Senior Internet Dating - Great Idea Or Cheap Thrill

Senior Internet Dating sites are starting to become more widespread. Are they a great idea or a cheap thrill?

Internet dating is very inexpensive. In fact, a lot of the sites are free to join. You have to pay small fees if you want to access the full service such as emailing people you would be interesting in meeting, or to be told that someone wants to meet you.

So what is the downside to senior internet dating? Well, there is no personal service. You are left to your own devices. You have to come up with your own description, decide whether to post a photo or not, decide on what type of partner you are looking for etc.

With an introduction agency, you pay someone to help you with all of these details. They also help you to discover some potential matches. So while cheap, it does have its drawbacks.

But the plus points to senior internet dating is that you immediately weed out a lot of timewasters. Those that don't meet your criteria based on sex, ethnicity, marital status etc won't appear on your list of prospects. There also tends to be more men online than woman which may be a plus point. For some reason, women tend to live longer than men (my husband says we nag men to death - I say we are in fact the stronger sex!), so when it comes to senior dating opportunities, the men can be a little scarce.

Some people are understandably wary of using the internet to find potential partners. It can help to remember that the other people in the dating site are there for the same reason you are. Most internet dating sites insist that their members keep their personal details such as real name, address and cell numbers a secret. You communicate via the sites own internal email system so you don't even need to disclose your private email address.

You may not meet your ideal mate directly via the site but be open to the possibilities. when I was younger and single, my Mom used to encourage me to go on dates with guys even when I thought they weren't my type. Her reasoning was that while they may not be my Mr Right, their brother or best friend might be. The same applies online. Meeting people via dating sites opens up a whole new field of potential social encounters. Introductions that wouldn't have happened had you not agreed to one date with Mr X or Ms Y.

When it comes to senior internet dating, always put your best foot forward. Don't be shy when writing your personal profile. Remember that your winning smile can't be seen if you haven't posted a photo so your profile is what will "sell" you to prospective admirers. But treat your profile with respect. Remember less is more - never use it to rant on about the problems with x, y or z. You want to attract people not repel them in their droves.

Have fun with senior internet dating. Don't take it too seriously and you just may end up with the partner of your dreams.