the safety precautions are a must, must, must. be careful...even if you have talked to them for months and feel comfortable still use precautions online or real life!! a real Dom or Master will appreciate the fact that you have takes these steps. talk to them first...get to know them, take your time. there are a lot of idiots out there. it takes time to weed them out.
i once heard it referred to as Dom shopping. lol
but in all seriousness, just be careful and use your best judgement.