Dating Tips For Seniors
Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder
10 Great First Date Ideas
Does the idea of senior dating make you a little nervous? That's a natural feeling for adults of any age, especially if you're out of practice. Whether you’re 16 or 65, the best way to enjoy a first date is to keep an open mind, focus on the things you have in common, and make your primary goal to simply have a good time. To help you on your way, here are 10 great senior dating ideas that are perfect for older adults: 1. Get Up and Dance. Whether you’re the belle of the ball or have two left feet, dancing is a great way to get close, have fun, and check for chemistry. Many ballrooms and other dance facilities sponsor group lessons before the real dancing begins to help people who are rusty get back in the swing of things or learn a few new steps. 2. Spread a Blanket. Nothing is more romantic than a picnic in a beautiful spot. Make it even more special by shopping together to choose the food and wine that will fill your basket. It’s a great opportunity to share some of your favorite things with someone you’re just getting to know. 3. What Am I Bid? If you support the same causes, attend a charity auction. You’ll have a chance to mingle with other people, which will lessen the first-date pressure, and you’ll be contributing to something you both care about. 4. Get Moving. Maybe you both enjoy tennis or golf, or just like going for long walks. Sharing a physical activity on a first date can help create a bond that may bring you closer together while you stay in shape.
5. Is This Art? Create an artful senior dating experience by attending a gallery walk or touring a museum. Everyone has an opinion about art, so the conversation is sure to be lively. 6. Cast Off. Rent kayaks, a row boat, or a canoe and set sail on a mini-cruise around a local lake or lagoon. Being on the water will shift your perspective and make it easier for you and your date to navigate any awkward moments. 7. To Market, To Market. Check out a farmers market or flea market in your area. Browsing among the stalls and having so many different things to see and discuss will help keep the conversation flowing. 8. Step Right Up. For something a little different, take in a state or county fair together. You’ll find a wealth of fun things you can do together—from playing the games on the midway to comparing notes about the 4-H projects—and strolling the grounds while you get to know each other will keep things light and lively. 9. Fruit of the Vine. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or have trouble telling Cabernet from Merlot, visiting a local winery or attending a wine tasting together is a great way to get to know each other while learning something new and sampling one of life’s true pleasures. 10. Literary Interlude. If you both enjoy books, this is a natural senior dating idea. Attend a reading at a local bookstore, and then browse the shelves comparing notes about your favorite authors and titles. Follow that up with coffee and dessert, and you’ve got a first date that could be the start of a new life chapter. Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder
How to Overcome First Date Anxiety
A first date is one of the most nerve-wracking aspects of dating at any age. If you are 50+ and just starting to date again after a few years or a few decades, however, the uncertainty about where to go, what to wear, and what to talk about can seem almost insurmountable. Before the first date, you wonder whether your date will like you, whether you’ll like him or her, and how much dating etiquette has changed since the last time you were out there. While there are no absolutes when it comes to senior dating, there are a few tried and true strategies that may help calm your nerves and increase your chances for a successful first date: •
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One purpose of every first date is to decide whether you want a second one. With that in mind, plan a first date that encourages conversation and helps you get to know each other, and avoid activities like movies and plays that leave you sitting silently in the dark. Tailor your first date to include a common interest, hobby, or shared value, which may help you establish an immediate connection around something that has meaning for both of you. If you plan to have a meal on your first date, make it lunch and combine it with some fun activity so you have more things to talk about while you eat. Dinner sometimes implies more intimacy than you may be ready for on a first date, and having the whole date depend on two near-strangers sitting across from each other and making conversation can create a lot of pressure. If the whole idea of senior dating makes you nervous, consider making your first date a group date with friends, or participating in a group activity such as a wine tasting or charity auction. Be smart, be safe, and have an exit strategy. On most first dates you're going out with someone you don't know well, so stick to public places and tell someone you trust who you are meeting and where you will be. If you start to feel uneasy about the person you are with, then leave. Don't put all your eggs in this first date basket. If the person doesn't turn out to be Prince (or Princess) Charming, so what? You met a new person, practiced your conversation skills, and learned more about what you want (and don't want) in a partner.
Whether you're 16 or 65, the best way to enjoy a first date is to keep an open mind, focus on the things you have in common, and make your primary goal to simply have a good time. Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder
Creating Your Senior Dating Profile
There are several stages to creating a great senior dating profile and each stage needs careful attention if you’re going to attract the best prospects. Acquiring this knowledge is a little like going back to school, so if you’re ready, class is about to begin! Creating a good profile is all about marketing yourself in the right way and as we all know, first impressions count, which brings us to the first of my 5 golden rules for writing a great senior dating profile. Rule 1 Grab Their Attention with the First Sentence If you’ve read a few profiles, you’ve probably noticed that after a while they all start to sound alike. That’s why it’s important to use interesting and original ideas to reel them in on the first sentence. Like any good advertising, the strategy of your opening sentence is to get the reader to want to learn more about the product (you!) Rule 2 Don’t Write Your Life Story Remember that people looking to mingle online don’t want to read someone’s whole autobiography, so censor your life story. Try to craft the structure of your profile to give a concise and compelling reason for someone to want to learn more about you. After all,
you can always fill in all the other details later once you start to get to know each other better and it’s much more fun to leave a little mystery anyway! You don’t need to be too specific about all the details of your life. It’s much more important at this stage to give a flavor of the real you and all the minor details can come later. Rule 3 Spend a Little Time Some senior dating sites ask you to write an essay about yourself and this is the part most people dread and put off for as long as possible. You usually don’t have to complete the bio in order to post your profile but it’s worth spending some time to write a good one. After all, you can always re-use it if you join another site later. The more thought and time you take now, the better the outcome will be. Don’t just write the first thing that comes into your head and post it. Do several drafts first and before you start writing, it’s a good idea to read the bios of a few people that could be your potential dates. It’s also worthwhile to take a quick look at the profiles of your competitors. You need to be a bit like a detective, picking up important clues about what works best in a profile and also making sure that you avoid repeating what’s already been said by others.
Rule 4 Keep Things Light Try being humorous and light-hearted. People love to be entertained a little, and showing that you have a good sense of humor and don’t take yourself too seriously will really count in your favor. Always describe what you’re looking for and try to focus on what’s REALLY important to you. Express what interests you have in life and how you pursue them. For example, you could include a vivid description of the time you went sightseeing in Greece and visual descriptions are a lot more captivating to read. Include what you’re willing to try and any achievements that you’re particularly proud of. Do you have any goals in life that you’d still like to achieve? If so, share them. Try to avoid talking about your children or your grandchildren and all of their accomplishments – that can wait. This is about YOU! And always remember to steer clear of health and financial issues and the biggies – politics and religion. So when writing, keep an idea of your ideal match in your head and keep your profile positive, always remembering that you don’t have to tell your whole life story. If you end up meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right, you will have lots of time to share your story.
Rule 5 Always Promote the Positive Remember, the idea behind the profile is to attract dating prospects to want to make contact with you. If you take the time and energy to promote the positive truth in a compelling and humorous way, you’ll get far more responses from people who are genuinely interested in knowing the real you, and after all, that’s what senior dating is all about! Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder
Senior Dating Tips for Success
So how do you get the most out of your senior dating experience, and maximize your chances of success? Well, there is so much I can say about this, but let’s start with your senior dating site profile – how you describe yourself and what you are looking for in a match. Remember the golden rule “honesty is the best policy”? Well that definitely holds true if you are looking to make a match online, so be honest in your profile. Have a relatively current photo (as flattering as possible), and be as honest as possible about things like age, height and if you are carrying a few extra pounds – the truth will come out sooner or
later if you end up making a connection. Stay true to your values – unless you are only looking for very superficial relationships – this will ultimately help you to make the best quality and lasting connections. Periodically revisit your profile and update anything that may be helpful in making your profile as interesting as possible. Always try to see your profile as others see it. You can always create an online photo album which will enable you to show yourself in the best light possible, doing things that reflect the real you. This will generate much more interest in your profile. Just remember to vary the photos it contains and treat it as an opportunity to be creative with how you present yourself. When it comes to filling out the section of your profile that indicates what you are looking for in a partner beware of being too demanding and seeking perfection. Let’s face it, no one is perfect. By being too picky you might exclude a lot of potentially good quality matches and make people intimidated about contacting you if they do not see themselves in your league. You’ll find more success by settling a bit longer with someone that truly interests you, and giving yourself the chance to see past any minor imperfections to discover the real person inside. You will soon learn if they could be a good match for you to go on to speak to them on the phone and potentially meet up with them. Has anything fresh and exciting happened to you recently? If so, include it in your profile. Maybe you have been on a Mediterranean cruise recently or volunteered at the local food bank. Or maybe you just took some classes that you are excited about. You never know, it might attract a new prospect that may have previously overlooked you. Take a look at the kind of responses you’re getting and see if there’s a pattern emerging. It could be a reflection on how you wrote your bio (if the site requires this). For example, if your bio is too whimsical or sarcastic, you may not get the serious response that you are hoping for. Also be cautious about talking about political or religious beliefs and avoid any health or financial problems you may be experiencing. I remember talking to one senior online dater recently who told me “Some men only see me as either a nurse or a purse – and I don’t want to be either of those things. I want to have some fun at this stage of my life and meet quality people who are interested in the person I am.” Keep in mind if you come across as despondent, desperate or jaded, you may be losing out on a lot of quality matches because you have put them off with all your negativity. There are other mistakes to avoid but the important thing is to remember to stay as positive as possible – no matter how many bumps you have stumbled on in life. The best first impressions will take you the farthest in any situation and it is especially important in the online dating forum.
Finally, relax and enjoy the experience. Don’t forget that senior dating should be fun and the person you’ve been looking for is probably out there now, in just the same position as you. Every day, many people are finding love and companionship through senior dating and it can happen to you too! Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder
Senior Dating Mistakes to Avoid
If it’s your first time on a senior dating site and you suddenly see a selection of attractive looking, smiling senior singles in your area, all wanting to meet someone, you could find the experience quite intoxicating! The danger here is that you can become addicted and spend all your time online while neglecting other areas of your life. Keep one foot in the real world and don’t rule out traditional dating either. Give yourself a time limit to spend online each day (or every couple of days) and stick to it because minutes will quickly turn into hours and your day can easily be lost. This is what one senior dater said to me: “When I first joined a dating site and starting communicating with some of the members, I got so wrapped up in it that I didn’t even hear the phone ring! It had been my sister calling and she was quite worried that I hadn’t answered.” My advice to her was to set the kitchen timer in future so that she knows when it is time to shut off the computer. If you have a time parameter for being online, you will not overlook the other important things in your life. You can also let your dating site friends know what time you will be online, so they can be online at the same time too. This also shows them that you have an interesting life beyond the computer. Nothing is more intriguing than someone who has many interests to fill their hours.
Ok, you’re thinking, job done. I’ve signed up to my senior dating site, now all I have to do is sit back, relax and wait….and wait…and wait.. The truth is that’s all you’ll be doing if you don’t grab the bull by the horns and initiate a few contacts. Yes, it’s very important to be proactive, women in particular. And I know I sound like a broken record but I can’t stress enough the importance of being positive in your contacts. In your initial emails, stick to the present and the future. Don’t talk about anything unhappy in your dim and distant past, especially failed romances, illness, financial woes, and strong opinions about religion and politics. If you feel that there’s something vitally important for the other person to know, but it might put them off, then drip-feed them the information. By the time the whole story is out in the open they will probably have grown close enough to you that they will see it as no big deal. You must remember to ask questions that are important to you during your initial email contact – but do not come across as overly nosey or pushy. This can be a big turn-off. And no matter how great someone seems, never be anxious to call or meet someone too soon. Let the anonymity of the internet and the dating site you have joined, allow you the time to really get to know someone before taking such a huge step. What’s the rush anyway? Taking it slow can be a really enjoyable way to build the relationship. If you enter this territory too soon you may just find that this person was totally wrong for you and oops, they now have your home phone number and won’t leave you alone! Likewise, you should probably see it as a warning sign if someone is too anxious or pushy about meeting you. This could mean you will end up with a stalker, or a scammer or just someone who is overly needy. Trust me – none of these things are what you are looking for at this stage in your life. We’ve all tweaked the truth just a little now and then – it’s human nature – and it would be unrealistic to think people didn’t do it online to enhance their prospects. But taking your time and being a bit of a detective before meeting up will increase your chances of spotting a liar. Have a good read of their profile and look for any obvious inconsistencies. For example, they may describe themselves as a fun-loving night owl; so how come they ask you never to call them after 6pm? If you don’t trust someone, don’t be afraid to be a little challenging. Genuine people will, on the whole, understand you being a little cautious and won’t be bothered by it. Another faux pas to make is sending mail to the wrong person, which can be embarrassing! If you have several prospects going on simultaneously (and most people do) keep a careful record of them, and never go online if you’re very tired or have had a little too much to drink!
Last but most important – don’t be shy! You may think that the person you like best is way out of your league but how will you know unless you go for it and see! After all, in the world of Senior Dating, my motto is “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Who knows? You could soon be laughing together over a steamy cappuccino. Most recommended site for seniors : Senior FriendFinder