Facebook – isn’t that the website my kids are on 24/7? Yes, and you should too! No worries, you will not be the only older adult among its 750 million members. A recent Internet study found that users aged 50 and older are the fastest-growing audience on Facebook and other social media sites where they’re sharing feelings, posting pictures and messaging lifestyle information.
Facebook expands your dating horizons by offering a digital twist on the old-fashioned practice of meeting through friends. Skim through its pages of faces and find friends who’ll introduce you to new single friends over 40. Discover common interests with strangers and build your personal social network ad finitum.
Facebook is not going to replace online dating sites for matchmaking, but there are still several good reasons to join the online community that was the subject of an Oscar-winning movie.
Reason #1: FREE!
Click through an endless numbers of profiles. With millions of members, the pool of potential partners for both sexes is huge. There are no signup fees or questionnaires to fill out. All you need is a valid email address to complete the site registration and start surfing to find friends and other singles.Reason #2: No Guessing. Relationship status is right up front.
On Facebook, you can indicate your availability as single, in an open relationship, engaged, married, divorced, or “complicated.” Right up front, you’ll know if the person who catches your eye is already taken. By the way, this option is a double-edged sword. On today’s dating scene, your Facebook status is the ultimate validation that you are truly in a relationship. For some members of society, if it’s not on Facebook, you’re still single and available.Reason #3: See a bigger “About Me” section.
You’re seeing a 360-degree view of someone’s life. You’ll learn where they live, their career status, educational background; and possibly sexual orientation and birth dates. In addition, you can check out personal photos and find your common interests through their list of business and leisure connections. Discover other qualities like personal obsessions, which may be important when choosing a prospective date.Bonus: Everyone’s biggest fear of online matchmaking seems to be the propensity for untruths. You’ll find it’s much harder to tell lies on social media sites like Facebook. The web of connections creates much of the profile content along with the person. It’s harder for a potential date to fake photos or the daily wall posts from their network of friends.
Reason # 4: Your Friends Introduce You.
Imagine walking into a crowded room and instantly knowing who all your friends are, who their friends are, and whom you both know in common. From their profile page, you’ve deduced that you and the person you’re interested have 12 mutual friends, attended the same college, and share an interest in old school rock. Now that you can see the threads connecting everyone, you’re ready to ask your mutual friends to make introductions to their single friends. Or if you’re up for it, take the lead and introduce yourself through a private message.Facebook, the ultimate friend finder allows you to leverage your commonalities to find more singles suitable for you. It also raises the comfort factor online because someone you both know is introducing you to each other. Having a connection through mutual friends creates a positive character reference by association and provides an easy icebreaker.
REASON #5: Connect with the Hotties.
A little bit riskier, but there’s no denying that people are trolling Facebook for the hot faces. Depending on their privacy settings, you may be able to contact these hotties by leaving a comment on their wall. “Poke” them to get their attention, which is kind of like sending a “wink” on a dating site. Or you can try the direct approach and send them a personal message to get the conversation started. But don’t make a pest of yourself or you may find yourself blocked or the subject of snarky comments from their friends.Reason #6: Release information on a need to know basis.
Don’t want everyone to know that your celebrity crush is Halle Berry or to release your dating eye candy photos to the entire world; Facebook allows you to reveal information in layers. Like peeling an onion, you can keep your sense of mystery and safety online by only allowing only certain members of your network to see each individual note, photo, video, status update, and more that you post in your profile.So for example, you can keep messages and certain photos just between you and your “friends.” Or you can use the share button to let “everyone” know about the great article you just read or discount-shopping site you found. Become familiar with your privacy options early and reset them often as you change your profile content.
DATE MORE CHALLENGE: Still not comfortable with the idea, visit a friend’s Facebook page. Allow them to introduce you to this world of personal interactivity. Take it slow, view a few profiles, search for a few friends on the site, and then experiment with positing your own profile.
