You can ‘get to know’ someone from behind the safety of a screen.

But a recent study by the University of South Florida suggests that – while a short period of messaging is fine – we actually shouldn’t wait too long to arrange a meeting.

Like long walks on the beach and candlelit suppers?

Either try to put this in a more original way, or leave it out altogether.

No longer do we see tabloid headlines screaming ‘meet the couple who found love ON THE INTERNET!So, whether you chose to indulge in a hot bath and a book, a pre-date calorie burn at the gym or fake it with a spray tan, keeping yourself occupied will prevent you from overthinking possible dating scenarios, so that when it comes to the big date itself, you’ll be relaxed and ready to go have a good time.Where possible, choose a public or familiar place to meet where you’ll feel comfortable and secure in your surroundings.Since their emergence in the mid-1990’s, online dating services have become an increasingly popular way for Americans to seek romantic partners and lifelong mates.While people have been finding love online since the earliest days of the internet, through newsgroups, chat rooms, games and other online communities, the meteoric development of the commercial dating industry has brought millions of paying users and mainstream exposure to the activity.What’s more, a study by dating site e Harmony, estimated that seven in ten couples will have done so by 2040 – with 55 to 64-year-olds experiencing the biggest boom (an expected 30 per cent rise between 20).Of course, exchanging a barrage of emails – even phone calls or Skyping– can seem more secure.Ahead of your first date, preparation will play a big part in keeping your stomach from doing somersaults at the mere mention of your date’s name.If you’ve been talking online, it’s more than likely that you’ll know the basics about your date and like what you’ve seen.Here at match.com, we’ve got our top dating advice tips on what you can do to showcase your fabulous self without revealing your entire life story.When you’re behind a screen, there could be a temptation to make things up particularly if you feel that it will help attract more matches.As some of the most popular online dating services suggest, users enjoy access to a pool of potential mates that is larger and easier to navigate than the offline world, and only costs as much as “the price of a couple drinks.” Online dating has not always had the best reputation.When online dating activity was observed in the mid-1990s, some attention focused on the ease with which people could deceive others. You might find yourself having an erotic chat with someone named Bambi4You, who is really a man pretending to be a woman. the combinations are numerous.” “While Internet use can expand the number ofrelationships—intimate or not— and reduce the costsof long-distance communication, habitual use can alsoreduce a person’s social contacts with family membersand in-person friends, experts say.In the hours before your first date, make sure you distract yourself and you’ll help to keep those pre-date jitters at bay.If a workout at the gym is your fail-safe stress reliever or a glowing tan is your ultimate confidence booster, you’re not alone; according to our Love Geist research, Londoners are twice as likely to hit the gym ahead of their first date while daters in the North West are 95% more likely to go for a sunbed or apply fake tan!