How to Use Senior Dating Sites
Ever notice how people's ages sound younger as you get older? Someone 50 seemed ancient when you were 20, but now you're 48 and 50 sounds young. Baby Boomers' desire to seek connections no matter their age is the main reason seniors dating sites are doing so well. These are people searching for what most people seek, including travel companions, activity partners and matches for romance and love.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
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1
Limit your search to sites that offer a standard and free membership. Until you get your feet wet, you may not want to provide your credit card information or commit to a monthly fee. Standard memberships usually allow you to post a profile and a photo of yourself. Some sites allow you to receive responses to your posting, but not to reply to them without paying a fee and joining as a "premium" member.
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2
Be polite but guarded when someone contacts you. Communicate with the person via email for a while. If you're alert, you can get a good sense of their motivations through a couple of weeks of writing back and forth. Watch for impatience, wanting to meet you almost immediately, reluctance to talk about themselves or being offline for days at a time without explanations, all signs that something is not quite right.
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3
Protect your identity. Don't reveal your address, phone number or other private information about yourself until you feel ready to meet a person.
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4
Start by making "dates" with each other to share online activities, like playing games or sharing a forum or private chat room.
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Plan the initial in person meeting for a very public place, like a restaurant. It's better to meet for a 20 minute coffee date than for both of you to commit to an hour or longer dinner at an expensive place, and find you have nothing in common.
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Remember senior dating sites are no less vulnerable to scammers, so stay alert to things that seem strange or out of place, such as someone whose profile says they work full time suddenly telling you they've been unemployed for a few months and are low on cash. Watch out for someone who provides a photo that's blurry or cut off. Ditto for the person who professes to be your age, but doesn't know the same songs you refer to or who doesn't seem to know your generation's slang.
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Tips & Warnings
Most dating sites will take people's money, but they don't conduct any kind of background check for their members.
