Senior Friend Finder

Senior Friend Finder is an online service that connects women, men, couples, and groups together. It's one of many sites that help seniors get to know others.

Navigating Senior Friend Finder

The definition of “friend” on many online sites usually means a potential love interest. Senior Friend Finder is no different. Often members will clarify that they want an online pen pal, someone to travel with, or a local friend to take in a movie once in a while. But many others are online, looking for someone to date and maybe even partner with down the road.

The average age of members is 47-60. Once registered, members pay a staggered fee to receive e-mail accessibility to those they are interested in and those showing interest in them.

Here are a few tips to make the most of your time on Senior Friend Finder:

• Take ownership of your experience on the site right away. If you’re really not looking for someone to date right now, say so.
• If you are looking for new love, don’t come off as desperate, but do express interest.
• Only respond to people that share your interests and attitude.
• Spell-check your responses, and don’t type in all caps: it’s perceived as shouting.
• Post a picture that best represents you.
• Be courteous when responding to other members. It’s a large community and people will trade information.

Pros and Cons of the Site

Pros

• Free to join
• Easy to get around the site
• Wide selection of people
• Membership-protected

Cons

• Browse function only allows a handful of profiles to come up
• Available categories for men, women, couples, and groups not always accurate
• Site encourages members to consider moneymaking options
• While membership-protected, site also somewhat restricted by this
• Registration required to receive paid membership information

Provide Your Input

Just as LoveToKnow Seniors relies on reader-provided content and commentary, Senior Friend Finder has some interactive features to which members can contribute.

Blogs

Any member can construct a blog, (short for “web log”), for serious or playful musing. Think of a blog as an online diary. Members post additional pictures, construct polls to prompt discussion, and generally talk about anything they like within respectable guidelines. Other members provide commentary on the author’s post. Blogs can be reviewed without registration or logging in as a member.

Chats

Online chats allow members to “talk” to one another without using the phone. There is a special website page members can log into and join a variety of topics. Once logged in, a different chat screen appears, and members type to talk to the other chat attendees. The first time in a chat room takes some getting used to, as everyone is typing responses and those responses appear on the screen in rapid-fire succession, but it’s very easy. Certain rules apply, and you must be a registered member to join in.

Magazine

Promoted as a place where members can find articles on different topics, it’s actually more of a fun forum in which members can bring up different topics, share poetry, essays, and lively discussion. Only registered members can participate in the forum and view content.

Tips for Presenting Yourself Online

For many seniors, sites such as Senior Friend Finder are like what the American west was to early explorers: vast, uncharted, filled with opportunity, and potentially dangerous.

Many common sense rules apply to have the best experience on these sites, including:

• Don’t reveal too much personal information. No matter how friendly, site members are strangers. Information about when you’ll be leaving for vacation; financial and income details; work and home address and phone numbers; and where the door key is hidden is not acceptable knowledge to share online.
• Arrange for phone conversations before meeting. Eager as you may be to meet another member, talk on the phone a few times first. Online personalities can sometimes present themselves differently with direct conversation.
• First meetings should always be during the day, in a public place. Anyone can enjoy a quick cup of coffee. If the meeting goes well, other arrangements can be made, but if not, you’re still safe.
• No matter how lonely you might feel, stay respectable. This is a delicate topic, but your self-esteem matters above all else. Don’t act online in any way you wouldn’t in person just to appear attractive to someone.

Additional Senior Friend Sites

Senior Date Finder. This easy site offers free membership and quick access to profiles with a simple preference search.

50 Years Plus. Billed as the “singles site for seniors with integrity”, this site offers a free seven-day trial membership.

Executive Senior Dating. This is not an online service as much as it is a coordinated matchmaking service for companionship and possible marriage. Members pay a fee, work with a counselor to develop a compatibility profile, and then connected with other members through the service.

eHarmony. The highly-advertised service stakes its claim right from the start: it will help you find someone to marry. An intense questionnaire and somewhat controversial screening process is the foundation of a much-touted high success rate of compatibility.

Learn more about finding senior friends and dating at LoveToKnow Dating.

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