Romance 101: Dating & Relationships

Today's panel on dating kicked off with three experts in the field - AARP's own Dave Singleton, Dating Diva Kimberly Dawn Neumann and author & psychiatrist Dr. Ish Brown.

A lot of audience members were interested in learning more about online dating and how to improve their experience. Some tips include:
- Diversify your dating life, much like your investments. You should try to meet people in real life and online, not one or the other. 1 in 6 new marriages are between people who met on a dating site. And midlife daters are the fastest growing segment on Match.com.
- Be bold. Say hi. Keep a conversation going. The days of sitting back and waiting are over when it comes to dating.
- If a guy's (or gal) looking for someone in their 20's and 30's, your word should be: "Next!" As Dr. Ish says, "Pay attention to the obvious."
- Be strategic about your profile. Present your best self. Don't overwhelm with too much information. Kim recommends posting one photo of your face and one photo that shows your whole body. People don't like to feel like they are being surprised. Other than that, keep it simple. No one wants to see your cat before they've met you. ;)
- When asked about how quickly it's ok to get physical, Dr. Ish suggests going with your gut, but his rule of thumb is "Make it to Date 3 and then fly free!"
- Lots of people are having a tough time with work. Dave suggests creative dates, not spendy ones. Meet for coffee, take a walk... don't feel pressure to do a big dinner out on a first date. (Read Romancing on a Budget)
- Lots of questions about which sites to use. Match.com is the biggest, but any of the paid sites offer a level of privacy. Meetcha is a new site that develops dates around activities. Any of them can work, it's just a matter of when the right person joins and meets you.
For more dating advice and tips, join AARP's Single & Mingle or Love & Romanceonline communities.