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Beverly Sisters Want To Make Social Media Less Scary for the Over-40 Crowd

By Howard Ludwig | October 21, 2014 5:16am
 Molly and Kathie Driscoll launched Selective Connections on Oct. 1. The social media and meet-up site is designed for users in their 40s through 60s. Background checks and video introductions are required of all members. The sisters were raised in Beverly and plan it expand the site outside of the Chicago market within 12 months.
Selective Connections Meet-Up Site Launched
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BEVERLY — Imagine if social media required a background check.

Molly and Kathie Driscoll have developed a website that does just that. Selective Connections launched on Oct. 1. The members-only site requires background checks of all participants and mandatory video introductions.

The meet-up site also has a strict age policy, limiting participants to adults in their 40s through 60s. Members pay a one-time fee of $199 and monthly fees ranging from $19.99 to $39.99.

"People my age are leery of the Internet," said Kathie Driscoll, 51, of Beverly. "It's the wild, wild west."

Howard Ludwig says the website's founders say people over 40 would value the screening process:

Selective Connections aims to capitalize on those within this age bracket that value such a level of security as well as the ability of online communities to bring like-minded people together.

The site is broken up into eight interest areas: entertainment and adventure; foodie; business; relationship; health and fitness; travel, shopping; and volunteer.

Those interested in trying out a new restaurant, for example, might check out the foodie page in search of a group outing. When enough people have committed, a reservation is made.

The diners seated at the table often begin as strangers. But with everyone thoroughly vetted, conversation comes easy. It's also an opportunity for adults to mingle outside of their established group of friends and family, said Molly Driscoll, 50, a resident of north suburban Glencoe.

"I think it's the next generation of social media," she said.

The Driscoll sisters grew up in Beverly, attending St. Barnabas Elementary School and Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Mount Greenwood. Both are divorced and said their relationships with friends, family and co-workers helped them weather the breakup.

After their splits, they also both tried online dating, only to find the whole thing very stressful. For Molly Driscoll, the experience led to an epiphany: She wanted a safer way to meet people and began to develop Selective Connections about one year ago to fill what she identified as a void.

Selective Connections offers online dating as part of its repertoire, but it's hardly the focus of the site. In fact, the 50 people that have signed up for the site within the first two weeks are split evenly between married and single adults.

In some cases, couples are using the site as vehicle for planning date nights, Kathie Driscoll said. To help plan such outings, Selective Connections offers to find baby sitters, dog walkers, lawn care companies or other "personal assistants."

"Those activities take up time you would otherwise use to go out," Molly Driscoll said.

Anyone interested in providing such services can post for free on the site. If a Selective Connections member wants to hire him or her, the employer would be responsible for paying for a background check. It's also recommended that employers post an online review of any service provider for fellow members.

It's these type of amenities, along with the added level of security and carefully targeted interest areas that the Driscoll sisters believe appeal to their site's age group.

"We've done some market research. People in their 20s and 30s don't understand why you would pay for something like this," said Molly Driscoll, who works as a nursing manager at a hospital in Lincoln Park.

That being said, older users are more likely to value such security and be willing to pay for it, Molly Driscoll said.

Thus far, the site also seems to speak strongest to women. Roughly two-thirds of the initial members are female. Kathie Driscoll believes this trend may continue, as husbands encourage their wives enroll in Selective Connections.

Some events coordinated through the site may not appeal to a husband and wife as a couple. For example, a husband with little interest in yoga might prefer that his wife attend such an event with Selective Connections members versus being dragged into the event himself. The background check also provides an added level of security for a doting spouse as his or her partner ventures out alone, Kathie Driscoll said.

Selective Connections is focusing on the Chicago market. Over the next year, the Driscolls plan to expand the site throughout the country. They hope to take the website global within three to five years.

Kathie Driscoll, who works as a comptroller for a software company in suburban Westmont, said the key to the successful growth of Selective Connections will be attracting adults to the site who value an added level of safety.

"It's just going out and knowing you are in a secure environment," she said.

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