If Jim Halpert and Pam Beesley, aka the cute "couple that should be" from The Office, went on a dating website it would probably be I'm in like with you [1]. The site is a free flirting game, which you can play on the web and your phone, and it's unlike any other dating site I've ever seen because it caters to a very simple truth: Everyone likes to flirt. The rest (as in the meeting, having a drink, having your first kiss) is all up to you. Created by two young guys, it caters to the 18-35 crowd and allows you to electronically tease and tempt people across the web and in your area. Personally, I'm shocked by how attractive, hip and fun everyone in the community seems.
The idea is based on the fact that "guys act badly in real life, and even worse on the web - think about all the creeps on myspace, match.com, and of course craigslist," says Dan, one of the creators. You play by initiating a game with a question (such as "drinks after work?") then users bid to win your affection with points, winks and little messages. When the set game time is over, you select a winner from the top 5 bidders and can communicate freely through email, sms, and even call that person without revealing his or her email addresses or phone numbers. In essence it's a safe way to flirt with someone online before committing to the actual drink date.
Not sure what you think of internet dating? Our resident charmer PartySugar [2] was skeptical about it too. In fact, when she was introduced to the site she said - in her sassy and quick-witted voice - "I go out to meet guys!" Little did she know, two weeks later she would be stepping into the online dating pond. For instructions on how to use the site - including a special Sugar code that will get you in for free- and details from PartySugar's date,
Following her date last night, PartySugar sent me this message:
Last night I got to John Collins [3] thinking that my date started at 8 only to realize a half an hour later when he showed up that it actually started at 830. Besides that things went very smoothly. Good conversation: his favorite color blue and his favorite drink is a screwdriver and apparently he's really into wine. He's quite cute. I'm totally in like!
Okay, so maybe we won't all be so lucky, but it's worth a try! The site is currently in beta, but you can test it out by clicking here [4]. If you get stuck, just go to the homepage and put in the code: SUGAR.
How exactly does it work?
- Each person starts with points - You can earn points in many different ways. First, you get a bunch just for signing up. Then you can get points for adding to your profiles, uploading photos and videos, and checking out the site each day.
- A game is a short competition where the competitors submit their profiles and bid a certain number of points to get the game host's attention. Each person must bid higher than the current bid. This means that after a little while, only the people who are most interested in the game host will rise to the top.
- When your game's time is up, you can choose one of the top 5 bidders as the winner, and the winner's points are deducted. If you don't like them, you can dump them all.
After the game, the host and the winner can communicate freely through email, sms, and even call each other without revealing his or her email addresses or phone numbers.
