Getting Back Into It

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And while the Internet opens up vast resources for meeting potential new partners, it can seem daunting for those who are not comfortable with the technology or who are worried about dealing with strangers online. "Communicating on the Internet is one of the most impersonal and frightening ways to hook up with someone," says Parry, who prefers meeting men through hobbies such as golf and travel.

Gale Shamama, 61, a widow and guidance counselor from Hollywood, Fla., took a stab at meeting someone on the Net through JDate.com , a website for Jewish singles. But in her experience, the appealing and respectable men she sought were not easy to locate. "I recently spoke with someone I found through the Internet who was kind of obnoxious and crude," Shamama says. "I'd much rather go out for dinner and a movie with my close female friends than talk to someone like that."

For Bob Phillips, 58, a public-relations executive from Memphis, Tenn., having a lifelong network of friends has been the best way to meet women since his second divorce four years ago. "You just have to look at the network right around you and let people know you are ready to start meeting people; I've found that works best," says Phillips, who has dated about 20 women since his divorce and is now seeing someone regularly.

Boomers also face a new concern these days when they start to date again. "AIDS and HIV are something you have to think about," Brothers notes. When Salners, for example, began seeing her boyfriend, they were both tested for hiv. "This is something that I never thought I would experience," she says, "but you have to be careful and smart."

Whatever method you use to meet other singles, keeping an open mind is always the best advice. "Dating today is nothing like when I was a girl," says Williams Florsheim. "It's a whole new world out there, and you just never know where you will wind up meeting someone."