Flirting in traffic
It's probably happened to you, too: You're in your car, waiting for a traffic light to change. You look around and—whoah!—you see somebody in the next car. That could be The One! You sure would like to find out . . . but before you get it together to roll down the window and try for a phone number, the light turns green. You'll never know.
Unless you live in the US. Ben Philips came up with the idea last spring when he was stopped at a red light and saw an attractive girl in a Jaguar V12 stopped next to him. "I wanted to meet this girl really badly," he said in a recent interview, "but there was no legitimate way for me to do so. I didn’t want to follow her and let her think I was some kind of stalker. At that point, I just let it go. But I knew I had to come up with a way for me and all of the other people who’ve been in similar situations to formally meet."
Philips calls his brainchild "Flirting in Traffic." All you do is log onto his website, complete a simple biography, and upload a current head shot. Once the registration process is complete, you're an official "Flirt." In short order, you'll be mailed numbered sticker to put on the bumper of your car. This is your personal identification number, known as the "Flirting ID."
When other "Flirts" see your identification number, they can log onto the website, enter your sticker number, and learn more about you. If they want to correspond with you, they can email you through the website’s system. No direct e-mail addresses are ever given out.
Philips initially envisioned the site as a gimmick for "myself and my friends" and never dreamed it would become so popular. He claims the site's hits are soaring—103,000 on February 1 alone, compared to 500,000 for all of January—and he's working "like crazy," fielding inquiries and trying to snag corporate sponsors. For now, the service is free, but he figures he'll probably have to start charging users "a small fee—maybe $5 a month—around April 1."
He's also expanding the concept to several more websites: "Flirting on Campus," "Flirting at the Bar," "Flirting at the Beach," and "Flirting Around."
Philips points out that "Flirting in Traffic" is unlike any other online matchmaking or dating service. "You already know what that person looks like, because you’ve seen them in their car. The online photo provides additional recall. And the most important part is that all of the members are truly single and available. You wouldn’t put our sticker on your car if you were married or in a relationship!"
What about those who don’t drive or own a car? Philips says you can put the sticker on your purse, bookbag, or briefcase and still achieve the same results. "It is not necessarily just for people who own a car. It's for all people who want to meet other people AFTER they’ve made contact somewhere in everyday life."