I have never done online dating, but risks in giving out email are as follows, if they are not legitimate and they are scammers
1. they can take over your email account.
2. if they send you something with an attachment they can infect your computer and gain access to your personal information.

I hate to say this but to be cautious I would at the very least set up a separate email account from the one that you receive your personal email. It would provide a little bit of an extra shield. If the gentleman in question are legitimate it shouldn't be an issue but there are a lot of scammers out in the world.
Hugs,
Val

When I was checking things out I made a Yahoo email with a code name so no one could get my regular email address and they didn't know my name. I emailed with my new husband for months before we knew where we lived- neither one of us were in to giving out information too fast. Turned out we were only 25 miles apart! So I would agree about being leery of giving out a personal email to the dating sites.

I talk to them on that site for quite a while first. Those that are in a hurry go to the the wayside. I have had no luck on the sites. They seem to always lie about something. It is way out of my comfort zone to even be on there, but you are right, loneliness makes you do crazy things.

I am on several sites. I would rather meet in person thru friends. If I had any friends that knew anyone. That's not happening. The good thing about on line dating is you are in control. You can determine what information others have. You can talk for months thru the dating services and never use email if you want. If you don't want to talk to someone you don't respond. I have meet some nice gals. Some are in a huge hurry and others okay with taking it slow. Many are in the same place we are. Lonely and wanting to meet a friend.
In public there are lots of creeps and nice people mixed together.
On line dating is kind of like having a car. Easier to get around but you could have an accident. It can make things easier but not without its risks.
Mark

The ones that want your email right away, want you to fall in love with them, online, then ask for money. I created a separate email for the dating site, with just my first name. I tell people, I will give them my email and number after we meet. That usually will stop a scammer, they don't want to meet you and probably don't live where they say online. I have met a couple of nice guys. One we hung out together as friends till 2 weeks ago, when he decided that he was going to date another lady. I'm happy for him. Just stay local, email, on the site only. If you are comfortable with them, meet for coffee. No expectations except to make a new friend.

Paula

I too used a new email account so it was not connected to my personal email. Only used first name. I have met some nice men on a dating website. They weren't all "matches" but enjoyed meeting new people. I too would prefer to not to have to use the internet but also know if I wait for "a connection" through friends or a coincidence, I'll be waiting a long time. At my age, where do you meet someone? I am very active in my church and my community. I go out socially. In 4 years, I have only met one man this way. We dated for a long time but he was not the "one" for me. I have been dating for five months someone I met on-line. I have enjoyed his company and I am glad I tried a dating website.

You may have to meet a lot of toads before you meet the one you are searching for. I finally decided I was ready to do just that. I no longer was searching for a carbon copy of my late husband. I wanted to find a new love. Someone to do fun things with. I was ready to weed through all the fakes if I had too. I met a few that were awful. I met a few that were nice but not the one I was looking for. Then I met my Craig. He and I have been together two years now. If you are ready for a new kind of love... The kind that the new you (the one that knows loss and has a scar on their heart now..and is older now) can have with a new person. (Someone that you will come together with differently...because they are uniquely them), then you are ready. Then you have to take your time meeting and getting to know people. If they are pushy that is a big red flag. If it feels like work or you cannot trust what they say...another red flag. You do not have to be physically perfect and do not look for a physically perfect 'other' either. Real loves sees perfection when there is none but it has to grow over time. Look for who the person is on the inside and 'be you". Remember to forgive yourself for being human. Trust your instincts though. Good luck. I am so happy that I allowed myself to find love again. Also for safety...meet them in public places..drive yourself there. Do not give out personal info until you meet the person and get to know the real them first.

How is the online dating going? I highly recommend Match.com. Several people I know have been successful on match and I have been too. It's tough getting started because dating is a whole new world and then to make it online dating. Whoa Nelly! But I haven't heard any horror stories about Match. Good luck!
If BF and I broke up, I would go on match again. I feel pretty comfortable with it.

AARP just had an article on a doozy of a scam via Match.com.. I read the article, then heard the report on RFDTV. Scary. Please do not give money to a "new" friend... Always have your ears and eyes open separate from the heart! This is such a hard place to be in- I so wish none of us had to travel this road.

My current husband and I met online. We both had been widowed for almost 4 years and had developed our own personality as individuals. I started by looking for friendship and even online rather than meeting in person. I found many nice people to chat with. I took it very cautiously. Used only my first name and a separate email address which I closed after meeting my husband. I didn't respond to anyone who didn't seem right for what I wanted. I never met anyone before Art in person, just wasn't sure if was a good idea for me. Art's profile said everything that I felt, but we talked online for a couple weeks before he gave me his number and I called him. We met for lunch and fell in love. I never believed in love at first sight until then, but I do now. Sharon

I met my husband on SeniorPeopleMeet. So, online dating can be a positive experience.

.....but you have to be careful. If someone is pressuring you for your personal e-mail account right off the bat, I'd be concerned. If they are legitimate, then they will take no for an answer and respect your need to protect yourself. If they aren't concerned for your safety and peace of mind.....then I wouldn't want to meet them anyway.

I to set up a separate e-mail account for online dating..... I met several nice men online before I met my current husband.

Trust your gut......and educate yourself. Almost all online dating sites have information about scammers and how to avoid them.

I have been on this WW /HH site for some time, and from my observations, most of the members met their new date on line. Some go through trials and errors, some jump right into a relationship. Many married to an individual that had met on the internet site.
Internet is just another venue, because most of us interact with a limited number of people in our daily life, internet expands that.

Also, plan on spending time there to capitalized on your investment. Unless you have plenty of free time, reading volumes and volumes of profiles and corresponding be time consuming and distracting form other things like maintaining healthy habits. It can be involving to the point that can disrupt a relationships in your family, especially if you are a parent with kid (s) at home.
Good luck

I was on Match.com. Interacted with a LOT of men...but actually only met a few of them face to face. Seemed like after emailing a little or chatting on the phone, either one of both of us just wasn't really interested. Ourtime.com (Seniorpeoplemeet.com) on the other hand, has been VERY active for me. In the past 11 months, I have actually met 17 men. One was a very short term, but wonderful, relationship. The next was more intense and passionate, but it didn't work out the way I hoped it would. And I dated one man more than once simply as a friend.

I figure I am batting about 25%. As far as meeting someone interesting. (And of course, I only meet them after a process of screening and elimination...) Although I sometimes get discouraged, and wonder if it is really worth the effort, I figure it is simply a numbers' game. You meet enough members, and you are bound to click with at least one of them. It is inevitable.

My subscription expires in less than a month. And I was pretty much ready to stop looking online. I had a couple of new dates lined up, and then was going to take a break. One seemed perfect on paper...but face to face was a total uptight, critical dud. The next man, who I dreaded meeting, just because I was in a bad space and was questioning why I was even following through with dating plans, has ended up to be amazing. Smart and funny and quirky and respectful and educated and so on....and did I mention we really LIKE each other?

Taking it one day at a time...slowly and somewhat cautiously. Guarding my heart a little closer this time, but am certainly excited to see where "we" go as a couple.... So, yes, the dating sites can and DO work.

I went on Match.com and met my current boyfriend. We clicked and it is pretty incredible. I did meet some creeps and one was after money for sure. A few all seemed to have the same lines so beware. I did not give out my email right away and some insisted so I said to bad, no thanks. Have fun but be careful!

I've had good and bad experiences with dating sites. As Athankfulone stated - in part it is a numbers game. Remember school, university, college? We met so many more people then. Once upon a time, workplaces were an option, but now in our litigious society that is so concerned about sexual harassment, we cannot look to that venue for options. (There's two gents in my office that I would like to get to know better - both of whom are on dating sites - both have made it clear they would not date from within the workplace simply because of the gossip and maintaining a professional relationship.)
A friend summed it up well - it's accelerated blind dating, without the 'middleman'. Blind dates used to be vetted by friends, in a way - here, we are relying on the computer as our middleman. We are trying to decipher from minimal information on a profile if we'd like to meet that person.
I've tried to go the route of asking friends if they know anyone available - absolutely no luck. Although they know single men my age, they hesitate to introduce them. Not sure why.
So, I'm limited to going online to find someone compatible, despite my friends' concerns about using them.