Open relationships are a wonderful way to reintroduce excitement and romance into your current relationship. Often, meeting new open relationship-minded people means using an open relationship dating site (like ours, nudge, nudge) to connect with others looking for similar experiences.
Whether you go it alone, or have a partner, safety should always be the main focal point in any online dating scenario.
Understanding Open Relationships
Open relationships are a part of a broader modern dating spectrum. And there’s a lot of variants to open relationship structures. If you peruse our open relationship blog, you’ll find all that information and more.
Open relationships typically involve the inclusion of more than two partners. The additional partners are often discovered using online dating websites and apps.
But one shouldn’t look at open relationship dating, at least online, through a tight lense. There are many considerations to take into account, all of which involve safety for you and yours.
So let’s get into how you can stay safe in an open relationship without sacrificing any of the fun and excitement.
Only Deal With Safety-Minded People
No matter what type of a relationship you’re seeking online, no one tip is more powerful than this one.
If the person you’re chatting with on a dating website or app seems to be throwing caution to the wind, its a red flag.
People you chat with online should prioritize their safety. If they aren’t, something may be off.
Listen, of course some people simply get caught up in the moment when an online dating chat gets exciting. When people connect online, they can feel as though they’ve known the person for years. That’s all fair.
However, when it gets down to “let’s meet,” someone needs to take the wheel and steer the conversation towards some basic safety protocols.
Protocol 1: Meet in Public
The first meeting should be in public. As cliche as it may sound, a coffee shop works well. Meeting in public helps you add a layer of safety to your “getting to know the person” process. Bad things are less likely to happen in a public place.
Moreover, if the person want’s you to “get out of here” with them and go somewhere private, don’t.
Make it clear before the meet up that this is a simple meet and greet. If they try to remove you from the agreed upon public place, you can politely decline.
This safety protocol is a healthy way forward for all partners. You get to know someone in a public, safer environment and decide if you all are “hitting it off.”
Protocol 2: Take a Pass on the Booze
This is often the most challenging online dating safety protocol for people. This is because many people use alcohol to get a little social energy.
We get it.
But alcohol equally disarms some of your instincts and makes your ability to read people way more challenging.
If you’re drinking, you are more likely to “take a chance” and go back to someone’s place. Remember, you don’t know this person that well.
Drinking also lowers inhibitions and may cause you to participate in things you wouldn’t otherwise.
Drinking also degrades your ability to get to know someone and interpret their true intentions.
There’s nothing wrong with drinking with people you know well. But when you don’t know them accept from chatting online, push the drinks for a future date.
Protocol 3: Don’t Give Out Private Info
You just met this person, do you really think they need your address?
You can tell someone where you live roughly.
And certainly, they don’t need your birth date, or middle name.
Anyone asking you for this information likely has very nefarious intentions. Some people may start by asking you for your astrology sign. Then they’ll ask you to clarify by your exact birth date. Suddenly, someone you’ve never met is curious about your middle name. At some point, the person has enough info to steal your identity.
Protocol 4: Always Tell Someone Where You Are Going
Always have that one friend who knows exactly where you are going when you meet someone new. And to double-down, as soon as you arrive at the destination and meet the person, make it known that you’re texting that person.
“One second, my friend Catherine wanted me to check in with where I am, let me text her back real quick.”
While it may seem innocuous, it sends a message that someone knows where you went and to some degree, who you went to meet.
Its a big deterrent in the event the person you meet has any ill-intentions.
If the meet up last, you can also let it be known you are checking in again.
Conclusion
Online dating is a fun and exciting way to meet new people, particularly in modern, open dating. But its always important to focus on safety for yourself and your partners. Most online dating meet ups go wonderfully, particularly when you focus on the safe roads.
Remember, a big deterrent from scams and other nefarious behavior happens before you ever meet up. When someone realizes your not naive and you pay attention to safety, they’ll likely forgo the meet up.