2008 Woodie Awards
Column: A second chance to connect
Danny Deza
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: The Inside
Your eyes lock with someone on the T and you can't help but think how cute he or she is. The attraction is instant; your palms start to sweat and you start looking for ways to turn this random encounter into something significant.
What do you do?
Do you swallow your pride and muster up the courage to start a conversation, or do you flirt your way into your potential honey's heart? But before you know it, you have reached your destination and the connection is lost. Your chances are gone.
An all too familiar scenario? Missed Connections on Craigslist.org offers the possibility for a second chance, turning missed opportunities into potential dates.
Craigslist is a popular website of local classifieds and forums that reach 450 cities around the world. Thirty-million people use it each month, generating more than 9 billion total page views by people looking to buy or sell goods; or to find an apartment, job or even love. Many people in major cities have not only caught on to the classifieds, but are also using Missed Connections as the trendiest clearinghouse for those seeking romance with passersby that caught their eyes.
Missed Connections is the virtual space used to provide people with an opportunity to express their hopes for love - or their lust - for free. Done in an anonymous fashion, common postings are mostly directed toward strangers the writer finds attractive, whether met on the streets or the subway. Maybe it was just someone they exchanged glances with earlier that day.
"We talked twice I think? When I arrived outside, you offered to go inside and get my sick friend some water. And once on the extremely loud dance floor," a man wrote Monday in a post titled "Banger Friday night." "You were so cute and maybe we could have inaudible conversation on a dance floor sometime again."
In some cases, users post bulletins trying to rekindle an old flame or find an old friend in a final desperate attempt to fix a bitter breakup.
What do you do?
Do you swallow your pride and muster up the courage to start a conversation, or do you flirt your way into your potential honey's heart? But before you know it, you have reached your destination and the connection is lost. Your chances are gone.
An all too familiar scenario? Missed Connections on Craigslist.org offers the possibility for a second chance, turning missed opportunities into potential dates.
Craigslist is a popular website of local classifieds and forums that reach 450 cities around the world. Thirty-million people use it each month, generating more than 9 billion total page views by people looking to buy or sell goods; or to find an apartment, job or even love. Many people in major cities have not only caught on to the classifieds, but are also using Missed Connections as the trendiest clearinghouse for those seeking romance with passersby that caught their eyes.
Missed Connections is the virtual space used to provide people with an opportunity to express their hopes for love - or their lust - for free. Done in an anonymous fashion, common postings are mostly directed toward strangers the writer finds attractive, whether met on the streets or the subway. Maybe it was just someone they exchanged glances with earlier that day.
"We talked twice I think? When I arrived outside, you offered to go inside and get my sick friend some water. And once on the extremely loud dance floor," a man wrote Monday in a post titled "Banger Friday night." "You were so cute and maybe we could have inaudible conversation on a dance floor sometime again."
In some cases, users post bulletins trying to rekindle an old flame or find an old friend in a final desperate attempt to fix a bitter breakup.
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