Online dating has been a commonplace way for people to meet new people and find love for well over a decade.
While in its infancy it had a little bit of a stigma attached to it, perhaps being considered a bit nerdy, but in the modern world where everybody uses the internet all the time and having online friends you would never have necessarily met in real life is absolutely the norm, it is now one of the first things internet savvy singles think of when they want to find a date.
There are dating sites devoted to all sorts of things - sites specifically for people of the same religion, sites for people of certain ages, gay sites, sites for people who want to date someone in a certain profession (such as in the military), of a certain nationality, or even someone rich! All niches are catered for, and so are all types of relationship, whether you want to flirt and find people to go out with for fun, casual dates, or find someone to marry.
Online dating is enjoyed by adults of all ages, and is especially good for people who find it hard to meet other people in the normal course of their day, perhaps due to work or family commitments, or because they just aren't the sort of person who likes to go out a lot.
It is especially popular among more mature people, who are maybe trying to get back on the scene for the first time in a while.
If you are looking to try online dating for the first time and are over 40, you have the option of either joining one of the many mainstream online dating sites which are open to people of all ages and backgrounds, or joining an over 40's specific site.
Both will have plenty of members for you to engage with, however which you choose will depend largely on what you are looking for.
Obviously if your ideal, or at least something you wouldn't want to rule out, is a partner under 40, then you will be better off on a mainstream site.
If, however you are not interested in dating anybody younger you may find the culture and community of an online dating over 40 site suits you better.
If you are significantly over 40, there are also senior dating sites available.
The minimum age for most of these is 50, so it is up to you whether you think and over 40's or over 50's demographic is going to be best suited to you and the type of partner you think you would like to meet.
On any of these types of site, you will be able to search for people on other criteria too, so you won't just have to wade through the profiles of all the singles over 40 or 50 in your given area.
You can set all kinds of preferences to narrow the search down, or broaden it (for example if you don't especially mind meeting people who don't live locally to you, you can search a wider area or even worldwide).