Just as you might look both ways before crossing a street, in order to avoid getting hit by a car, so, too, can you use certain precautions to make your journeys through Cyberspace, to meet people online, safe and enjoyable. In this information age, it is not too difficult for someone to find out a lot of information about us, such as our home address, from either a phone number or a last name and a first initial. So, first, I would advise being cautious about giving these out, inadvertently or otherwise. A lot of your early contact with people you meet online probably will occur via email. Remember that your business and personal email accounts may have your name or other personal information attached.
Many people get a separate email account specifically for use with personals.
You may want to sign up for a free email address through Hotmail, Juno, or any of a number of other services. So, when initially signing up for this special account, do not use your last name, and you may not want to use your real first name, either. You can make up a code name, or have fun doing something playful. Read about the service before joining. Check out their privacy clause or other policies, so you know how any information that you give them will or will not be used.