People over 60 represent the most rapidly growing demographic in online dating. However, this can be a whole different world for non-digital natives.
A strong resource to utilize for online dating-related issues you may need answers to is www.senior-dating.org. The hesitations that you have may also be the same concerns of those you will meet online. For example, you will lose some of your privacy, as you will be sharing your picture, your interests, and what kind of person you’re looking for.
Eight Rules to Follow Regarding Online Dating:
- Beware of those that seem too good to be true.
- If someone does not respond to your email, do not take it personally.
- If someone contacts you and you are not interested, politely respond with a “thanks, but no thanks.”
- Meet for coffee or short dates.
- If you decide that you never want to see this person again, wait until you get home and notify them by email.
- Create a new email account specifically for online dating and do not share personal information, such as your last name and personal cell phone, which can be used to find out more information about you.
- Beware of married people who can hide behind online dating services.
- Stick with paid online dating services, where members must procide a credit card or other information that identifies them.
Senior Friendly Dating Sites:
- Match.com lists 2.5 million seniors out of its more than 17 million members.
- eHarmony has more than 20 million registered users and a Compatibility Matching System, which claims to find the most compatible matches based on your profile.
- AARP Dating allows users to propose a date or scan dates that potential partners have proposed, and thus find a person with the same interests.
- OurTime is one of the most popular dating sites catering to those over 50, with profile questions that seniors would find important, such as “Are you a punctual person?”
- OkCupid has more than 3.5 million active users
