(Your First Memory Blog) Ann and Jeff met on an online dating service and after a few dates together it looked like true love could be in the making. Only three weeks after first meeting in person, Ann’s 24th birthday arrived and Jeff (28 years old) wanted to do something that would impress her and deepen their growing relationship.

So the day before Ann’s birthday, Jeff went to the store and purchased a birthday card. He wrote in it, “Dear Ann, Happy birthday! I have included for you one red rose for every year of your life.”

Jeff sealed the card then went to the florist. He ordered two dozen red roses (24 total) to be delivered to his date’s work the next day. He also gave the florist the card and asked that it be included. Jeff then generously tipped the florist $20 for her help.

The next day as the florist was putting together the two dozen roses, she remembered the $20 tip and as a nice gesture decided to include an extra dozen roses. She then included the card and delivered it as scheduled.

After months of not knowing why Ann never returned his phone calls or emails, Jeff has finally returned to the online dating world.

We’ve all seen the older men who are having a mid-life crisis that go after much younger women.  Today it’s even pretty common to see older women with much younger men and they are lovingly called, cougars.  Is there any problem with dating someone much older or younger than you?  Check out 10 reasons to date someone close to your age.

1. More in common: This biggest difference in age comes with life experiences.  This would be true for a man or a woman.  What does a 50-year-old man have in common with a 23-year-old woman for example? He’s lived a half century and grew up with no computers or cell phones.  He has worked more than half his life and met tons of people.  She hasn’t even lived a quarter century and has grown up with computers and cell phones having little real world experience.
2. Kids: If the dating becomes serious and you start talking marriage do either of you want kids?  Men are lucky in that they can continue to have kids late in life as long as they are healthy and don’t have any health issues that need medicating.  However older women run the risk of not being able to have kids much into their 40’s.  She may not care, but what if he does?
3. Money: Money is the biggest source of arguments in relationships.  If the older person in the relationship is making a lot more than the younger then it creates an imbalance and makes the younger feel like they are being kept.  If you are close to the same age then it’s more likely you are earning similar wages.
4. Maturity: While twenty something’s feel like they are mature and grown up they don’t tend to be.  The mentality is often that they want to party or go out all the time or they are texting their friends 24/7.  Someone much older is beyond that point in his or her life.  Dating someone of the same age will alleviate this problem.
5. Life expectancy: For women their life expectancy goes down if they marry someone who is more than 7-9 years older or younger than they are according to a recent study in Germany.
6. No worries about having to put them in a home: When there are large differences in age it’s not a big deal at the beginning, but the older you both get the closer to retirement and the aches and pains that come with aging set in.
7. No societal problems: People tend to look down their nose at couples where there is a large age difference.  Unkind things could be said.
8. Run in the same social circles: When you date someone close to your own age you will frequent the same places and probably have friends in common.  Going out as a group can be fun when you’re all around the same age.
9. Still open to new experiences: Sometimes the older a person gets the more set in their ways they are.  If you date someone close to your same age both of you should be open to new experiences.
10. Grow old together: No matter whether you are both 20 or both 60 if you are close to the same age you will grow old together and be there for each other in your twilight years.

Chat roulette has become both a source of internet entertainment and means of meeting and socializing with people. It has also become quite competitive in nature. The competition involves trying to capture people’s attention and get them to stay viewing your video screen longer than a few seconds. So, if you want be a strong ‘player’ on the chat roulette sites, you’ll want to be prepared.

1. Check your mirror. Chat roulette is all about the visual. What people see when they see your face is critical. Will it grab their attention, or will it turn them off so fast that they click next before you can even say hi?
2. Check the camera. Camera positioning is also very important, particularly if you’re wanting to provide a full body shot or a lot of movement. You may want to do some test video before you actually go live on the site to make sure the camera will capture what you are wanting it to.
3. Check your sound. Sound may be secondary to the visual on chat roulette, but it is still important. You’ll want to make sure that your computer’s microphone is picking up your voice clearly.
4. Check your background. You’ve made sure that you look good for the camera but what will the camera be picking up in the background behind you? Will it be your messy bed or the posters hanging on the wall? You don’t want the viewer to be distracted or turned off by your surroundings.
5. What’s your gimmick? There are thousands of other people on the chat roulette sites, in order to get someone to actual stop and spend some time with you, you must have something out of the ordinary that will catch their attention right away. It could be bright colors, it could be something shocking, it could be just how terribly gorgeous you are… but you’ll need something to grab their attention in just a couple of seconds. This is definitely the area to spend the most time on. Spend some time on the chat roulette sites to see what kinds of gimmicks others are using. Take note of which ones catch your attention. Pay attention to whether they capture your attention in a positive way or a negative way. Then come up with your own gimmick to attract the kinds of viewers you want.
6. What are you looking for? This, of course, ties into your gimmick. What kind of response are you looking for on the chat roulette sites? Do you want to shock people or do you want to make them laugh? Do you want to make them curious about you or do you want to simply impress them in some way? Do you want them to just watch and enjoy or do you want them to actually enter into conversation with you? You need to decide what your goal is before you go onto the site.
7. Compare different sites. Try out a few different sites to see the different types of people that you find on each one. Find one that seems to fit your profile and the variety of people you are looking for. Some sites are more family orientated and others much more adult rated in their content.
8. Introduction. When you come in front of someone, what are you going to say? Whatever it is, it should be on the tip of your tongue and it should quick and easy to say. Remember, you only have a couple of seconds to get it out and it will also be something you’ll be repeating over and over again each time a new face appears on the screen.
9. Continuing the conversation. Someone has gotten past the first few seconds of screen time without clicking on to the next person, now what? Are you going to continue the conversation or do you want to keep things moving and click onto someone new yourself?
10. Did you use the bathroom? This may seem silly but, hey, it’s a reality of life. Don’t get all setup and ready for a good time on the chat roulette site and find yourself having to sign off for a bathroom break. Be prepared!

Actually you can have a lot fun on chat roulette sites just viewing other people, but if you want to be part of the action instead just part of the audience, spend some time preparing ahead of time.