40+ Something L & D - Where to Locate/Find (2/10)

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The purpose of this thread is assist 40+ something WP members identify strategies about “the where to locate/find” (Internet or IRL venues) to locate viable romantic matches.

I found a promising site:

www.meetup.com

The site is designed to facilitate gatherings of people who want to get together with groups of other people who share an interest. Some of the groups on the site are specifically for singles, and some are for specific age groups. I know there are many cities in the USA affiliated with this site, but I don't know if there are any outside of this country. Many people will find it easier to meet people to date in this type of group format.

I already signed up, but I haven't attended any meetings yet. The sign up process was easy, and not too intrusive. They do ask for an e-mail address so they can alert you to group activities that correspond to the interests you have. Wikipedia has an article about this site. I don't have a link handy, but it is easy to find.

Rocky - first and foremost thanks for clarifying my error for the post in which I misnamed the In-Depth Adult Life Discussion Thread. Interestingly enough, I am a Certified Internal Auditor - so exact accuracy is one of the cornerstones of what I do. Usually I am more exact.
The important thing is you clarified my mistake and I thank you for that!

I have never personally used the Meetup groups as a dating venue but I have friends who laud it. When you attend some meetings, please share your experiences with us.

Best case scenario, I think it would be optimal for all of us if friends of ours could introduce us to suitable romantic matches. Why - because unfortunately a lot of people lie about things like their marital status for instance. When you meet a viable romantic match through someone you already know, you have the benefit of knowing some of their history.

Usually, I utilize the mainstream dating sites like OKCupid currently and in the past I have used Yahoo Personals (that's how I met Harry the Aspie who I adored) which merged with Match.com in July 2010. I like OKCupid's infinite list of targeted questions which can be quite revealing. Some of the questions are downright brilliant!

Does anyone else use OKCupid? If so, what is your overall opinion of it?

You are welcome. I can already see that you are very skilled in using the language. I can imagine it would be easy to make a small oversight when launching all these threads.

I will be glad to report anything useful about meetup.com. I am currently too short of time to attend any meetups. Hopefully, others will also try it and report their experiences.

I've never tried any of the dating sites, but they seem like a good idea.

I love meetup.com! I am in about 15 groups, but I have not been to all of them. It has been a little over 2 years since I joined. I haven't dated anyone from there, but I have made some lasting friendships. I do know a couple people that have met because of Meetups.

If anything, you will have a blast getting out and doing what you love/like, and that should be the most important thing in your life! To make YOU happy!!

Rocky,

Overall, I think the mainstream dating sites are AOK - different people I know have had varying levels of success on different ones. I think timing has a lot to do with it as well. All I know is I like the ones with advanced search functionality so I can navigate on a myriad of different data fields.

Good for you! I am not a regular participant in local meetup groups! I sold my house in August so I was busy beforehand sorting/packing/chucking out/donating/moving and post move I am busy minimizing my possessions - a sort of autumnal post house sale cleaning!

That's what I liked about the concept! Another reason I thought it would be a good way to meet someone to date, is that you would automatically have at least one thing in common. That is a good ice breaker, and something to talk about. Then you could learn about other interests you might have in common.

OK, so which ones have that advanced search functionality?

Well said!

OKCupid - they have a bunch of insightful questions and tests you can take! Please check it out and we can discuss it in further detail!

i have used OKCupid in the past, and i had some success on there. the demographic was largely younger than me, but there were definitely some people of my age or older. i've also used Plenty of Fish, as well. but that site is not as good at filtering people according to compatibility.

oh, i also used eHarmony, but i just tried it to see what it was about as i can't actually qualify to have a profile (you have to be completely divorced and not just separated). i matched up closest with a doctor 10 years younger than me, but i didn't ever message anyone (or message anyone back) because i didn't really qualify to be on the site so i wasn't being truthful at the outset.

My favorite is OKCupid. I made an account on POF about a year and change ago but I never utilized it.

Now EHarmony was just a plain waste of time for me. I thought the process of having to jump through 315 hoops to actually be in contact with someone was tedious, cumbersome and a pointless waste of time. In addition, I like to select who I deem a viable romantic match - after all, who knows you better than yourself? By this point in my life, I know who chimes my bell and who doesn't. Interestingly enough, all the matches they sent me were at least 1,000+ miles away - are you going to jump a jet to go have lunch with someone?

Last New Year's Eve, I did jump a jet to go meet someone in Wellesley but I had been in contact with this guy for months - not a couple of emails. All in all, it was a pretty cool thing to do!

awesome, that sounds like so much fun!! !

I had a blast - I always say work hard, play harder! LOL.

I am on OK Cupid, POF and DateHookup. Lots of initial interests and emails, then it drops off to nothing.