250 pages of ideas for the over 50s

Wiki sites are sites where most of the material comes from the people who visit them

Taking the Retirement Bull by the Horns

Retired and Active...The Social Network for the over 50s

Some of us Long for Retirement

the wiki site is the ideal vehicle for social networking

...some of us dread it

...and for yet more of us it is a way of life

But unless we're very unlucky, it's going to come to us and we should get full value from our investment in time and money.

And that's what Retired and Active and its sister sites are about

Safety on the Internet

We're all concerned by what we hear about identity theft and internet crime, but that shouldn't frighten us away from using the net.

Roger Webb says

No one on the retired but active sites will ask you for your postal address, or your bank details. If anyone does please contact me immediately. In the mean time check out our Safety on the Net' pages.

... social networking with a purpose and a very special audience - you, the over 50s

..and if you've read too many negative reports about community sites

Then you might like to check it out on our social networking page, but come back here when you finish.

Then think about Joining Us..

social networking, even if you're over 50, can greatly improve your retirement experience

Help our generation to punch its weight; to negotiate deals for members and to pursue our causes but mostly to enjoy our retirements.


Membership :

  • Gives access to all parts of the site;
  • Allows you an active part in the site, writing up your own material, displaying your own pictures, expressing your views and experience;
  • Cost you nothing - now or in the future

250+ pages and counting

Retired and Active and its sister sites offer nearly 300 pages of material for the over-50s.


being a member of a social network, even if you're over 50, can improve your retirement experience

Our visitor figures are growing but still minor compared with the big fish in our pond and

  • Between 1,000 and 1,200 people come on the sites every day.
  • Between them the visit between 2,500 and 4,000 pages every day.
  • Since we started enrolling 'members' we now have nearly 100

Of course these fall far short of our targets in all areas but we progress.

So, here's your chance to get involved

It's easy to get lost in our 300 pages So we've provided a map page to see you through

Tell us what you think

Interest Groups

Interest Groups create a genuine Social Network.

With Retired but Active you have no need for special skills to take part in a genuine Social Network

You don't need money: you don't need IT skills...

...and it's all free, you don't need to buy software or special hardware, your PC and your enthusiasms are enough to qualify you to be a contributor.

Retired but Active, the Social networking site for the over-50sSo, what is an Interest Group?
The 'Use RbA to the Full' button at the top of the page leads you in easy stages through the process of sending your written material and pictures to RbA
It is an area within Retired but Active dedicated to a specific interest run by and for its own members.
With Retired but Active you have no need for special skillsAnd who can take part?
Any logged in member of Retired but Active. Some groups require that you are cleared by the group leader but that's largely to exclude spammers and the like who would spoil the enjoyment of the genuine members.
With Retired but Active you have no need for special skillsSupposing none of the existing groups interest me?
Then you can suggest a new Interest group of your own. It has to be approved, but that's largely a formality designed to keep spammers at bay.
With Retired but Active you have no need for special skillsCan an Interest group be about anything at all?
The 'See Interest Groups' button near the top of the page will introduce you to our current Interest Groups
It can be about anything - serious or flippant - sacred or profain , provided that it falls within the terms of our Editorial Code

Interest groups allow you to be an active part in the site, to talk to the world and be heard, to listen to your generation speak.

Retired but Active Blogs

Blogging is one of the oldest and most established features of community sitesWelcome to the World of Blogs

Blogging is a bench mark of our freedom of expression - a medium that allows everyone to talk freely to the world.

What is a blog?
A blog is an unstructured letter to the world, delivered via the internet to whowever wants to read it.
By tradition it follows the thoughts and action of an individual, wherever they may wander and oftern takes the form of an open diary.
How does a blog differ from a forum?
A blog follows the writer's thoughts, wherever they may wander. A forum has a 'topic' and one or more writers add a progressive 'chain' of thought to that topic.
Who can write a blog on RbA?
Any logged in member of RbA. Bloggers are independant of interest groups because your first blog may be on one topic and your second on something quite different.
Do I need IT skills or special equipment?
No, one of the great democratic features of Blogging is that if you can type with two fingers you can blog.


Retired but Active Forums

..where mature conversations pursue mature topics: .

The Rba forums

and frivolous talk..

The forum is another vehicle of free speech. this time focused around a 'topic' rather than a writer.

So what is a 'forum'?
A forum is a public area on a website where members can record their thoughts for everyone to read.
A blog follows the thought pattern of a single writer and ranges over many subjects.
A forum is subject based, and several writers will offer their thoughts to the same forum.
People talk of 'Chains' in Forums
A chain copies a normal mature conversation where someone raises a point and the next person responds directly to the point.
Once a third person gets involved than you have a logical chain.


And what is a 'topic'?

A topic defines the broad area that a particular forum addresses. They act as a guide to newcomers looking to join a forum in an area that interests them.
The RbA software package permits any number of topics, but we ask people to request a new topic - see the menu at the top of the page - so that we can maintain a logical structure.
Are forums safe?
Forums are in the public domain. Don't tell anyone in a forum what you wouldn't have published in your local newspaper.
Fast track me to the Forums
Who can use the forums
Any logged in member of RbA
What if I don't find a forum that interests me?
Then click on 'Suggest a Group or Forum' near the top of this page and suggest a new one in an area that does interest you.

Retired but Active Galleries

..where the over-50s post pictures for others to enjoy

The Rba galleries, where the over-50s post their pictures

The over-50s generation is one of all the talents

The RbA galleries allow individual members of RbA to post their photographs or original works for the enjoyment of others.

Who can post pictures?
Any logged in member of RbA can post pictures. Better still by joining an interest group you can post to their gallery.

View the Gallery and Post Your Own Pictures


Featured Gallery of the Month

BigPip is too young to be a full member of RbA but...

Boats in Cardfiff Bay

Look at his Boats in Cardiff Bay for its composition or this (though not entirely original)

Boats in Cardfiff Bay

for its action