You’re Never Too Old to Try Online Dating

“I’m too old for all this online dating malarkey…” is something we hear quite a lot and each time we say that it simply isn’t true – there’s no upper age limit!

Here are some myths that put people off online dating, and reasons why they are not true.

“Online dating is for twenty-somethings”

On Muddy Matches we have a wide range of members across all age groups (over 18 only). In fact, the largest growing group of online daters according to Market Watch are the over 50s, so it isn’t just twenty-somethings who are joining online dating sites.

“Isn’t it all a bit shallow?”

Yes, some people do make judgements based purely on looks, but there are other people who think that character is more important. Online dating allows you to find out about what people are like straight away, so you could argue that it’s a lot less superficial than meeting someone while out and about.

“Isn’t online dating for weirdos?”

How many of you friends, family or co-workers have tried online dating? Are they weirdos? Online dating has become mainstream, so you’ll find all sorts of people on online dating sites.

“I’ll have to post lots of silly selfies”

If you believe the media hype, you’d think that all dating sites were full of self-obsessed people posting selfies, but they’re not. Ideally you should choose a photo where you can clearly see your face (preferably taken by someone else) and a photo that shows your figure.

“Dating sites are for casual relationships”

There are people on dating sites who are looking for casual relationships, however most people join a dating site with the intention of finding love.

“My children will find it weird”

If you’ve got grown up children, you might be worried about what they think about you trying out online dating. However, we have lots of people on the site whose children have helped them to write their profile, helped to choose their photos and who discuss their dates with their children.

“Online dating is dangerous”

Online dating is a safe way of meeting people, the key is to think about what details you give away and to make sure that you meet your date in a busy public place.

Here are a few tips for keeping safe online:

• Make sure to use a dating website that you trust -you can find a good website by asking people for recommendations.
• Never put your full name, email address, phone number or other contact details in your dating profile.
• Never give out details that could lead someone to find you off the site, for example the name and location of where you work.
• Use the secure messaging service on the dating website to get to know someone before giving out your contact details.
• If you’re ever unsure of someone, make sure to report them to the website administrator.

Remember that age is just a number and that every person is unique.