Internet dating question - am I being smart or stupid?

I have never been a fan of internet dating & have no desire to do it. However I was secretly looking at one of those sites as had been told a friend was on it. Just wanted to check for a laugh. Then a guy caught my eye so I signed on to contact him. Pics & what he wrote seem perfectly normal, if not a tad shy. Not Brad Pitt hot but someone I find attractive. I plan on meeting him in a public place. No exchanging of emails but getting to know each other face to face as if we had met at a bar or something. Advice ?? I mean how do you really know about anyone, right? PS. Just to add: I live in Australia and while we don't have zero crime, we have a smaller population and thus (hopefully) a lower number of crazy people compared to USA. I have nothing against USA...been there a number of times and had safe fun visits to big cities.

Public Comments

1. On the internet you can be anyone you create. You can not tell if someone is off the wall by their appearance. If you are meeting wonder person, have someone else accompany you and do not give out any indications of where you live or your # or whatever.
2. Internet dating is perfectly OK if you go about it the right way. In fact it is pretty good, because you get to know a person before you meet and therefore it's easier to back out. Here is how you should go about it for safety and your own benefit. When you find someone who is of interest, or if they find you, take time to write back and forth for a few weeks. Through someones writing you can learn a lot. You can see if their view of thing is similar to yours. You can see if they are educated, traveled, have friends, etc. At some point decide to talk on the phone. Except for you phone #, you are anonymous. Take your time over the next few weeks. When you feel good about your phone conversations, decide to meet in person. Best is for lunch, if at all possible, but dinner at a casual public restaurant is OK. Let friends know where you are going, who you are meeting and when you will be back. After the first meeting, go home by yourself. Don't go anywhere else. It should be a slow progress, all the time learning and understanding if you are compatible. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or things don't go anyplace, simply say "thanks for your time" and move on. Hope this helps.