I’m one of the girls who “wants to get to know you” before going on a date. I’m typically way more comfortable meeting people in person, as you can read body language and get a feel for the energy they put out. You can learn a ton about someone from just a five minute interaction, and decide whether you want to get to know them better after the intense initial meeting is out of the way. However, it’s more difficult nowadays as my friends find partners or our lives become busier, and it seems my environment is increasingly more limited.

Obviously no conversation compares to face-to-face, but since I can’t get that initial physical read of a person, I need to feel them out in other ways. I don’t want to do the physical and mental first impression all at once. I want to make sure to the best of my abilities that neither of us are setting ourselves up for a horribly awkward, maybe even dangerous, situation.