SENIOR DATING

Is online dating right for you?
Have you recently realized how much fuller life is when you have someone to share it with and you’re ready to start again?

Here’s the good news: There are more interesting, attractive and available older men and women out there than you know about. You just haven’t met them.

Online dating and online friendship services — whether through online dating Web sites where you post a profile, or online dating personal ads — are not just for young people. More and more, online dating sites are recognizing and making room for the growing number of vibrant single seniors who would love to find love, friendship and companionship with a suitable partner. And better yet, there are a growing number of online dating sites that specialize in seniors meeting seniors.

If you are thinking about online dating, here’s a short list of pros and cons to help you decide if it’s right for you:

Pro

• Online Dating Offers Plenty of Choices: Not since high school or college will you have seen such a large number of potential dates and mates in one place as you will find on an online dating site. It can be heartening just to know how many single seniors out there would love to find a loving partner.

• Online Dating is Relatively Inexpensive: While there are many free chat rooms and online personal ad sites, you may want to invest in paying a small fee to meet people who are more serious about meeting a quality partner. Even if you pay $25 to $50 to join, an online dating service is still cheaper than a senior cruise, and you don’t have to leave home.

• Online Dating Profiles are a Fun Way to Learn About and Meet New People: Online dating sites offer space to write personal profiles that include hobbies, special interests, political beliefs, dreams, goals and favorite activities. These will give you the most accurate idea of what a potential companion is like, and will help you decide if you have enough in common to make a connection. Tip: if someone posted a short profile and clearly put no thought into it, you can expect that kind of communication in real life.

• Online Dating Makes It Simple to Connect: By exchanging e-mail with online dating prospects, you get to know each other slowly, without the awkwardness that comes with first dates. If you choose to meet, you’ll already have found out a lot about each other, know more what to expect, and make you feel more comfortable about reaching out and making the real-life connection.

Con

• Watch Out for Free Online Dating Ads: Some sites allow people to post their profiles and respond to others for free, but unfortunately these free sites often attract weirdos or perverts. It’s important to carefully check out any site before you join.

• Online Dating Does Costs Money: Many online dating sites will allow you to view other people’s profiles before joining, so you get an idea of who’s available. But they often charge to let you reply to a profile, and this is where to beware. Check out the membership dues and rules for each online dating site before you join, especially if they ask you to provide a credit card number. Make sure you know exactly how much it will cost, whether you’re signing up for an automatic renewal that will be charged to your credit card, and what you will need to do to quit the online dating site when you want to.

• Pictures Can Lie: Photos are often an important component of online dating profiles – the visual cue that tells you you’re attracted to the person. Unfortunately, some people post photos that were taken many years ago, or that are extremely flattering and not very true–to–life. If you prepare yourself for the reality that he or she might look as good as their photo, you won’t be disappointed.

People Can Lie Too: In an effort to get more responses, or in some cases to deliberately mislead, some people lie in their online dating profiles. Don’t believe everything you read — if he or she sounds too good to be true, he or she probably is.

 

 

 

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