Is it bad to meet someone online? I'm not talking like dating sites, but more like internet chat rooms...?

Is it really bad to meet and get to know someone you've met online in a chatroom???

How do you know if you can trust them? If you've been instant messaging them for a few weeks, emailing, and you talk to them on the phone regularly, THEN is it okay to go ahead and meet up? Or is it too dangerous all together, even if there's tons of people around and you brought a friend or two with you??

What do you think??

Ive met a few off the internet
BUT i give it at least 6 months chatting,phone chatting,webcamming,etc.. for to know if its really them!!

Make sure the person has a webcam and goes on cam almost everyday while talking to you, or else you cant be sure its really them.

Ive never had one problem making friends off the net and meeting them in person, because im sensible about it and dont go meeting them after just a few chats.

Make sure that you get the idiots out of your life though, if they turn out to be freaks etc.. then get rid of them asap

Never give them your address or home phone number.

Always meet for the first time in a public place, definetly take a friend with you (if its possible) if not, make sure you tell a friend where you are going and who with and have that friend on call so if this guy turns out to be weird or freaky etc.. txt the friend to call and make out that he/she needs you so you can make an excuse to leave etc..

Always meet with heaps of people around, so if he tries anything you can scream out and someone will be there for you.

NEVER meet during the night that is the worst time.

Also if they drive, make sure you get a family member,friend or you drive to the destination DO NOT arrange for them to pick you up.

Dont ever go meet someone off the net without telling someone that you are meeting them, if it turned ugly and he/she turned crazy raped,murdered,kidnapped you, someone will know what happened who you were with and why you were meeting them, so it would make it easier for the police to track you down or know what went on.

Also, make sure you know their real name and maybe even their full name (get them to show their licence or birth certificate on cam) so then you can tell ur friend their name so if they r a freak the cops can track them down.

Hope i helped.

nothing wrong but be very careful and bring a freind for the first meating

DONT DO IT!

iin my opiiniion ii don't thiink iit iis thatt bad ii met my bf on the iinterenet nd are very happy wiith hiim so good luck but get to know the real them with a web cam and ask weather you can add a member of theiir famiily dependiing on your age as they can tell you what they are liike as a person

It's always a risk, and you can't know.
I wouldn't say it's bad, just be vigilant.

ye its quite bad!!! but then it depends on things like your age and where you would meet! i wouldnt recommend it , but ppl have met their future partner over the interent which i think is odd lol... BE CAREFULL if your thinking of meeting someone!

I think that you should do some research on this guy :]
Like what is he about, any speaking or meeting up to quickly? Like anything suspicious at all.
And if your really planning on meeting him, bring a lot of friends, i'm serious, you don't know what's behind that's door.
Becareful, I don't wanna hear anything bad on the news now ;]
Have some faith though

personally I BELIEVE IT IS DANGEROUS,. HOW OLD AREU ? I cant tell u what to do, asu have to make the decision on ur own. would i do it ? maybe if i went with a friend, b/c there are safety in numbers, BUT AGAIN MAYBE THIS PERSON IS LYING TO U? MAYBE HES MUCH OLDER OR A PREDATOR OR SOMETHING, BE CAREFUL AND AS FOR ME, IF I WERE U, I WOULD NOT DO IT. IM MALE 43 AND AM A CAREFUL PERSON AND WOULDWORRY THE WHOLE TIME IF I WAS OUT WITH A CRAZY PERSON OR NOT.

Not bad if you trust that person and think he is really a genuine person.

Well. Yes and no. It's a risk you take and as long as your careful it should be fine.

If you have been phoning and e-mailing then it does make it a little better.

However meetup in a public place where there are a load of people and bring a friend or two and it should be ok...

Personally i have met a few ladies i chatted with online.
Seemed like the only thing they wanted was sex and to be able to come over and crawl into my bed when they felt the urge. I never opened the door or even invited this kind of behavior. I say alot of people online are really weird and some are just down right rude/weird!

I had a girl show up at my house one night begging for sex.
Who does that?
I know society expects me to accept that but i don't! I have integrity and my mom raised me better than that.

If you meet make sure it's public and never go straight home after parting. I might suggest a friends house whom is going to be home. Make sure you never divulge your address and such! Be safe!

nothing wrong with it at all... provided you are both there for the same thing at the same time...

i've met loads of people online... some just chatted, some seem to need someone to unload problems on, some need some thing more "naughty"... and some are just freaks and weirdos!!!

i have made loads of friends on here, and enjoyed it all...

It is not as such bad but better be carefull . Never tell anyone your phone number , address or personal profile and don't even give them your photos . Nowadays cyber crime is really common . Never trust anyone you don't know. They might blackmail you so better not join sites like that . And most importantly don't fall in love with someone online . Be with people you know .

As a friend i am giving this advice!!!

Do what you feel happy doing.

There is always the possibility that the person is a freak or something.But if you take your friends with you and you go to a public place, i think it would be ok. As long as they look after you. But i think the best is to know someone before going out with them.Life is cruel, alot of bad stuff happen if you don't look after yourself.

Try to know the person as best you can before you meet face to face and then try a double date so you can get your friends opinions.

Huni you cant trust anybody online........
Chatings good but dont give out too much Information..
There are some wierdos out there

bring a frend thats the better option and dont meet up enywhere private u cant trust someone u havnt met face 2 facetill u see them in person and know what they are really like. good luck

No, it's not bad at all to meet someone online, I met my daughter's dad online, and a multitude of others, some of whom I honestly believe will be my friends for life.

It sounds to me like you've taken it slowly enough that I think you'd have a pretty good grasp of what the person might be like. Have you noticed any inconsistencies over the period of time you've been communicating? Is he/she into any kinda strange hobbies or interests? Do they have an admitted history of violence? Have you done a background check on them at all?

Number one rule of online dating: Always meet for the first time in a very public place, and yes, it might not be a bad idea to bring some friends. Or at least have them strategically placed in the area of the scheduled meeting, they don't have to sit WITH you, but it's always reassuring to know that if the person turns out to be a super freak who wants to wear your skin, chances are good your friends aren't going to allow it to happen.

And don't be too disappointed if the chemistry you feel online isn't there in person, it happens a lot, chalk it up to experience and carry on, even if you can't be in a dating type of relationship, they might make an awesome friend, and everyone can use a few more friends in this world. Best of luck!

i think it is not bad to meet someone...sometimes it is good to take a risk to know him/her better.. life is full of surprises..just take care and never trust anybody on first meeting...good luck!

be careful, meet in a public place, bring a friend for the first meeting. Were you haven't actually meet him before remember to take it slow and keep a safety net close as he might not be what he says he is. If things he's told you on the net and phone check out when you meet him in person, see were things go and good luck.
F99

well dera its really an awsome question...
as far as my thinking drags me..i must say that chating is not so bad....but a level must be made ...means while u being a girl chating a boy..u must not chat him so openly as u do with ur own good frnds....
firts u gota know bt each other...then have some time...then be free to each other..
in short chating is not bad..but the ultimate result is in ur own hands...
keep rocking baby..!!Nice Question//

i dont think its bad. ive met some wonderfula nd interesting people online at different times. The thing is, you can never really be sure if that person is being sincere, honest or misleading, so the best advice i can give you is to take everything with a grain of salt. Learn from them, enjoy the conversation, have fun. But trust is a whole other matter and up to your discretion.

It is okay to meet up if you feel that this person and you have good rapport and it is worth it to go beyond a cyber connection. I hate being overly-protective, but in these times, its always better to be sure, so just take precautions in assuring a smooth-sailing first meet-up. So do meet in a place familiar to you, with a good traffic of people and if you feel more comfortable bringing a friend along, then do it.

Your online friend should understand this and hopefully, eventually, you two will someday have to forego all these safety measures and meet like regular people. Hope this helps! :)

I think that it is really dangerous to do this, and from the way that you phrase your question I think you know this. There are just too many unknown variables and too many ways a person can lie and hide things about themselves when on the net. If someone is determined to meet someone they have first contacted via the web then yes, having lot's of friends with them during the meeting is a good idea. Ultimately, however, you are still meeting a complete stranger with absolutely no context or background in which to place them especially if something starts to go wrong. It is a sad fact that predators thrive on this kind of anonymity and wreck the venue of online dating for those who want to meet someone new.
My advice is to meet new people via friends or in the context of a class or club or some kind of shared interest. It is much harder for a predator to hide anonymously within a setting like this and it is easier to get through those first few awkward dates if you are sharing a mutual interest.
It's a shame that it has to be all about safety, but the reality is that nowadays we cannot be too careful.
Take care and good luck.

Initially it is always better to meet the person after initial talk on phone and prefer to meet in the public place. It may be dangerous if you try to meet someone in a lonely place.