Over Forty and Fifty Plus Dating Online: The 3 Pitfalls You Must Avoid

Dianne Hunter

trapFor the over forty and fifty plus singles, the advent of online dating has been yielded terrific benefits. When you are single and in your forties and fifties, it is often challenging to start out on the dating circuit again.

Often after many years in a relationship, the meeting and chatting skills are somewhat rusty. So the dating website offers the chance to break the ice with new people before you actually meet them.

There are, however, 3 common pitfalls that need to be avoided if the online dating experience is to go smoothly.

The first, and biggest common pitfall that the over forties and fifties singles make is being vague in their requirements.

These dating websites typically have hundreds of thousands of members, if not millions, and so vagueness can result in you being inundated with emails and inquiries.

In some cases people have received over a hundred responses with 48 hours of joining the web site. This can become a major logistical nightmare for you. The way to avoid this is to indicate very clearly the type of individual you are looking for.

Most good quality websites provide you with very comprehensive profile areas both for yourself and for the person you are looking for. Spend a reasonable amount of time on this section of the website and ensure that you are clear on your needs, wants and aspirations.

Spending time now will save you having to spend hours later reading through emails from unsuitable suitors.

The second pitfall that is very common on dating websites, is using poor pictures or no pictures at all. Your photo is the hook that piques your audiences’ interest.

Many people who use these websites tick the box that indicates photos only when they are searching the site, and so they will not even see your profile if you do not have a picture.

However, when you do use a picture, it is vital that it does you credit. Many people simply use blurred camera phone pictures that just show a vague, shaky image that really shows how little they care about their online image.

Another common problem is using pictures of themselves with other people so that it is impossible to work out who they are. Use a picture that show you naturally, is clear and in focus, and hopefully has you looking at your best. A natural smile can make all the difference.

The third common pitfall that people make is providing poorly written profiles. This is your major sales asset, and yet when you read many profiles they appear to have been hurriedly put together with little thought, and poor spelling and grammar.

The forty and fifty plus age group were usually educated with considerable emphasis on spelling and grammar. If you present a poorly written profile, then your target audience will almost certainly notice and may be put off contacting you.

When you write your profile write it first using a word processor and then spell and grammar check it. Also, it can often be helpful to have a friend who knows you well, to read through the profile and give you any additional pointers on areas that they think you have missed.

Remember that the person you want to meet wants to meet the real you, so make your profile accurate.

A good quality website, like www.primeoflifedating.com will give you the opportunity to provide very specific information in your profile, and also in the profile of the type of person you are looking for.

This means that it is very clear to the other members who are browsing your information exactly what type of person you are, and also what type of person you are looking for. Spending time at the start is an investment in your future relationship.

Dianne Hunter is a long term specialist in relationships and dating

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