Here on Smart Dating Over 60 we focus a lot on online dating.

It may be the best way to find love and romance, because so many people are on these sites . . . and the over 50 crowd continues to be one of the largest growing segments using online dating sites.

Also, Cosmo and I met through online dating, and it’s very unlikely that we would ever have met otherwise . . . even though we lived across the street from each other.

Here are some of my best articles on online dating.

Best Online Dating Advice for Men and Women Over 60

10 Do’s and Don’ts If You’re New to Online Dating

If online dating feels alien to you or you’re afraid of it, I urge you to reconsider.

Go ahead and network with your friends and family to get dates, but also step into the online dating world.

Unless you have a very robust network of people who may know of people for you to date, online dating will probably provide many more prospects.

But before you dive in headlong, read my article for some things to consider. For a quick taste, here are 2 from my “do’s and don’ts” list:

• DON’T put up your online dating profile and then sit back and wait for people to ask you on dates.
• DO go out on lots of dates to get experience, and understand better who you are and what you want.

5 Ways Your Online Dating Expectations May Be Unrealistic

It’s easy to have unrealistic expectations with online dating sites. These sites kind of set you up for it. As soon as you log on, you’re looking at a sea of people, any one of whom could be “the one”.

Naturally, with such a huge pool of potentials, you expect to hit the jackpot quickly. But it’s best not to set yourself up for disappointment.

My 5 unrealistic online dating expectations are detailed in these two articles:

3 Signs You Need to Lower Your Online Dating Expectations

2 More Ways Your Online Dating Expectations May Be Unrealistic

4 Tips To Sail Through Online Dating When You’re Over 60 and in Recovery

If you’re a non-drinker and in recovery, dating (online or otherwise) can be tricky, and sometimes risky, if you’re not mindful.

I know it was for me.

I had been sober for more than 5 years when I first started dating seriously, leading me to Sam.

At first, I didn’t rule out dating men who drank, as long as they didn’t drink much.

It didn’t make sense to me to further limit the already small pool of eligible men in their sixties, living nearby in this rural, sparsely-populated area. The pickins were pretty slim to begin with.

I should have known better, but after Sam died and I was ready to date again, leading me to Cosmo, I did it again. I went on dates with men who were drinkers.

After a few unpleasant experiences, I realized I could only be with someone who was also a non-drinker, so I didn’t look twice at men who were even very moderate drinkers.

Mature Dating Safety: Online Dating Advice Every Man and Woman Over 60 Needs To Know

Dating sites offer a large pool of potential partners, but risk is associated with online dating.

Risk is also associated with real-life dating. That doesn’t guarantee you’ll have a safe dating experience. A blind date arranged by a good friend can go bad, and potentially threaten your safety, just as much as a date you arrange through online dating.

Although any kind of dating carries some risk, with planning, knowledge, and just good common sense, you can take advantage of the access to such a large pool of over 60 daters that the dating sites afford you . . . and still stay safe.

How To Write a Dazzling Online Dating Profile To Attract Your True Love Faster

The trick to being successful with online dating is to create a profile that stands out . . . in a good way.

To attract your ideal partner, tell her or him who you are, specifically, in your online dating profile . . . and generate chemistry for who you are.

There’s not much you can do to jazz up and personalize the multiple choice questions about hobbies, activities, lifestyle, etc.

But the questions on dating sites that require short narrative answers, plus the longer narrative sections where you’re prompted to provide even more information about yourself, allow for lots of content.

Are You Making These 10 Disastrous Online Dating Mistakes?

We’ve put together a nifty ebook to help you avoid some of the mistakes we made, and find love and romance with your ideal partner.

Whether you’re a new or long-time user of online dating sites, this ebook has down-to-earth tips you can start using today.