Boom time for online dating - Adelaidenow

Jayne and Danie met online 13 months ago. Picture: Mark Brake Source: AdelaideNow

BABY Boomers are increasingly heading for the computer to find a new partner in life.

South Australian former matchmaker and online dating authority Yvonne Rice says Australians aged to their late-70s are using websites to find companionship, if not love.

Oasis Active chief executive Dave Heysen said the number of over-50s seeking love online was growing quickly.

"Our database shows 110,000 people over 50 in Australia on the site since 2007," he said. "That's about 10 percent of the total but it's growing more and more each month. It's one of the fastest-growing sectors."

Jayne is one lady who feels "blessed" to have found a new partner and begun a new life thanks to online dating.

Jayne, 51, met fellow Adelaidean Danie, 47, after each posted their details on a site. They chatted online for a while, met for coffee, and found they liked each other. The relationship has grown to the point they recently moved in together.

Jayne said she'd had several online chats with other possibilities before connecting with Danie.

Some Baby Boomers are not computer confident and ask their children to place them on dating websites. But for Jayne it was the reverse.

"I have a daughter, 18, who was against it - she was being the mother. But a person I work with met someone through the website and they are now married, so that encouraged me," she said.

"It's hard when you get older to get back into the dating scene, but people want to overcome their loneliness. I've now got a totally new life."

She said she read Danie's profile on the website one night and he happened to be online at the same time.

Jayne said people should be cautious when engaging with someone online.

"Don't rush out and meet people; talk to them first," she said. "Meet during the day, in a coffee shop."

Ms Rice urged people not to post much personal information online. "Remember, you are meeting a stranger," she said.

Security tips for online dating are in Boomer Magazine, free in The Advertiser tomorrow.