A New Paradigm For Modern Dating? Combining the Real World and Internet World With One Flirty Card

Imagine that you are chilling by yourself in some coffee shop or bookstore. A non-creepy good-looking stranger--who may or may not have been eyeballing you or the book you have been reading for the last ten minutes--passes by your table and nonchalantly places a small black card next to your cafe drink before heading out the door. The card says: "I'm hitting on you" and below, a website code for looking up the your admirer's profile to learn more or to send a message.

Super-creepy? Or a little intriguing? Consider it the flirty equivalent of a Facebook poke in real time.  

According to this recent article on the New York Times, passing along a flirty card with an online code to your personal profile may be the next dating trend that combines real world encounters with online interaction. Cheekd.com is one website that provides a paid membership for users who want their own personalized cards with their personalized internet code to discreetly pass along to any alluring-looking cutie or hunk that catches their eye--be it on the subway, a club, a bookstore, or yoga class. As the article goes on to explain: 

Users receive calling cards to dole out to alluring strangers they encounter in their everyday lives, be it in a club or in a subway on their morning commute. Recipients of the cards can use the identification code printed on them to log onto Cheekd.com and send a message to their admirer. A pack of 50 cards and a month’s subscription to Cheek’d, where users can receive messages and post information about themselves, is $25. There is no fee for those who receive cards to communicate with an admirer through the site.

Each Cheek’d card has a sassy phrase like “I am totally cooler than your date,” or, for those with no regard for subtlety: “I’m hitting on you.” Ms. Cheek is dreaming up specialized card sets, too. One for New York City singles will have lines like “I live below 14th Street” and “I hope my five-story walkup won’t be a problem.”

Flipmedating.com is another dating website that markets the same concept: a pack of 30 cards and a three-month membership for $24.99. Each card is printed with the message that reads way cooller in written form than spoken outloud: "I’ve said ‘what if’ too many times ... not this time.” 

The innovative thing about passing along sassy cards with an online link is that prospective dates at least can see each other in real life before deciding if they want to continue their interactions further. That's one big step ahead of online dating, where misleading user photos is a common problem. And if the cutie bartender or svelte park jogger doesn't respond to your flirty calling card? No problem--you still have more cards to go through, and more motivation to get yourself out in the real world instead of huddling behind a computer screen all weekend long.

Indeed, every new dating technology comes with its Pandora's box of creeps and abusers; I can already imagine schmaltzy players signing up for packs of cards under multiple identities to two-time, three-time naive girls at bars with greater frequency.

But for the nice single folk who get a little shy about meeting new people in their neighborhood? It just might be the best ice-breaking tool out there so far to find your potential soulmate--or at least a weekend date that will allow you to skip your Saturday night ritual of ironing your clothes and re-alphabetizing your extensive DVD collection. 

PHOTO (cc): Flickr / hondapanda

 

 

via intent.com