50 Best Social Networks for Seniors

By Kelly Kilpatrick


One of the fastest growing demographics for social networks, seniors have discovered the joy of connecting with others online. Unlike the groups on some of the younger social sites, the sites for older users tend to be less superficial and have a more grounded community. If you are looking for a place to connect with other seniors, then take a look at this list that provides social networks with a focus on sharing life experience, looking for romance, or connecting with others who share a specific interest like travel or Scrabble.
Social Networks for Mature Users

If MySpace and Facebook seem too young for you, then no worries. These social networking sites are all designed for communities with more life experience to share.

1. eons. A popular social network for Baby Boomers, eons offers plenty of ways to connect with others as well as brain games, blogs, videos, and photos.
2. Rezoom. With lots of articles on music, activities, going green, money, and more, you will find plenty to keep your mind busy. Also, find a friend, read blogs, or visit one of the city-specific sites here.
3. Multiply. While not just for older users, this site does have a large number of senior members. The features here include blogs, a social calendar, movie and restaurant reviews, and photo sharing.
4. Seniorocity. Only for adults over 40, this network offers plenty of ways to connect with others including blogs, chat rooms, groups, and photo galleries.
5. Maya’s Mom. Specifically for parents, this site is known to have lots of older members. Connect with other parents in groups, by sharing photos, and more.
6. BOOMj. This social networking site offers the opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues, shopping, photo and video sharing, and much more.
7. Boomertowne. Create a profile, then jump into the fun with discussion groups, movie reviews, recipes, and more. Boomertowne also features a singles dating service.
8. EldersVoice. This site is a "social networking site for senior citizens who are young at heart." Post photos, video chat, play games, or post on your blog here.
9. TeeBeeDee. For anyone over 40, this site emphasizes sharing experiences and knowledge. Topics range from travel to food to sex to spirituality.
10. BoomerGirl. Targeting Baby Boomer women this site is part social network and part eZine. Sign up for one of the blogs and let your voice be heard.
11. Eldr. Participate in the forums or start blogging to connect with others here. Don’t forget to take advantage of the great articles ranging from travel to the environment to exercise.
12. Secondprime. For the 50+ set, this community includes the usual forums and such as well as volunteer activities, a social calendar, and more.
13. Growingbolder. The concept here is to create an intergenerational community around news that is inspiring, amusing, and uplifting rather than the typical fare on at 5:00. While most content is specifically directed at those over 50, they do welcome members of any age.
14. RedwoodAge. This site has a definite social-change aspect to it with topics such as the environment, poverty, and the state of health care right along side articles about health, exercise, and travel. Visit the Village to connect with others.
15. eGenerations. Their tagline explains that they are "a worldwide community of experienced adults" and the home page shows there are members from 62 countries and ranging in age from 30 to 101.
16. Boomer-Living.com. Join the Coffeehouse at this site to find their social network where you can meet others, play trivia, and more.
17. LifeTwo. "Midlife improved" is how this site is described. Follow your online buddies with a free membership here or just read the blogs and articles available.
18. My Boomer Place. Create a profile here and get started connecting with friends or making new ones, sharing photos, writing and sharing articles, playing games, and much more.
19. Maple and Leek. For those 50+, this community is one of adventure and entrepreneurial spirit. Connect with like-minded seniors at this fun site.
20. GrownUps. From New Zealand, this social network for those over 50 provides information on health, money, games, and more as well as an extensive listing of their various online groups and organizations you can join.

Dating Sites Specifically for Seniors
Give online dating a try with these dating sites specifically for more mature singles.

21. SeniorFriendFinder. Exclusively for singles over 40, this site offers free member profiles and almost 500,000 members. You can use email, instant messaging, and video messaging to contact members with a paid subscription.
22. Your Senior Dating Site. This dating site promises it’s about the people so you won’t get advertisements, but you will get personal service and ease of use. Signing up is free, but you will need a membership to contact a potential date.
23. SeniorMatch.com. This site is only for singles over 50 and imposes a minimum age as well. This is one of the largest senior dating sites.
24. Primesingles.net. This site for those 40 and over has a fast sign-up and is easy to navigate.
25. 50YearsPlus.com. "A singles site for seniors with integrity" is how they describe themselves at this site. Enjoy a seven-day free trial to see if you like this one before buying a membership.
26. Executive Senior Dating. This matchmaking service conducts a 30-90 minute phone call with you and a matchmaking counselor to start their matching process.
27. Real Mature Singles. For those 40 and over, this matching service verifies that every applicant is legitimate before providing services.
28. Senior Singles Only. This matching service meets and screens all applicants in person. The applicants must be at least 40 and looking for a long-term relationship.
29. Dating For Seniors. For dating, friends, or a life partner, this online dating site offers opportunities for older singles. Your free basic membership must be upgraded to a paid subscription in order to have full access to all services.
30. Senior Passions. This free dating and social networking site offers the opportunity for "the next big love of your life, companionship, or just to make new friends."

Dating Sites Not Specifically for Seniors
Most of these sites cover a wide range of ages, but you can usually specify the age range in which you are interested.

31. Yahoo! Personals. Completely free, this online dating service offers a wide range of categories from which you can search. Due to not having a cost associated with it and the popularity of Yahoo!, you are sure to find lots of potential here.
32. Match.com. One of the top online dating services, Match.com provides a huge member database. You can browse for free, but you will need a membership to contact any potential matches.
33. Chemistry.com. A part of Match.com, and working like eHarmony, this site relies on matching techniques to connect people and is one of the up-and-coming dating sites. For those who have been rejected by eHarmony, Chemistry.com offers a great chance to try this method of online dating again.
34. eHarmony. This dating service offers a unique approach to online dating. Instead of browsing for dates or waiting for someone to come to you, they rely on a complex personality matching formula and provide you with potential matches. 
35. Perfectmatch.com. Using a compatibility system, this dating site emails you when a good match for you becomes available. Perfectmatch.com has been receiving lots of rave reviews recently.
36. SinglesNet. This free service offers most of the same services available in the for-pay dating services. Gaining in popularity, the database is over 5 million large.
37. Lavalife. Choose to look for dates, relationships, or intimate encounters on this site. You can create three different profiles for each of the three different categories offered or select only one or two of them. This service is totally free and has a huge member base.
38. Great Expectations. Combining online dating services and in-person matchmaking, this service meets every member in person and creates a match for potential dates. They also offer invitations to Great Expectations events where you can meet members face-to-face. This service is available in about 50 cities in the U.S.
39. Matchmaker. Answer questions about major issues to create your matchability with this site. The service is free, but you will need to pay if you want to contact a member.
40. Plentyoffish.com. This totally free site matches singles from around the world. Touting itself as a dating site for everyone, you can choose a specific type of dating environment such as older couples or Christian dating.

Specialized Networks
From finding golf romance to dog lovers to gardening fans, these social networks all offer a very specific interest for its members.

41. Mango Tree. If you love to travel but don’t like to go alone, this site is specifically for finding travel partners. While it is available for any age group, you can specify an age range of interest.
42. DateAGolfer.com. Golf players looking for romance need look no further. This dating site offers free matching with other golf fanatics, most of whom appear to be from the senior set.
43. Animal Attraction. Pets and their parents can post photos, participate in forums, and more at this site specifically for pet lovers. The services are not only completely free, but Animal Attraction also donates $.01 to the charity you’ve chosen every day that you log in.
44. Dogster. Dog lovers can exchange ideas, gain knowledge, and even date on this site. If you would like to connect to other doggie parents, this is a great place to look.
45. Folia. Gardeners from all around the world can find each other on this social networking site. If gardening is your thing, you should check out this community.
46. PatientsLikeMe. This site brings together people with similar health issues for support and knowledge. Learn about symptoms, treatments, and research while you find others going through the same experiences you are.
47. Classmates.com. If you haven’t been active in your class reunions or are just interested in looking up old friends, this site is a great way to connect with classmates from both high school and college.
48. reunion.com. Similar to Classmates.com, this site allows you to look up old school friends. Reunion.com has a reputation of a great place to find anyone with whom you’ve lost touch over the years whether they are from school, family, work, or wherever.
49. Famiva. This social network for families allows you to work collaboratively on a family tree, share photos, family stories, make family maps and more–and it’s all free.
50. Scrabulous. If you like playing Scrabble, then this community is for you. Sign up for free, then find others in the Scrabulous community to join you in one of several variations of online Scrabble.