One out of four romances now begin on the internet. There are hundreds of dating sites available to you. If you like dogs, you can find a site for dog lovers. Or cat lovers. Or your religion. Or outdoor adventurers. Or theatre lovers. You name it. Of course there are the general sites, too, such as eHarmony and Match.com . Here you will probably have a bigger selection with hopefuls of all ages all over the United States. Just Goggle "dating sites" and you'll find a staggering variety to suit every taste.

After my book was published I joined three dating sites so I could report directly on how they operated. I found eHarmony to be difficult. Their hundreds of questions were exhausting and it was the most expensive site. I've never been a fan of psychological profiles and feel that the conclusions were not valid. I was offered specials that I did not complete immediately and thus never received.

Match.com now includes Yahoo Personals as of July. This is an easier site to navigate and less expensive. I really liked Yahoo Personals on which I met my significant other but it no longer exists separately. However, Match is probably the most popular site today.

A word to the wise! Make sure you know how to cancel your membership on any site that you decide to try. Mark your calendar so that you can cancel if you wish to do so. I had problems finding out how to stop my membership after the agreed time. I was one day late and I was charged for another month. In another case I had to call the site in order to cancel. How weird was that! I heard from another woman who had had the same experience. I am not the most computer literate of people and I had to call my oldest son for help to get off of eHarmony. Remember the site has your credit card number and they will use it again if you don't stop them.

Here are some guidelines for internet dating:

  1. Request matches within 60 miles of where you live. This is really the maximum distance that is easy to drive. It is also fairly easy to learn more about the person. You can see where s/he lives and meet family and friends. You will probably receive possible dates from over 100 miles away. It's not an impossible distance but can get tiring over time.
  2. Emailing should reveal a reasonable amount of information about your new friend. Remember snail mail? Take your time and learn something about your date to be. If, after some time, the man or woman doesn't want to reveal anything about themselves, but they want to meet, be wary. They are hiding something. The person could be married or just out for a quick time.
  3. Always meet in a public place. One woman wrote me that even after she met her date in a restaurant, he wouldn't tell her his name. But he wanted another date. Beware! Delete this person. Immediately. A man will often give you the excuse that he doesn't want to be chased by a woman. Why would you want someone with such a giant sized ego? More probably he's MARRIED and out for a fling. If there is a second date and you both have exchanged names, etc. meet again in a public place. Don't take chances.
  4. Both men and women should have reasonable expectations. Don't try to be someone you're not. Look at this internet dating as an adventure. Take your time. You may be lonely but don't rush romance. You'll probably meet some interesting people just don't expect the person of your dreams on your first date. One woman I interviewed was sure that each one she met would be The One. Make sure the person truly has the same interests that you do. When we are young we think that attraction of opposites is exciting. As we mature, attraction between two people with similar likes and dislikes is a lot more fun and makes for a lasting relationship.
  5. Take your time and give this endeavor time. Don't rush into any relationship, especially a sexual one. If it's good, time will just make it better. And if your date starts to criticize you, delete. It's only going to get worse. Look for a supportive partner. S/he can make life so much more enjoyable. Make sure you are equally supportive, too. Don't plan on changing or improving that person. It never works.
  6. Have Fun!

You'll find more tips in my book, 50 Ways to Find Romance after 50 and on my blogs, findingromanceafter50.blogspot.com and theromancegame.blogspot.com.

You can always write me at romanceafter50@sbcglobal.net.