Senior Dating
Often lost in the shuffle of the Internet dating boom is a growing dating population, those at or above middle age. It’s admittedly misleading that this is labeled senior dating, but in dating site parlance this generally refers to dating sites that cater to those singles 40 and older. SeniorFriendFinder mirrors its parent site, FriendFinder.com, in its broad approach, while SeniorMatch.com is the most focused of these sites (and not related at all to Match.com). PrimeSingles.net is Spark Network’s contribution, relying on membership to drive the activity.
By far the largest site targeting this niche is SeniorFriendFinder, boasting more than 450,000 members. Essentially, SeniorFriendFinder is a general meeting-and-more site for seniors. The home page of the site notes “travel companions” and “activity partners,” with romance almost seeming at first a secondary consideration. However, there is no “dating” option, so there’s a hint here that sharing those experiences is meant as a springboard for romance.
SeniorMatch.com is assumed by many on first glance to be the senior link via Match.com. This is incorrect. What SeniorMatch is is a targeted site that offers more preferences than SeniorFriendFinder, opening up Pen Pal, Casual Dating and other options. There is a lot left open here, and members must write at least 50 words to answer a series of questions, so profiles are often more detailed than you will find elsewhere. This site relies a great deal on the life experience of its members, and as such gives them the freedom to craft their profile in their words for much of the way, with preset checkboxes used on a limited basis.
You’ll notice as you read other reviews here that Spark Networks affiliated sites tend to leave everything up to the membership. There’s no original content, and the company’s Ideal Match color-coded personality test is the same here as it is on each of Spark’s ethnic and religion focused sites. The membership is active, though actual membership figures aren’t provided. And it would be somewhat misleading if they did, because while saying it’s targeted for those older than 50, PrimeSingles gladly allows members to sign up who are younger than this. That said, profiles for the seniors on the site are generally detailed and thorough, and with the bonus that free members here can read all e-mails sent to them, a rarity in today’s dating site age.
Seniors, of course, are aplenty on both eHarmony.com and Match.com. While focused content on those sites is sparing, the scientific matching carries extra weight by virtue of the life experience of those submitting the answers. These are people who have lived and learned and know what they want. The depth of thought and the experiences behind the answers can, we can only assume, add to the accuracy of matches based on answers from these members.
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