How to Connect With People on the Internet Safely

Being an internet user, you know that millions of other people are active online too. A significant percentage of that population is likely looking to connect with you.

If you are also hoping for the same thing, the possibility of meeting someone like yourself online is high.

Whether you’re looking to meet casually, for work or dating, you need to take Internet safety precautions.

Additionally, you will less likely be interacting with people you already know, so trusting them to do the right thing all the time shouldn’t be an option.

12 Tips to Ensure Safe Online Interactions on Internet

Here are a few tips you need to keep in mind to ensure safe online interactions:

1. Make Good Use of Privacy Settings

These settings control how other people on the internet interact with your private information. You choose what to share by giving or denying consent.

When interacting in the virtual world, this is an invaluable capability. Use privacy settings that are harmless and do not compromise your security.

Before downloading or joining any online platform, please read and understand their privacy settings.

You can easily decide what to disclose and what to conceal. By learning how much of your private information will be shared with the public.

2. Go Slow on Sharing Your Professional and Sensitive Information

Meeting new friends on the internet is exciting. It is possible to connect with a stranger online so intimately that you feel tempted to share sensitive information.

It might feel safe at some moment, but things can quickly turn for the worst. The internet is not the best place to store what you consider to be confidential information.

Since they are still strangers, you can’t be sure about their real intentions. If you meet someone you like online, take time to verify their identity on Nuwber.

It’s not wrong, but sharing personal or professional information is a huge privacy risk.

Beware of websites that do not ask for your consent before publicising such information.

3. Conduct Proper Research on the Sites You Engage in

Recently, we have seen a surge in social media apps, which only means that people are interacting and sharing their info online now more than ever.

That said, it’s no news that the massive growth comes with its fair share of unsafe apps.

Hence, to increase your chances of meeting genuine people on the internet, you need to be proactive about how and where you interact online.

Discerning the safe apps for use on the internet should be your first step. Do proper diligence to determine the slack apps. A lot of popular social apps are lurking with cybercriminals.

If you come across a new app, inquire more about it. Applications with a longer registration process are usually safe.

4. Don’t Be Everywhere Online.

The best way to safely interact online is by focusing on specific apps or chat groups. Do not go scouring everywhere online. Choose where your interest lies.

For example, if you are interested in art, look for art social groups. Here, you’re sure to meet people with similar interests and possibly make genuine connections.

Increasing your presence on one online platform helps you understand more about it.

Therefore, your chances of discerning genuine people on the site from scammers increase significantly.

5. Be Intentional With Your Online Activities

If you’re using famous online platforms like Twitter or Facebook, being intentional with the people you socialise with goes a long way in keeping you safe online.

Site algorithms look at what you share, like, or post and automatically add you to forums or communities of your interest.

Whichever internet space you choose to join, the more your interest grows in a particular topic; you are more likely to see similar content regularly.

6. Be Honest

Creating new relationships on the internet will require a lot of it. Honesty is an underrated virtue.

If you’re hoping to develop genuine connections with a stranger you just met online, be honest with them.

It only makes sense that if you want to build something with them, you expect them to be honest about who they are, right?

So, why don’t you lead by example and share honest opinions and emotions?

7. Connect With People Who Bring Out Positivity in You

There are four types of people who you should surround yourself with to create a thriving, positive environment; intelligent, ambitious, hardworking, and optimistic thinkers.

Surrounding yourself with positive influencers makes it easy to focus on your goals and dreams.

Interacting with positive thinkers on the internet will energise and motivate, making you feel better.

8. Get the Right Apps

Thanks to digitisation, connecting with like-minded internet users is effortless. There are countless reliable free apps you can use to create new connections and communicate with people online.

Unfortunately, it is easier to get malware when using the “wrong” apps. To avoid gambling with your safety online, use a simple app.

To decide if an app is safe for you or not, consider the app’s security features and user reviews (if any).

A good app should have robust security capabilities and multiple great user reviews.

9. Trust Your Gut

Trusting your instincts is probably the oldest rule of the thumb. It is still applicable in the digital arena as it matters in the conventional world.

Respect the little voice in your head asking you not to join a particular website or talk to a specific person. It is your subconscious picking up danger signals unknown to you.

The purest intuitions are always correct. The subconscious part of you gets the first warning sign when something is off.

It is best to address it because if it’s wrong, you lose nothing, but there’s no limit to what you could lose if it’s right.

10. Have Safe Conversations

Healthy conversations foster compassion and discretion in your future relationships.

It calls for respectful and keen listening, reasoning, validation, mirroring, and empathy.

Engaging in safe conversation spaces creates a strong foundation for meaningful relationships online.

If someone tries to ask you for your personal information, ignore that person.

11. Report and Block Any Form of Abuse

Not everyone online is looking to make friends or socialise. Many people you’d wish to interact with are motivated by ill intentions.

Reporting a post or a person only gets their post removed or deleted. The person is not punished.

They can reach out to you again if they want to. You have to block them from accessing your account.

Reporting internet bullies helps keep online interactions safe. There are report and block options on most communication apps that send a signal in one click.

All social sites and applications have one of these settings.

12. Create Digital Boundaries

These boundaries are property lines meant to optimise positivity and keep you away from negativity online. Digital boundaries determine how you interact with people online.

You should only share your feelings, photos, or videos when it feels comfortable on Instagram.

If the conversation is hurting or no longer feels comfortable, walk away. It’s not always clear when someone crosses your boundaries.

However, you can tell when you’re no longer happy with where a conversation is headed, and that’s always a good time to end it.

Our Thoughts

There is no strategy for ensuring 100% safety when connecting with strangers online. However, these precautions will help you interact, socialise, and network safely.

Online security is a personal responsibility, and you should be proactive in mitigating all risks that come with meeting people online.