
This is by far the most rampant (and destructive) problem with internet meetings. People are either scared of the unknown (like your question about robbing), either in an industralization process. Which both turn people into focusing on small details (appearance, social codes, etc) instead of taking the time to read the bigger picture. Unfortunately, such nitpicking feeds the need to judge even quicker, close you in around your very own codes, indefinitely going circles around that very problem. Eventually becoming permanently unsatisfied whoever you meet.

2) Talk online. As much as you can.
Not for ages (or it will fall flat at one time), but write as if you were writing letters, rather than mobile texting. Be generous about revealing who you are whenever there's an opportunity, cultivate some interest for your contact's life without being too intrusive. This will open to some deeper, more sincere bonds, and will also let you have some hints about his/her true intentions. (like not wanting to rob you ^^)

3) Don't over-intellectualize your online relation.
Only having a bunch of perfectly lighted pictures, paired with nice words, can easily lead to fantasizing a person that in reality is not exactly like what you imagined. And can only leads to frustration / disappointment once you meet. (or uncontrollably fall in love during the first hour, which is also not recommended.) Keep it cool, natural, let yourself imagine a bit, but always keep in mind that the only truth-teller is the time spent together.

4) Be honest.
Don't create false hopes if you really don't feel it once you met. Don't date 10 guys/girls simultaneously. Don't lose time with people you feel are playing with your honesty. Don't be vague on your situation, or your intents. People are not as dumb as we think they are, we all have some intuition on unspoken things. Covering things up will only deteriorate the authenticity, making it harder to believe in.

5) Make choices.
Another big problem with internet is that it's offering the illusion of choice, and perfection. Tons of guys/girls hitting your "Like" button is frequent, but does not in any way indicates if it could really hold over time. A lot of people on dating sites take such a Like for granted, believing they could have them all, leading to bigger and bigger criterias lists for "the right one". This point also goes circular with point 1) above, so basically, "it's a trap !". This point also leads to ...

6) Nobody's perfect.
Every person does have strengthes and weaknesses, even Ryan Gosling when he's in a bad mood. The moment when these weaknesses kick in is just a matter of time, relative to each person's honesty. So in the quest of finding "the right one", just assume you have to accept that she/he will have his/her downs, and will not fulfill all your dreams constantly. Just choose the 3 - 4 most important human qualities you need, search for them in your conversations, all while asking yourself if his/her weaknesses would really prevent you from being happy together.

If I had to raise a warning, it would not be about meeting a potential robber. But about the fact that very few people took the time to think about all these things, making these traps open one after another under their feet, therefore under yours. Anyway, stay positive, and just prepare to meet lots and lots of online people before finding the "right one". Except if you got an exceptional luck, in which case I'd suggest to start a Poker career.


And if it's not for dating, just meet the damn person, and get away if you don't feel it.

[Deleted]

what to think about before meeting someone from internet?

one thought i have is that they might rob me or do worse things you never know

is it a right fear to have about it?

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-30193056

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...-internet.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_homicide

ENJOY!

[Ciddy]

Well, if you're honestly worried that the person might rob you or something, you probably don't know him/her well enough. I'd just cut it off right there and keep things to an "online only" friendship if you're worried about that. Or maybe start slow, by meeting in public places (maybe just hang out in a coffee shop for a while or something), until you have a better feel for things.

[Deleted]

I have met my significant other trough WoW and we now life together here in Ireland.
I also met quite a few friends all over Europe that I still see every year.

The internet is not a scary place, Its a great place you can meet people that have similar interests as you.
Its a lot easier and saver meeting people on the interwebz then say in a bar or pub.

[Twister]

Been meeting a lot of people from the net (mostly for dating, and in the past from simple chats). I'm a guy btw. Assuming this is for dating, a few suggestions...

This is great !
I would totally sign under that if I could. You sir, are my hero of the day ! :-)