Online friends are still strangers because you have not yet met them. So proceed carefully. Anyone can say anything in live chat or in email. That 17 year old sweet talking boy online may not be 17 and may not even be a boy. Don't believe everything you read.
Trust takes time to develop.
Meeting someone online and then arranging a date for the following week is reckless and dangerous. Give it time. If he is rushing you - be suspicious. Remember you can get a false impression of how well you know someone from chatting online. It's easy to exaggerate or deceive with online communications.