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Who's Your Over 50 Online Date Going To Be?

Millions of men and women are on dating sites every day looking for that special person they dream about. How do you know who the right one is for you? It starts with understanding the nine most common types of people you'll find on there.
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Dating Coach for Women Over 50

Dating Coach for Women Over 50
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Millions of men and women are on dating sites every day looking for that special person they dream about. How do you know who the right one is for you? It starts with understanding the nine most common types of people you'll find on there.

Needy Ned or Nelly
While you're still in the emailing process, the Neds and Nellies out there have already claimed you as theirs. They're calling you honey, darling, and baby from the get go. They feel they must share their moment-to-moment activities with you via phone emails or texts throughout the day. Sometimes you feel as if they're trying to consume the air you breathe, wanting to be part of your life every minute of the day. If you love a good clinger, Ned or Nellie is a perfect match for you.

Michelle's or Michael's Take Out Order Dates
The Michelles and Michaels out there who think online dating is like ordering take out food post some of the funniest profiles. They will tell you they are looking for a man or woman with a specific type of job, body, hair color and more. It's smarter to stick with matches who think you're great exactly how you are!

Motorcycle Molly or Matt
These days, lots of men and women over 50 love riding motorcycles, including professionals like doctors and lawyers. There's something wild and free about letting the wind blow through your hair on the open highway.

Just because they have this midlife hobby, don't be so quick to knock Molly or Matt off the list of possibilities. All you have to do is let them enjoy being an "easy rider." You never have to ride the bike yourself unless you want to.

Beware of Ben or Barbie Having A Ring on His or Her Finger
Often the Bens and Barbies of the world don't post pictures online. They're looking for a fling and don't want their single friends spotting them as they pursue a fun time. Barbie and Ben will often admit they're married and will share with you why they're out there cruising dating sites in spite of it. They're heartbreakers who rarely leave their spouse, but when push comes to shove have no trouble saying bye-bye to you.

Fly the Friendly Skies to Date Fredericka or Fred
Long distance relationships with Fred and Fredericka are fun. But they're usually built on fantasy. It's hard sharing the details of your daily life to someone you've never met. If you want a soap opera relationship with beautiful poems and lots of lovey dovey romantic conversation then Fred or Fredericka is your guy or gal.

Some have flown across the world to meet their new love only to find Fred or Fredericka are nothing like the phone pal they spent hours chatting with. This is a hard relationship to make work, but if they're a short flight away and you only want a weekend spouse, they'll be perfect for you.

Sam or Susie Need A Shrink, Not A Date
Sam and Susie avoid using a therapist and will gladly use you for the purpose of working out their latest issues with friends, families and former spouses. Steer clear. Unless you're being paid by the hour to listen to the woes of Susie or Sam, you're so much better off finding a partner who is emotionally healthy.

Bad Boy Bobby or Bad Girl Betty
Bobby and Betty are gorgeous, charming dating players who will break your heart without a second thought. Everyone wants to be with them. Knowing this, they'll use you to get whatever their heart desires whether it's money, love or prestige.

They'll make you think you are special, but over their shoulder, they're always looking for where the grass might be greener with someone else. Bobby or Betty are fun to play with but not good choices if it's a long term committed relationship you're looking for.

Sally or Sonny, The Scammers
These are the people who've taken some of the fun out of dating online. Sally and Sonny hook your heart with their beautiful pictures and sensual poems, both usually taken from sites found on the Internet.

They tell you they can't wait to meet you, but some type of emergency always comes up that prevents them from showing up. In reality, they are not Sally or Sonny but are men and women trying to make a living conning you. You can loose your wallet and your heart if you end up falling prey to their tactics.

Robert or Roberta, the Quality Man or Woman
Are you starting to wonder if there are any quality men or women even out there to date? I want to assure you there are.

It starts with recognizing a quality man or woman may not be the most handsome or beautiful person online. However, they are the nicest and they are the one who will have an interest in what you're doing in life.

They'll be the ones posting pictures of their children, grandchildren and dog, conveying how much they value family and relationships.

Lots of quality men and women are online. They want nothing more than an opportunity to love you and make you happy. All you have to do is figure out who a quality man or woman is for you. Then get out there and start finding them either online or in the real world. They're out there waiting for you!

Discover more tips and advice for dating after 50 at www.FindAQualityMan.com.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

Social Media 101
INSTAGRAM(01 of08)
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On Instagram (iPhone and Android, free), users take photos from their daily lives and have the option to apply a variety of filters to enhance or touch-up their images. Users then have the ability to share their images on various social network sites as well as Instagram's own social network. Users also have the ability to "like" other users' photos and share with their own friends. BEST FOR: The application is best for those wanting to share the daily images of their lives. As Instagram has grown in popularity, many users can share their photos on multiple social networks. It's a great way to share your latest craft project or vacation adventures with your family and friends.TIPS & TRICKS: Photos from Instagram don't have to stay in the online realm. Users now have the ability to easily turn their filtered photos into actual photos on canvas using CanvasPop or even into desk calendars with the app Calendargram (iPhone, free), which would make great gifts for all of your loved ones.
Google+(02 of08)
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Google+ is a social networking site that encompasses a variety of features, including Google Hangouts, an online spot that facilitates group chat and the "+1 button" that allows users to show your personal endorsement of an informative article or an interesting item. Google+ allows you to categorize your contacts into a variety of groups called circles. With circles, you can choose what groups can see what you post and what you share. If you want to talk about a family get-together, you can share it with your friends and family circle, but not your professional colleagues. BEST FOR: Google+ is ideal for those who want to share content-rich information. It has features for sharing personal documents and photos, articles and can connect users via text chat and video chat. The social media network also has over 40 games where you can connect with friends and share your scores with your different circles. TIPS & TRICKS: Google Docs has recently been integrated into Hangouts, the video chat feature of Google+. Now users can pull up their documents while using the video chat feature and you can even share your screen to make for a productive and basically face-to-face conference.
Pinterest(03 of08)
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Pinterest is a virtual pin board where users can "pin" images on a variety of topics, such as home décor, recipes, and apparel. Pinterest users then create boards to house the images, so users may have one specific to anniversary planning, birthday parties, favorite recipes or quotes, for example. The cyber-version of "vision-boards," users have the opportunity to browse and share images. BEST FOR: If you're constantly surfing the web to collect ideas, it can be difficult to remember every site you visited or how to keep up with all of your bookmarks. With Pinterest, the "pinning" can be added to your internet browser easily and you can start collecting all of your favorite images. TIPS & TRICKS: Need some quick gift ideas for your grandchild's first birthday party or your son's promotion and not sure what you're looking for? Pinterest has segmented categories for price ranges in their gift section and you can quickly click on the image to take you to the product information and you can order right from your mobile device or computer.
Twitter(04 of08)
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Twitter is an online, micro-blogging social network channel that allows users to share and read posts up to 140 characters. Users can follow friends, celebrities, news distributors, companies and other organizations to keep up with daily news, the "it" celebrity or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. BEST FOR: Twitter is a great way to quickly receive news and catch updates from your friends, family, favorite sports team or news outlet. You can create different lists to separate your personal friends from the entertainment world from breaking international news. TIPS & TRICKS: To help you create lists, Twitter has a suggestions feature that provides categories such as music, fashion, technology and government. With these suggestions, you can have a complete list to keep you up-to-date on these areas. Also remember, watch what you tweet, especially if your information is public. News and broadcast networks could feature you on their show if you interact with them online. (credit:Alamy)
Facebook(05 of08)
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With "more than 10 billion visits per month and the Facebook user hitting the site an average of 68.7 times every month," according to The Financial Brand, most people are familiar with the social networking site. A recent study from AARP amongst people age 50+ showed that 23% of those surveyed either used or frequently visited Facebook, which was by far the most popular social network amongst their age group. One thing to keep in mind is that Facebook has seen changes recently with Timeline, meaning users need to familiarize themselves with the different privacy policies that accompany the modifications. BEST FOR: To best use Facebook, remember to keep in mind what you want to share. Check your privacy settings and if you need help, remember that Geek Squad is available 24/7 online at geeksquad.com to help you navigate the changes. TIPS & TRICKS: Did you know you can now use Facebook to connect you and your friends through text message? If your Wi-Fi or internet connectivity is off, you can still contact your friends and family via Facebook. You can turn on text messaging so your contacts can use Facebook Messages to send you texts. Also, once you have activated text messaging through your Facebook account you can send a text to 32665 (FBOOK) and in the message, write msg and the name of the person you'd like to Facebook message and it will send to their inbox! For example: msg Joe Smith How are you?
LinkedIn(06 of08)
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LinkedIn is a social networking tool focused on professional networking and building business relationships. The tool can be used to network and has informational tabs that compile your personal industry's top news for the day for quick reference. BEST FOR: LinkedIn can be used to connect professionally and also as a supplement to the traditional resume and business card. You have the ability to expand and personalize your descriptions and skills that you sometimes leave off in hard copies. You even have the option of adding a video onto your LinkedIn profile to give you an extra boost in impressions. TIPS & TRICKS: Frequently check your LinkedIn to see what your contacts and colleagues are up to. It's a great way to stay connected professionally.
Best Practices for Social Media(07 of08)
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Watch who you "Friend" and "Follow." On many social media sites, people can request to follow or friend you. If you're not comfortable with strangers having access to your social media information, depending on the social media tool, you could have the option to allow them access to pre-approved sections of your profile. Privatize your profile. Geek Squad can show you how to take advantage of the privacy settings offered by social media sites. By marking your page as private, people have to request you as a friend or ask for your approval in order to "follow" you on Twitter or view your complete Facebook profile. Social media websites generally undergo changes a few times every year, and most of those facelifts affect privacy settings in some way - though users may not be directly alerted of those specific changes. If you notice changes on social-networking site homepages, it's a good idea to revisit your privacy settings, perform a quick internet search to learn more or ask a Geek Squad Agent to give you the scoop. (credit:Alamy)
General rules of thumb that everyone should know about social networking websites:(08 of08)
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Beware of your posts! Always remember that any content you post on the internet will be there forever, for anyone to read, store and republish. Remember that this information is stored somewhere, likely in multiple places.Avoid sharing personal information. License plate numbers, house numbers or other addresses as well as specific names of schools, workplaces or towns should be not shared on the internet. Information can be used like pieces in a puzzle to paint a bigger picture of you.Always take a second look. Just because the screen says your friend John has sent you information doesn't mean John is actually the person who did. Scams often run rampant on social media sites, so beware of any unusual messages. For example, hackers disguise messages to your contacts claiming to need money after being robbed or having lost money in a foreign country. Trust your gut. If it doesn't "seem right" it probably isn't. Things free or too good to be true are just that. Social networking sites have been a breeding ground for fake antivirus software ads, so avoid any type of free antivirus offers. (credit:Alamy)

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