There are arguments for or against fee and pay (subscription) dating services. And, granted, many happy relationships have originated from both types. But should you go with a free dating site, or social networking site for that matter or a paid subscription dating service?

Well let’s start by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the two:

More on Free vs. Pay Dating Sites – Which One Is Better?

If you are looking for that elusive relationship, free dating online might be something for you to try. First of all, it's cheap. There are no fees to pay for joining dating sites or anything like that. Your only cost would be your monthly internet bill, and that's something you pay anyway. You might wonder just HOW this all works or you may be someone who has already been using this method to meet a potential partner.

As with anything in the world of men and women trying to find love, free online dating has its good points and its bad points. There is a need for lots of common sense when getting to know someone on the internet. First is safety. Since it's free, expect all types of people including creeps and pranksters. We have all heard scary stories about what can happen when love online goes wrong.

But you don't have to be a victim of that sort of horror. If you are smart, you can make the internet work to your advantage.

Also do not expect to find the same type of service and featured as you would in a paid service. It's free and as they say, you get what you pay for.

Before jumping in with both feet, take a few minutes to consider just what you want to gain from this experience. If you are honestly trying to meet a good person through free online dating, it can be done as long as you follow your common sense.

Chat rooms can be highly entertaining and informative. This is where most online couples actually make first contact. If there is a spark, then the conversation moves to a private messenger chat. Following a more involved chat of getting to know each other , photos may be exchanged. While this is all fine and relatively safe, it is never a good idea to start giving out phone numbers and addresses so quickly. Use this as your starting point.

Once you have made a connection, and have chatted online for a reasonable length of time, you might want to consider exchanging phone numbers. If you are a woman, it would be best if he gives you his number rather than you handing out yours. You can always block your phone number when you call him until you feel more comfortable. An even better method of actually speaking with each other is through a VoIP using a microphone.

Obviously, since this is the world of the free internet dating, you will run into a few creeps. They seem to love free sites: after all, unlike paid sites where a credit card leaves a trail, on a free dating site it's easy to hide behind a fake profile. When suspicious, don't let it frighten you or discourage you from free online dating. The Block button was invented for just this sort of situation. Don't hesitate to use it.

When you first set out to experiment with free online dating, remember that everyone was a novice at some point. Don't be nervous or feel silly about asking more experienced friends for advice. They will be happy to help introduce you to this exciting new world.