I'm sure that everyone has their own preferences. For me, if I've spent a good amount of time e-mailing and talking with a guy and we've got a good, playful rapport going, then I'll feel more like I'm meeting a friend and give him a quick hello hug. Any more physical contact than that really depends on how the date is going. I would probably feel a little squeamish if some guy I'd just met put his arm around me. That's a pretty possessive move and some women can be put off by that sort of thing too early in a relationship. It sort of makes the safety flag go up, even if your intentions are entirely pure. Plus I would totally be thinking about those movie scenes, like in Grease at the drive-in, where the guy's arm slowly creeps around the girl. Awkward. I might wait for her to give some clues that she's okay with physical contact before going there.