Dating sites are prospering by targeting older singles to help them answer the question, "What is this thing called love?"
One winter evening, Pricilla Williams, a 61-year-old widow, logged on to her computer and sorted through electronic photographs of men who had checked out her profile on the online dating site Match.com.
After years of losing subscribers to racier rivals and new social networking sites geared to young singles, Match.com has become the largest online dating site in the U.S. by subscriptions, with 1.3 million members. One big reason: Boomer daters like Ms. Williams.
Match.com has been reaching out to singles over 50, pitching itself as a destination for mainstream daters who want serious relationships. It made its site easier to navigate for people who are not Internet-savvy, helping people find daters who meet their tastes. The site even features a free magazine with articles on the love life of Baby Boomers.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2007