Dating can be challenging for people in any age group. But, these challenges are only compounded for older Americans. Popular dating and hook-up sites like Bumble and Tinder likely just don’t feel like the right fit. But, there are options available that will help people in this age group find true love or even just the companionship that they long for. One of the best options available is Silver Singles. Below, we review some important information that you should know about Silver Singles before signing up for it.
Silver Singles is set up exclusively for men and women over the age of 50. This means that you will know exactly what demographic you will be drawing from the moment you log on. In addition, it has options for people who are looking for opposite-sex partners, as well as for those who are looking for same-sex matches. And, unlike some of its competitors, it has a wide database of active users. This means that you will have a great choice of potential dates.
Even though age compatibility is an important part of finding your next romantic partner, the Silver Singles team understands that it is only part of finding a match. A long-term match also relies on a high degree of compatibility. This is why the first step in the Silver Singles process is completing a detailed survey about your personality. Based on these results, Silver Singles will send you the best matches for you in your geographic area … Silver Singles boasts in advertising that you will be matched with between 3 and 7 people each day. This yields a high probability of success, or true love.
The matchmaking process definitely starts with the in-depth personality test. This test is based off of the five factor psychological model. The five-factor model looks at five key personality traits, such as openness to new experiences and extraversion, and then attempts to determine how strong or weak people are in each area. This test can take a while to complete so you’ll need to be patient. It is admittedly more time-consuming than the sign-up process of some of its competitors. The 125-question test, as well as additional essays, may take you an hour or more to complete.
While the survey may take longer to complete, it will result in matches that are more likely to go the distance. It is important to remember though that the survey is only effective if you are honest about your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as what you are looking for in a potential partner.
If you disagree with this personality test’s conclusions, you can reach out to the Silver Singles team and changes can be made. You are not permanently locked into an algorithm. This option is reassuring to the many users who want flexibility in their dating service.
During the sign-up process, you will also be able to add a profile picture if you happened to select the paid option. That is one of the real downsides of the Silver Singles free option. It does not allow you to post a profile picture and this drives down the likelihood that you will find a long-term match.
Signing up is only the first step in the matchmaking process. The Silver Singles algorithm also looks at different perspective partners’ profiles and sees if there are similarities or any glaring red flags as it pairs potential partners up. Red flags could be anything from previous relationships to religious differences. Based on this information, Silver Singles will send you potential options every day. This reduces the work that you need to do as a user. It also frees up your time to be able to send messages to potential matches who you are interested in.
The good news is that the answer to this question is absolutely not. In fact, if you are content using the basic version of Silver Singles, it is absolutely free of charge. But, the Company does try and upsell you on the added features of the premium plan, emphasizing that you are more likely to find your perfect match if you invest some money into the process.
With the premium membership, you have unlimited access to all of the profiles in the database of other premium memberships. You can interact with each of them with no restrictions. There are other features that come along as perks of choosing the premium option. But, be prepared, the Silver Singles’ prices are not inexpensive. If you commit to a one-year membership, you will be paying $27.95 per month. A six-month membership clocks in at $37.95 per month, and three months will set you back $49.95 per month.
Selecting which subscription plan is right for you is not easy; it is a balancing act. Yes, you want to benefit from lower monthly costs. But, if you find the love of your life in month one, do you really want to be locked into monthly fees for the next 11 months?
Not surprisingly, one of the Company’s primary goals is to help people find their ideal romantic partners. But, Silver Singles does more than that. It also offers helpful advice both for life and dating, based on the understanding that happy and fulfilled people are more likely to find happiness with another person. Much of this advice is straightforward. But, it is always worth a reminder.
One important reminder is that even when using a technologically sophisticated platform, like Silver Singles, you should not forget about more traditional ways to meet friends and partners. Always look for opportunities to engage. You may be surprised by who you meet. A second great reminder is that even when you start a new relationship, it is always important to take time for yourself. Self-care is important.
Other important pieces of advice revolve around the idea that dating in your 50s is different than dating in your 20s simply because of accumulated life experiences. By the time most of us reach our 50s, we likely have several past long-term partners, and we may also have children. Our lives are simply no longer clean slates. And naturally, we want to be transparent and share these details. But, sharing or dumping, too many of these details on a first date may leave our date feeling overwhelmed. Again, it takes practice to figure out what to share and when in an authentic way.
Simply reading through the sparkling and upbeat text on the Silver Singles website will likely convince even the most jaded users that true love is just one more click of the mouse away. But, the reality is not always quite that perfect…at least according to regular users of the site. For example, some users have noted that the personality screening test at the beginning did not necessarily feel geared towards their specific age demographic, and it did not embrace the fact that what people are looking for in relationships may evolve over time.
Another complaint that some users offered is that even though the Company markets itself as exclusively for users over the age of 50, this is simply not true. People who are younger have no problem joining and creating profiles. As a result, this may make some older users feel less safe and comfortable.
One other downside of Silver Singles is that it does not offer video chat capabilities. This missing feature could be particularly frustrating during COVID-19 when people are looking for safe and socially distanced ways to interact.
You are never too old to date or find true love. Silver Singles recognizes this reality and has created a technologically savvy platform geared towards older adults looking for similarly aged individuals to meet and date. The platform focuses on matching people based on personality in an organic way designed to make long-term compatible matches.
Silver Singles has a lot of positive selling points to offer. But, this does not mean that there are no downsides that potential users should consider before signing up. One of these is cost. The free version offers very few benefits to a user, and the premium version can get expensive. Also, even though it is marketed as exclusively for the 50+ crowd, the reality is slightly different. Yet, even with these potential negatives, it is still a great option for people looking to expand their dating pool.