by editor | Jun 12, 2012 | Lifestyle
Verify The Identity Of Your Online Dating Match
The biggest hurdle that most people face in online dating world
is the question and concern of whether the person at the other
end of the conversation is really who he or she says that they
are. It is hard to get comfortable with the person you are about
to meet, when you have no other connection to that person beyond
an anonymous internet connection.
In the real world of dating, before you go on a first date, you
probably know:
* Where someone works;
* Where they live;
* Who some of their friends are;
* Where they go to hang out;
* What they drive…
Sure, you cannot tell a lot about a person from information such
as this, but you can sure tell a friend these things in the event
that something goes awry on your first date. It is always better
to be safe than sorry.
Your friends are able to know something real and truthful about
the person you are about to go on a date with, because you are
able to learn that information before you go on your first date.
But, when you are doing the online dating thing, you can chat or
email back and forth with a potential date, and even after
several months of talking, you could potentially still not know
the first thing about the person you are ready to meet. For all
you know, they could be pathological liars.
With online dating, it is difficult to really know anything about
the person you want to meet, UNLESS, you join a dating website
that has systems in place to verify the information that a person
gives online. For example, does he or she really work where they
say? Do they live where they say? Is that picture on their
profile really what they look like in person?
But, if like me you have been around online dating for a number
of years, it is really difficult to find a website that offers
systems to enable the dating website’s management team to verify
any kind of information about their members.
When I took the decision to start an online dating site, I wanted
to set up a system that would allow our management team to verify
information about our members, so that we could offer our members
a safer online dating environment. On our website, with our
latest service upgrade, we finally have the ability to verify
information about our members, providing our members a much more
honest and safe dating community.
Although members are not required to verify their personal
information, we do give our users several ways to verify their
personal information. When a member verifies their personal
information, we show our other members a logo which identifies
what information has been verified in the user’s profile.
Online dating should lead to fun and fulfillment, and hopefully,
we have been able to introduce an element to our site that will
let you see our dating community as one of the safer dating
websites available online.
———————————————————————
Lance Metzger writes about relationships, offline and online
dating. Our no-strings-attached dating site has become a popular
online adult dating destination, due to its large membership
base of people looking for relationships of all kinds. Learn
more at: http://www.nsadatingsite.com/
Consider Lance’s new Kindle book, “Making Memories: Creative
Dating Ideas”: http://raintreepublishing.com/creative-dating-ideas/
by editor | Jun 12, 2012 | Lifestyle
When seeking romance on the Internet, you should be aware of the
many scammers that are seeking to victimize those looking for love.
A friend of mine recently experienced a scammer’s attempt to get
into his wallet. I warned him of the danger, but he wanted his
new girl to be real, so he was willing to remain optimistic
through the entire process.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not have a problem with optimistic
people, especially since I live an optimistic life, even myself.
Through the entire process, my friend would call and ask what I
thought of his interactions for that day. I tried not to be too
critical of his potential new love, but I frequently cautioned
him to look for red flags in her story.
Here is a short list of the Red Flags you should be aware of when
seeking a date online:
* Declarations of Love after only a few emails. When someone
declares their undying love after only a few emails and before
you have met them in person, the most impressive of red flags
should be triggered. There are only two types of people who
declare love, without first meeting you in person: 1] desperate
stalkers (do you remember the movie, Fatal Attraction), or 2]
scammers.
* They Are Out-of-Country – They may say they are from the
United States, but for whatever reason, they are outside the
country currently. This is the first signal of their upcoming
bait-and-hook strategy. What this generally leads to is a
suggestion that they do not have the money to come home and they
need your assistance to pay for their flight; or in one
conversation I was involved, her U.S. babysitter is demanding
money to pay for babysitting services for her young child. If you
send them the money, they will lose it, or the money will be
stolen from them, and they will need more so that they can get
back home to you.
* They Dodge Personal Questions – They always seem distracted or
dim-witted when you ask them questions. Nine times in ten, they
will never answer a question you asked. If you are wondering what
is up, keep asking questions. This is important, and it takes us
to our next red flag.
* Look For Inconsistencies In Their Story – My friend finally
caught the red flag when his girl, who had already explained that
both of her parents had died in a car wreck four years before,
slipped up. She said the reason that she chose to go to college
in Nigeria (go figure) was that her dad “owns” a business
there. (Which dad? Her dead one?)
* Bad Grammar and Spelling – Don’t get me wrong. There are
plenty of people here in the U.S., who don’t spell so hot. But
those who are in the States will mask their poor spelling and
grammar with plenty of abbreviations: LOL (Laughing Out Loud),
BRB (Be Right Back), TTYL (Talk To You Later), CYA (See Ya),
ROFLOL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing Out Loud), and WTF (What
The … you know). Foreigners don’t know these keyboard
shortcuts, nor would they understand why they would be used.
* Lackluster Photographs – Frequently they show pictures with
little or no quality, pictures that are hard to see. Some will
actually have two or three good quality pics, but not more. (This
isn’t a perfect catch, since I only have two photos, one of
which is from a professional photo place.) But, as has been
pointed out many times before, the scammers will NEVER have a
photo with their friends. If the scammer sends you a small photo,
ask for a bigger copy. The scammer will not be able to produce
one. (This is an area where my own photos can be seen to be real,
as I can produce all my photos in their original monster-size.)
* Lack of Local Knowledge – When my friend found his girl, she
claimed to have been from a town only 15 miles from his home.
Even if he had never been to her town, he could go to Google to
find some information about her town (which he did). When they
are from your town, you can ask them about favorite restaurants
or party places. Don’t be afraid to test them by asking about
something that you know does not exist. If they claim knowledge
of what you know does not exist, then you will have received a
super huge red flag.
* They Have No Family – This is frequently a hook for gaining
your sympathy. Sometimes it might be true, we do know of people
who have lost their whole families. But if they volunteer the
information, without your first asking, then you definitely need
to red flag that contact, and start looking for other red flags.
Many of these red flag items should not be viewed as absolute
signals of a fraudulent flirt. But, when red flags start piling
up, you should be fully aware of the very real potential of
someone trying to scam you.
If you see any of these red flags, but you wish to remain
optimistic, figure out what you think the bait-and-hook will be,
and then make sure that you don’t fall for it when it comes to
you.
If an online lover requires you to spend money or give them
money, then you need to notify the dating website where you met
this person, so that the dating website can kick that person off
the website.
My friend was seeing red flags left and right, and yet he desired
to remain positive. I told him what the bait-and-hook would be,
and he continued forward optimistically. Then on a lark, he put a
sentence from his lover’s first email into Google and discovered
a word-for-word documentation of all of the emails he received
from his girl on a website called: http://www.RomanceScam.com
My friend did not have to play the game until the bait-and-hook
was offered. Instead, he was able to see well ahead of that play
that his girl was sending him a series of form letters that she
(or he) uses with many potential marks.
Fortunately, my friend was able to see the light before his phony
girl got into his wallet. And hopefully, since you have now read
this article and you are now aware of what is going on out there
in the online dating world, you will not get taken to the
cleaners either.
———————————————————————
Lance Metzger writes about relationships, offline and online
dating. Our no-strings-attached dating site has become a popular
online adult dating destination, due to its large membership
base of people looking for relationships of all kinds. Learn
more at: http://www.nsadatingsite.com/
Consider Lance’s new Kindle book, “Making Memories: Creative
Dating Ideas”: http://raintreepublishing.com/creative-dating-ideas/
by editor | Jun 12, 2012 | Lifestyle
London 2012′s oldest torchbearer celebrates her 100th birthday
Diana Gould celebrates hitting three figures with an exercise class and cake at her Barnet retirement home
London 2012′s oldest Olympic torchbearer Diana Gould today celebrated reaching the landmark age of 100.
To mark the special day, Diana held a communal exercise class for the residents of the block of retirement flats in which she lives and was later presented with a cake by her friends. Diana is set to run with the torch on Day 68 of the Olympic Torch Relay, just 2 days before the torch arrives to light the cauldron at the Olympic Park during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
In the below footage, Diana gives her thoughts on reaching 100, her reaction to receiving her letter from the Queen and looks ahead to running with the Torch in late July
by editor | Jun 12, 2012 | Lifestyle
The Jamaica Olympic Association And PUMA
Unveil Olympic Apparel For London 2012, Designed By Cedella Marley
Usain Bolt and Cedella Marley Showcase the Jamaica Track & Field Olympic Wear
London, United Kingdom (June 1, 2012) –The Jamaica Olympic Association and PUMA today launched the Jamaican Team uniforms for the London 2012 Olympic Games™, including podium and ceremony wear with the help of Jamaican Track Athlete and World’s Fastest man Usain Bolt. Fashion designer Cedella Marley, daughter of Reggae icon the late Bob Marley, unveiled her designs alongside Usain Bolt at the launch in London today.
The designs will be worn by the entire team (men and women), including three-time Jamaican Olympic gold medallist, fastest man in the world and PUMA athlete Usain Bolt. PUMA’s partnership with Marley, the eldest daughter in the Jamaican family dynasty, underscores the brand’s long-time commitment to the Caribbean nation, with its rich cultural heritage, global music contributions and its unparalleled dedication to Athletics.
“It is truly an honor to design this collection for my home country and my home team,” said Cedella Marley. “It’s not even a dream come true because it’s something I never dreamed would be possible. I ran track in high school in Jamaica and I’m still a huge fan of Jamaican Athletics, so to have a role in creating the outfits for our Olympians is a thrill. I admire what PUMA has been doing in Jamaica over the years and the Marley family has the same type of give-back philosophy. I think this partnership is going to be legendary.”
Staying true to PUMA’s DNA of sportlifestyle, the collection incorporates high-tech fabrics and silhouettes engineered to enhance the performance of the athletes hailing from the fastest country in the world—Jamaica. Taking inspiration from the vibrant colors and patterns of the Caribbean nation as well as the African influences that have come to characterize that country, Cedella Marley’s unique designs are sure to make the world take notice in the summer of 2012.
“I can’t think of a better person to design our Olympic outfits than Cedella,” said Usain Bolt. “PUMA got that right…hooking up with a legendary Jamaican. She’s a great designer but also carries on the spirit of our nation through the legacy of the Marley family. It’s going to be inspirational to run in London with that energy surrounding me.”
PUMA’s Olympic wear will be accompanied by a lifestyle collection of apparel, footwear and accessories which will be available at PUMA retail stores globally in June 2012.
by editor | Jun 12, 2012 | Lifestyle
Montblanc Hosts International Gala Event
to Celebrate the Official Opening of its New
and Biggest Concept Store of Montblanc in the World
VIP Guests Nicolas Cage, Naomi Watts, Jessica Alba and Amber Heard Attend Opening
International guests from the worlds of film, music and the arts joined luxury Maison Montblanc, for an epic and unique celebration to launch its new 4-storey store in the heart of Sanlitun in Beijing. This contemporary and imposing concept store is Montblanc’s biggest flagship in the world, a place where visitors will be invited to discover the world of Montblanc masterpieces in an interactive and innovative way.
At the World Premiere of its China flagship store, Montblanc presented the entire Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco, an exquisite tribute to the timeless elegance of Grace Kelly. Bringing together all the facets of the brand’s renowned expertise, on this special evening in Beijing, Montblanc celebrated the captivating life and style of the late Princess Grace of Monaco with this collection of precious Watches, Writing Instruments and Jewellery. On the doorstep of the new concept store, guests were transported to the historic streets of Europe’s prestigious principality, Monaco, recreated in China’s capital for one night only
