[HookemHorns]

hey just a quick q. has anybody met somebody off of craigslist? i dunno. i went on it and i heard there are some weirdos on there, but i heard there are cool people.

here's my situation. i need to find somebody that will be willing to be my practice buddy to kick around a soccer ball with (i'm trying to train for a soccer league) . i dont know anybody here and i thought of advertising like on craigslist. do you think its safe? im over 21 and a guy. but still , i dont want to meet any scary people ya dig.

[ANOther]

Do. Not. Meet. Anybody. Alone. We just had a case around here (Minneapolis suburbs) where a guy put up a phony "want a babysitter" ad on craigslist and then murdered the woman who answered. Most people are probably ok but you can't be too careful.

[midwife]

I wouldn't.

Call the soccer league and let them know your plans. Maybe they know someone who is interested.

[LindaT]

I've met people from online and it's been fine, but make sure you

1) meet in a public place,
2) park your car where they cannot see the plates,
2) make sure many people know where you are
4) tell your friends a set time that you are meeting so they should be concerned if they don't hear from you by a certain time after that
5) Take a cell phone with you

No matter how much you may email or talk online with someone, when you meet them they are still a stranger so take appropriate precautions. If the other person protests meeting in public, then don't do it. Always take care of your own safety.

[veggielover]

In NYC, there was a man who contacted 2 women on craigslist for explicit purposes. This was all over the news the next day- the man met the 2 women (ex-cons), both the women beat him close to death and robbed him of his money. I've met a person off craigslist once and she was an awesome friend! But be careful meeting people over the internet, best to do it in public places.

[charolastra00]

I got an apartment off of Craigslist, but I went with 4 friends- one came in with me, two stayed outside "just in case" and didn't let their presence be known.

I meet people from online all the time- but always in a VERY public place. My friends also call me at set intervals. At least the first few dates, I will not deviate from public places in a city. Honestly, meeting people online to me is the same as meeting people in a bar, club, or even a college class. Most of the time, they're good people but you never know.

I'd just be afraid of getting the crazies on craigslist. You could try, but expect to get a few explicit "I'd like to kick around your soccer ball " type messages. And if at any moment, you get a weird feeling, trust your gut and stop communication.

[HookemHorns]

thanks to those who replied!! yah i should have clarified my first thread.... my main concern is people off craigslist.. you see, i've met wonderful friends/people in real life from message boards and they turned out great.... with message boards/communities, its like you can read their old posts and get to know them and they can be accounted for.. but with craigslist, its just like... BAM... people usually meet like that day or that weekend.... so its diff. everything is so fast...

but the cool thing is that it will be a soccer field so it will be out in the open and where the field is, cars drive by. the only reason why i raised a red flag was before i found the "Activities" section for craigslist , i clicked on other social sections and lets just say that most were sexual. even the ones under like events and general.

[lola06]

I'm currently dating someone I met from craigslist, so I say go for it. But stick to the guidelines LindaT posted, they're very practical. I would also say listen a lot. I know we as women tend to want to do a lot of the talking in the beginning, but ask lots of questions. Most people when given the opportunity to talk about themselves will take it. When people show you who they are, believe them.

[atxgirl]

I have 2 great work out partners I met on craigslist and have made other personal and business transactions through the site.

I agree that you have to be cautious and meet in public and all that. You never really know!

[HarpoChicoGroucho]

I found a walking buddy on CL, and I put an ad to sell my guitar and started dating the guy I sold it to. I ALWAYS meet in a VERY public place. And before I meet anyone, I slip my pepper spray in my pocket.

[almostheaven]

I see no difference in meeting people from Craigslists as from anywhere on the internet. You always need to take the same precautions. Make sure people know where you'll be, make it public, and have someone with you. Keep it public until you're sure you've gotten to know this person well enough. Just always play it safe with anyone you meet from the internet, whether it's meeting them for a relationship, excercise buddy, to sell or buy from/to them, etc.

There are weirdos everywhere. Maybe Craigslist just gets a bad rap because it's such a large list. Of course they're going to have a larger group of weirdos.

[nylisa]

Stick with the basic safety precautions Linda T posted & you should be ok. If you don't already have an e-mail account dedicated to that type of thing, create one (but leave out things like your last name, etc.). Don't e-mail from work though because the IP address (which can be viewed by the person receiving the e-mail) can be run through different sources which will, at the very least, let the person know your Internet Service Provider's name & quite possibly the company name. After a few e-mails, you can go to cell phone. E-mail & calls can help weed out a lot of the stranger people.

[xFatKidx]

Originally Posted by HookemHorns

you see, i've met wonderful friends/people in real life from message boards and they turned out great....

LOL good to know u thought i turned out to be "great" lolololloll sorry... <--not tompkins banana lol