I’ve met quite a few folks online who had no intention of doing anything other than texting and chatting online.

Please understand I will not do that.

If we are local to one another, I’ll want to meet within a couple of weeks. If we are not local and seem to be hitting it off via text, I’d expect you would want to initiate a phone or video call. Texting can only do so much.

If we connect well over phone/video chat and are interested in seeing if there’s really something there worth pursuing, we will need to arrange an in-person meeting relatively soon both to ensure we click in person and to demonstrate we are both serious about trying. I will not let anything drag out more than two months without meeting. This is a hard limit for me.

Refusing to meet, continuing to find excuses why it’s not possible (e.g., work is just too busy, family’s coming to visit), or always pushing back the date are big red flags to me.

I guess the take away is this: I really am looking for something real and for someone who is also looking for something real.